Recent “swatting” threats have been made against several public schools in Legislative District 24. Swatting is the term used to describe a criminal act whereby a threat is made against a person or place in order to get law enforcement to respond. These events have been occurring across our state at an increased frequency. Until these threats have been confirmed to be false by law enforcement, our schools and police treat these as real and serious threats. In addition to the stress these incidents place on students, school faculty and staff, and the parents of the students, these despicable crimes tie up law enforcement from responding to other incidents and jeopardize our overall public safety as a result.
Most often, the criminals behind these acts are never caught. They use sophisticated tactics to remain anonymous by “spoofing” calls (using a fake number that shows up on caller ID), utilizing artificial intelligence to contact the school, accessing the internet using a virtual private network (VPN) and by using anonymous accounts on social media. The same tactics are also frequently used to scam honest citizens out of their identities and drain their bank accounts by impersonating government officials, bank employees, and even law enforcement.
Our schools and law enforcement are working diligently to ensure the safety of our students. While by definition swatting incidents are hoaxes, the nature of the threat demands a serious response. These threats are also highly disruptive and it is time that the companies whose networks are used to conduct these criminal acts take away the tools used to conduct them. There is no reason why anyone should need to use a fake phone number. Our telecommunications companies need to stop this practice from occurring. Companies developing AI need to teach their chatbots and generative AI-models to identify and flag these threats so they can ensure that AI does not become complicit in these crimes. Additionally, individuals convicted of swatting need to face serious legal consequences.
I’m looking into what can be done at the state level to address this issue. Because the networks used to facilitate these crimes cross state and international borders, ultimately Congress needs to step up and address swatting and other cybercrimes that negatively impact our citizens.
As always, if I can be of assistance to you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact my office. My staff members – Matt and Katie – are available to assist you with your needs and they pass along messages, so if you’d like a call back, please let them know!
Email: jana.hughes@leg.ne.gov
Phone: 402-471-2756
Facebook: Senator Jana Hughes
