Internet vigilantism is the act of carrying out vigilante activities through the Internet ( the communication network or its service providers ) or carried out using applications ( World Wide Web , e-mail ) that depend on the Internet . The term encompasses vigilantism against alleged scams , crimes , and non-Internet related behavior . It was termed netilantism or digilantism in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing , after an incident where vigilantes from the Reddit website looked to find the person responsible for the attack , but misidentified the perpetrator . They had committed suicide before the bombing had happened and the family was harassed and threatened by internet users who had participated in the internet " investigation "
Boston Marathon bombing
Boston Marathon bombing
Internet vigilantism