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A College Girl Was Exploited on Camera. A Network of Anonymous Men Got to Work

Maddie Kowalski is one of countless young women who’ve had their lives destroyed by the burnerverse, a loosely connected online community of sports fans. Now she’s fighting back.

A College Girl Was Exploited on Camera. A Network of Anonymous Men Got to Work

A college student, Maddie Kowalski, became the victim of a sinister online campaign. The incident began when a nude video of her was circulated on Snapchat and anonymous social network YikYak. Later, an anonymous X user, @SteveCumfull, posted the video on the platform, calling her the "queen of Delta Zeta." The video showed Kowalski, then 19, naked and intoxicated, engaging in sexual acts with multiple men.

The video quickly went viral, sparking a torrent of harassment and online abuse directed at Kowalski. Her personal information, photos, and even her father's LinkedIn were shared online, and she received death threats and threats of rape. The campaign, known as the burnerverse or beev, was a network of anonymous internet users who targeted young women, often using their platforms to post explicit content and harass them. Kowalski's case highlighted the dangers and fragility of young women's lives in the digital age.

Written by urgent.news from Wired's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Read the original at wired.com →

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