On Wednesday, Ken Paxton took to social media to say that police had descended on his McKinney home—which was empty at the time—after a caller made a 911 call falsely claiming that a life-threatening situation was taking place at the address. The practice, known as “swatting,” has long been a favorite among those seeking to move online harassment of an individual into the real world. The FBI began using the term as early as 2008, and the practice escalated in 2015 as the “Gamergate”campaign used it against critics; an Oklahoma police chief was shot several times after entering the home of a swatting target in response to a fake call. The term entered the Oxford English Dictionary that year, and it has remained a common…
The post Paxton Watch: After a “Swatting” Incident at His House, the AG Called Out His Political Opponents—but Does It Add Up? appeared first on Texas Monthly.
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