www.whyville.net Dec 19, 2003 Weekly Issue



Pyra
Guest Writer

911 Report!

Users' Rating
Rate this article
 
FRONT PAGE
CREATIVE WRITING
SCIENCE
HOT TOPICS
POLITICS
HEALTH
PANDEMIC

The other night (at about 11 o'clock where I live, and 1 o'clock WST), I decided to hop on Whyville and see if anybody was on and willing to talk.

I went to Dr. Leila's (my room of choice), but no one was there. Then I went to the Sportplatz, and once again no one was there. That's rather strange for such a large room, but hey, it was quite late at night. After that, I went to the Greek Theatre (another large room). A few people were scattered across the screen, and one was yelling out, "DRAMA TRY-OUTS!" The contest-holder left, along with the few other people there and I was left alone again.

I decided to try my luck at another room, the Sun Roof, and what I found there was both disturbing, and downright gross!

At first, everything was going fine. I met two girls, one from Australia and another from the USA. They were very interesting to talk to. My friend (a regular at Dr. Leila's) dropped by and was talking to a boy who had stolen something from his brother. LOL! I didn't get involved in that that. So everything was peachy keen until I saw two people, both with rather "newbish" faces (no face parts, just a head), talking to each other and acting in very disgusting, sexual ways.

At once, I knew that even though they looked like they were new to Whyville, they couldn't have been. They had already found a way to get past the program that is installed to prevent swearing and the use of words that are offensive to some Whyvillians. They were misspelling naughty words left and right, but they were still VERY distinguishable!

When I spoke to them, I said, "You must really have nothing to do if you come onto a KIDS website and do stuff like that!" Harsh, maybe, but the answer I got back was frankly disturbing. One of the faces said that this wasn't his first time on Whyville, and he didn't care if anyone banished him because he could always get a new account. The other stated that he had his current face for about a week and hadn't been banished or taped yet (Refer to the 911 call box if you don't know what these things mean! It's important to know what and how to use our Callbox Safety Tools!).

I used the 911 report button anyway, knowing that they would probably come back, but I thought it wise to stop them from chatting for at least 5 days. When I came back the next day, I found that City Hall (Bless Her!) had sent me a message saying that not only were the two people I had reported were banished, but another person who was involved, too.

The fact these people have decided to get into Whyville to do bad stuff frightens me. They might have been kids, teenagers, or adults. We have no way to know! What if they are older and they come to do this with little kids who are vulnerable in that type of situation? And frankly, the system of getting an alias on Whyville isn't that difficult. Anyone can do it, and he or she can easily use a false e-mail address, name, the whole enchilada!

What can we do? Even if we report these people, they come back! And they seem to care so little about being reported that it wouldn't even bother them. So I'm reaching out! We NEED a way to keep Whyville safe that stops these types of people!

Thanks a million!
Pyra
Going to Leila's, I should think...

Note from City Hall: Thanks, Pyra, for reporting this incident! These things don't happen very often, but it's important that we are all alert and aware, so that if we see then, we react promptly and properly. And what do we do? It's exactly what you did -- 911 report them!

It's true that they can just come back on another account, but if each time after waiting 5 days to chat they are immediately caught and banished, they will soon realize that it's too much trouble to make trouble in Whyville, and just move on to some other website where there are fewer rules and safety precautions.

Also, if you spot someone who says they're a repeat "customer" like that, be sure to include that fact in your report! We can then track this person's IP address and try to banish their IP, which means they can't get into our town using their computer, even from another account!

Did you like this article?
1 Star = Bleh.5 Stars = Props!
Rate it!
Ymail this article to a friend.
Discuss this article in the Forums.

  Back to front page


times@whyville.net
3531