Hackers Post Flashing Images on Epilepsy Web Forum: Big Joke, Boys

"Hackers Flood Epilepsy Web Forum With Flashing Lights"
FOXNews (March 31, 2008)

More at
"Hackers Assault Epilepsy Patients via Computer"
Wired (March 28, 2008)

Excerpt from Wired:

"Internet griefers descended on an epilepsy support message board last weekend and used JavaScript code and flashing computer animation to trigger migraine headaches and seizures in some users.

"The nonprofit Epilepsy Foundation, which runs the forum, briefly closed the site Sunday to purge the offending messages and to boost security.

" 'We are seeing people affected,' says Ken Lowenberg, senior director of web and print publishing at the Epilepsy Foundation. 'It's fortunately only a handful. It's possible that people are just not reporting yet -- people affected by it may not be coming back to the forum so fast.' "

I can almost hear the snickering of the uber-twits who pulled this clever stunt.

They may have made the record books, though: Their little trick, "possibly the first computer attack to inflict physical harm on the victims, began Saturday, March 22, when attackers used a script to post hundreds of messages embedded with flashing animated gifs."

I've come to accept that the Interent has many users whose lack of social skills, inability to communicate without abusing others, and at-best-vestigial comprehension of viewpoints other than their own, place them at the bottom of humanity's 'preferred companion' list.

This incident, however, is a new low.

Enough is enough. I think it's time to bring social expectations on the Web up to preschool standards.