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TikTok's masked vigilante takes a stand against online bullying

2 years 7 months 1 week ago Monday, August 16 2021 Aug 16, 2021 August 16, 2021 7:53 AM August 16, 2021 in News
Source: BBC News

A masked vigilante called the Great Londini is taking action against online bullies and he's gaining an increasing amount of fans in the process. 

A recent BBC News report shed light on the group represented by the masked man.

The vigilante also refers to himself as 'Leo,' but this is not his real name as he chooses to remain anonymous. 

In one video, Londini explained the group's aim, saying, "We are taking social media back from the bullies, pedophiles, scammers, and trolls."

He continued, "If a stranger said this comment to your daughter, mother, sister, wife, what would you do? We say stupid game, stupid prize."

The vigilante wears a mask and a black hoodie and uses an electronically distorted voice when speaking.

The group behind Londini tracks down online trolls, finds their real name, and reports the individual's disturbing actions to the appropriate "officials." 

For example, if the online bully is a child, Londini will try to tell the youth's parents or school that the child is engaging inappropriate behavior online.

If the bully is an adult and they've posted something sexually threatening online, Londini will inform the individual's local authorities or employer.

The masked vigilante says he decided to take such extreme action against online bullies after a friend's 14-year-old autistic son took his own life in 2020.

Leo told BBC News, "My friend after a while, after he was grieving, he reached out to us and said, you know, part of the reason why he was so depressed is because he was being harassed a lot on social media."

At the request of the father, Leo and several friends tracked down the anonymous bullies who'd tormented the man's son.

"We were able to give him the information and say, you know, hey... do what you need to do with it. And he reached out to their parents and got, for the most part, he got some closure."

After this, the group friends decided to call themselves 'The Great Londini.' The name was a  a combination of Houdini and Linux, the operating system.

While many applaud the group's actions, Londini has also been accused of breaking various rules such as online harassment, bullying, and violent extremism. 

It's for these reasons that TikTok has permanently deleted nine of Londini's accounts.

But in one video, the masked man says, "Until every bully, racist, and scammer is off this app, we're going nowhere."

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