Gamergate members are turning to SWATing in their latest effort to harass critics of the movement, with the latest victim of such an incident being Seattle-based web developer Israel Galvez.
The Guardian reports that five police officers were dispatched to his home following an anonymous phone-in tip. Galvez has been vocal in his opposition to Gamergate, which opposes the inclusion of feminists within game development and media criticism. Aware that Gamergate has turned to SWATing, Galvez had alerted his local police department to expect such an incident in order to prevent the potentially tragic outcome of a full police response.
This is the second SWATing incident connected to Gamergate this week, and was co-ordinated by the 'baphomet' subforum of 8chan and a subforum on Reddit.
Gamergate acquired Galvez's home address and other personal details which they sent to magazine subscription services, car dealerships, and community colleges before hoaxing the police with a fake distress call. SWATing can be done from anywhere in the world and there's little chance that those responsible will be traced.
One man in Utah was shot and killed by a Swat team in October after he contacted a suicide hotline, while another team killed a dog while responding to a neigbour's dispute.
