Tonight, Friday Dec. 7, 2007, ABC 20/20 did a report of more disturbing misuse of the Internet. (The talk is about the porsche girl Nikki Catsouras case).
The case of impersonation and harassment in Missouri that led to the death of a 13 year old girl is covered on my Internet safety blog, here.
The show started with an account of a horrific teenage girl's auto accident in her dad's Porsche, and then the posting of tasteless pictures of the incident apparently leaked by the California Highway Patrol. The story by John Avila, Eamon McNiff, Scott Michels, "A Family's Nightmare: Accident Photos of Their Beautiful Daughter Released
Family of Nikki Catsouras Has Sued Investigators for Allegedly Releasing Accident Pictures," here. The company Reputation Defender has tried to get "amateur" postings of the pictures on the Internet taken down as requested by the family, but with limited success because of First Amendment claims.
In another case, a Peruvian woman who was charged for manslaughter for a drunk driving accident in Austin, TX in 1996 fled to Peru, but has posted brazen pictures of her partying on the Internet, and a reporter found this online with search engines. A Texas congressman wants to strengthen the law to have people like her extradited back. The story by Emily Friedman is "Manslaughter Fugitive Lives High Life in Peru: On MySpace Page, Woman Who Fled Drunken Driving Crash Says Drinking a Favorite Pastime," link here.
Then Bill Ritter and Ann Varney have a report about school fight clubs on the Internet (e.g. the famous film "Fight Club"), "Teen Violence Made Popular Online Fighting, Pranks Made Popular on YouTube and MySpace," link here. Now teenage girls have their fight clubs. College admissions and employers will be able to see these unless they are removed.
Lynn Sherr and Chris Kilmer did a report on cell phones on planes, and found a theoretical risk of bringing a plane down that has never been verified. Engineer John Nance questions that there is a practical risk, and Jet Blue and other airlines are adding new shielding that may soon permit cell phone and Internet use on planes. The story is called "Cell Phones Are Dangerous in Flight: Myth, or Fact?; 20/20 Asks Whether or Not a Cell Phone Can Bring Down a Plane", here. - By Bill's TV Series News and Review
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Comments
#1 oh my god
In my thoughts, people who comment mean things are assholes, they have no heart for the family of this girl, and i saw this show tonight and when i watched it i was sad, the thought that the family has to wake up everyday and see that there little girl is gone forever, and the pain. To the Family of nikki, i'm sorry, and i'm sorry that there are low lifes and no lifes that make fun of her, she was a beautiful girl and it was a shame, and the pics of the crash, Holy Shit, i wish i never seen them, they are horrible. my heart goes out to the family and good luck.....
#2 Dads fault
I don't feel sorry for the family at all. Why does a dad with 4 kids have a sports car, and why were his keys where she could get them.
#3 YOU DUMB A..
YOU DUMB A...!!!! JUST BECAUSE THE PARENTS OWN A NICE CAR IT'S OK THAT THEIR DAUGHTER GOT INTO A ACCIDENT AND DIED. TEENAGERS DIE DRIVING ALL TYPES OF CARS DUMB ASS. YOU BETTER PRAY THAT SHIT LIKE THAT NEVER HAPPENS TO YOUR SORRY HAS
#4 Don't be stupid
Don't be stupid. A hard working man isn't allowed to buy a nice car for himself? What does him having 4 kids have anything to do with it? You are probably the most ignorant piece of s... on this planet.
#5 How is it the dads fault?
How is it the dads fault? Just because he has kids he cant own a sports car?? If you could be lucky enough to be able to get a sports car you would I'm sure, and no kid deserves to die like that. It made me extremely sad to see that story on 20/20 and whoever posted the pictures on the internet is an ***hole and should feel ashamed for what they are making the family go through.
#6 His fault alright
If that Dad had not been a show off prick with a flash sports car his daughter would be alive today. Fact. end of story.
#7 You are truly mistaken
"If that Dad had not been a show off prick with a flash(y) sports car his daughter would be alive today. Fact. (E)nd of story."
However, if I follow your (misguided) logic to its conclusion, the daughter would still be alive today if her "pricky" dad had owned a '97 Eighty-Eight Oldsmobile that still can easily hit 100 mph instead of the "flash(y) sports car" that led to her death. Where is the logic in that? The daughter could just as easily been killed in ANY CAR, regardless whether it was a sports car or not. People like you are often the same type of people who can't take responsibility for his/her own actions and likes to blame everything on parents, society, or the rich guys. Take a look around you, buddy, and wise up. Just cause you buy something nice doesn't make you a prick--oh, wait, you probably don't own anything nice cause your $$$ on hoes and beer. So I guess your not a prick--your a dumb@$$.
#8 Shame on Society
Until a similar tragedy happens to the people who post these photos on websites, they can not comprehend the thoughtlessness and cruelty of their actions. It is sad and frightening to see society lose compassion for fellow human beings. I am so sorry for the family. Please forgive people for their curiosity and thoughtlessness. If one positive thing comes of this, maybe one person who sees the photos will make a conscientious effort to drive more carefully.
#9 I agree with Shame on
I agree with Shame on Society. I cant understand the urge to want to see those photos. It gives me chills just imagining the Father of this girl opening his e mail and having to see them for himself. It is a disguisting fetish.
#10 guess the dumd girl deserved
guess the dumd girl deserved it.
#11 How Can You Say That About The Girl
How Can you say something like that, you don't even know her. If you have the curage why don't you ID yourself, but not hit and run caward.
#12 Do you even know how to
Do you even know how to spell?
#13 SHUT UP YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN
SHUT UP YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN A BAD SPOT ALREADY!!!!!!!!! ONCE AGIN DUMB ASS!
#14 Dude how can you say such a
Dude how can you say such a thing. no one deserves something like this. Have you seen the photos if so were at
#15 Your an ass!!!!!!!! Go kill
Your an ass!!!!!!!! Go kill your self!! MY GOD
#16 IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY...BE QUIET!!!!
My mom always told me "If you don't have anything nice/positive to say...don't say anything." I hope some of you people grow up and stop being so immature...I know half of you people for a fact have done things in your life that your parents did not agreed on (you just didn't get caught)...I am so sorry that this happened to this beautiful girl and sorry for what her family have to go through because of ignorant people like yourself! Just remember that God is watching and listening to what you people are saying and you never know when is your turn to die, so...you need to be careful of what you say about others!!!!!!!
P.S.
You people need to stop and empathize with her family and think about how you would feel if your sister was in the same predicament!!!!!!!
May God bless her family!!!!
#17 Karma's a bitch! Trust me.
Karma's a bitch! Trust me. Do unto others as they do unto you. I don't doubt that you will continue to make mistakes in life. Wait until something horrific happens to you. When you turn to people for compassion, the same callous and coldness that you have shown, will happen to you. Because you have spent your entire life feeding off of other people's misery; which is why when something will happen to you (and trust me, no one gets away clean or unscaved in life), you are going to have to look at yourself in the mirror, and realize that you have wasted your whole existence on making others hate you. Good luck. Hell is a lonely place.
#18 the cruel indivuals out there
I am writing about the story that 20/20 did on the porsche girl last night I have seen the pictures and I think that it is horrifying for the family to see them I think its a violation of the families rights reguardless of the people who say I have 1st amendment rights well the family gave birth to that poor young girl and I think that should over rule any first amendement rights that these sick indivuals might remotely have. The mother said she was not even allowed to see her daughter she will never be able to look her daughter in the eyes and tell her how much she loves her and to see their daughter to pay their last respects is something she was not given the oppturnity to do I think that all the web sites with these terrible horrifying pictures on it should be banned it sick and demented how can this family and the friends and loves ones of this poor girl ever be able to cope if they can't even get on the computer or walk out the door without hearing about it or seeing it. I fully support the families decsion to sue no amount of money if ever gonna make the place of their sweet little angel but it can prevent things like this from happening again. I currently am pregnant with my first child and I can't even imagine what those parents are going threw my heart felt thoughts and prayers go out to them and I pray that someday they will be able to live a somewhat normal life and pray that they get the justice they so much deserve the people who continue to get a thrill of posting these pictures needs to live one day in the parents and families shoes they would not be doing this if the shoe was on the other foot. God bless this family and pray that they get their peace they so well deserve.
#19 I watched the show last
I watched the show last night and I thought it was horriffic! I can't believe that poeple would would hurt that girls family more than they had already been hurt! To those who thought that it was funny Karma will return to bite them in there ass someday!
#20 why
why should her parents sue when it is there daughters fault she took the car she killed her self some pics got took and put on the internet so what it is a free country after all i mean it is a tragic loss and i feel bad for her family but those pics might save alot of lives when it comes down to it i think everyone who had to see it should sue her family for mental problems for haveing to see such a horrible thing that means emt, cops, tow truck driverss even people that just drove by should sue .
#21 You are a moron
You are a complete moron. Not only are you unable to form a coherent sentence, but you are a moral idiot as well, with no comprehension of basic human decency. Go crawl back into the primordial ooze that spawned you and avoid showing your astonishing stupidity and boorishness to everyone.
#22 Because....................
Because you are such an idiot, I pray that you don't live next door to me or hopefully not even in my neighborhood. Maybe with any luck, your autopsy photo's will appear on Rotten.com some day and that may stop me from smoking or whatever vice you've got!
#23 How can you say that?
How is it possible that you think people should sue her parents for seeing the photos of the crash?! First of all: The pictures were not put online by her parents and if you had paid attention, you would have noticed that her parents are fighting to take the pictures off the internet. Secondly: People who have seen the pictures have done so by choice. I did a google search just to see how many sites there were out there. EVERY site had a description of what is on the site. Most of them used "decapitation" in the description. People make the choice to look at those sites, knowing exactly what they will find. Do not make arguments that don't make any sense.
#24 I thought it was
I thought it was tremendously disrespectful that people would torment the girl's family by sending those horrific pictures..... and I strongly believe what goes around comes around. But I just want to say that it WAS her choice to go at that crazy speed and that in a sense it was better for her to go than for her to possibly crash with another vehicle and create risk for innocent people around her..... Either way it is still tragic......... God bless the family and I wish that the whole ordeal will stop continuing
#25 Nikki
There is no way to properly express the sorrow to the family... the tragedy is just immense...
Having said that, I think that every teenager should be forced to see the details of the accident before thay get close to a car again... They should also see the pictures of a couple of recent teenager Wisconsin accidents (3 of 4 occupants killed just North of Milwaukee, 3 killed near Dells... none apparently even bother to put on the seatbelt). Death in a traffic accident is nasty; not a video game. Maybe some deaths can be prevented that way... In the case of Nikki, God only knows what could have helped ... It is hard not to think of a fact that she apparently had everything, including apparently great parents. What a senless loss of a life (yes, the car, too).
#26 This story really broke my
This story really broke my heart. How sad that her parents have to deal with her death and now they have to deal with all this cruelty. What would make anyone say those things? Nikki was a typical teenager...who can say that as a teenager they never took risks? But some just have more luck than others and live to tell about their wild rides. I lost my best friend to a car crash only a few months after she had gotten her license and I know the sorrow I felt at that time and I cannot imagine anyone sending photos or anything to her family. These people are hurting so much right now, what they need is support and prayers.
#27 I was angrier still about
I was angrier still about the mother who let her daughter taunt the 13-year-old girl with the email from a "fake" boy just so she could find out if the now deceased girl was talking about her daughter behind her back. Reminds me of the Texas Cheerleader mother. Also, the Peruvian woman who was so callous as to have that Paris Hilton thing about the DUIs on her site, when she (the peruvian) never paid for her crimes. She makes me absolutely sick and ANGRY!
#28 the police should be in
the police should be in fault for the whole thing...!
#29 My heart goes out to rhis
My heart goes out to rhis family. I'm so sorry for your loss. May god bless you your family and may she rest in peace
#30 where can i see the photos at
does anyone know where i might find the photos i got a little something for the poster thank you