I'm sure that most of us will never have to worry about this since we're all readers and writers here... and not people who regularly stream ourselves playing video games. I do like to point out that there is a public resource that is being misused in this process, however. I hope that there are law enforcement here who read this and become aware of 'swatting' attempts.
For anyone who doesn't know what "swatting" is, it's the practice where you use someone's personal information to make a false 911 call... say a bomb threat or active shooting incident. This causes the dispatcher to call the police/SWAT teams out during the live stream. While rare, it still is a terrifying experience... especially if you have speakers on while playing a video game involving guns, bombs and extreme violence. The viewers and the person who called it in get to watch the streamer be face planted, handcuffed, questioned, etc.
I'm just playing my game and some joker thought it would be funny to call the SWAT team on me.
Just a few days ago, Jordan Mathewson (Kootra) was live streaming himself playing Counterstrike when his office was raided by the local SWAT team. He was detained briefly while the law enforcement sorted out the truth.
From the Daily Mail:
A webcam has captured the dramatic moment a SWAT team swept in and arrested an online gamer after a hoax call claimed he was armed and dangerous.
Jordan Mathewson was streaming a game of Counter-Strike yesterday when dozens of armed officers surrounded his office in Littleton, Colorado, and screamed at him to hit the deck.
A prank caller had told police he was a gunman who shot two colleagues and took hostages in the latest case of a worrying trend known as 'swatting'.
You can watch it all unfold on
YouTube.
Another fellow streamer points out that if you are going to live stream, you should be friends with your local law enforcement. That way, they'll at least call you first.
I don't know if the incident would have turned out for worse if Kootra was African-American.
It's not the first example of "social engineering" with really nasty consequences. This is one where blood can be easily spilled all because some sociopath's actions.