FAQ
If you have a question that isn't addressed here, feel free to email us at: makethemscared@gmail.com
Q: What is Make Them Scared?
A: Make Them Scared is a communal rape list. It is intended to be an online hub for anyone who wants to expose the names of their attackers and harassers, and to fill a gap left by inadequate treatment of these cases by formal institutions. Make Them Scared is not intended to serve as a substitute for official means of reporting, but as a last resort for those whom official institutions have failed.
Q: Why are you called "Make them Scared"?
A: This admittedly ominous-sounding name alludes to the injustice of women having to live their life in fear of sexual assault and harassment, while perpetrators can easily live their lives free of any fear of being caught or held accountable for their actions. Our goal is just that: to make perpetrators afraid that if they commit or have committed an act of sexual assault or harassment, they will be held accountable for their actions.
Q: I/my attacker don't go to UW or live in Washington, can I submit a name?
A: Yes, we accept submissions from anywhere, although we ask that you clarify in your submission the university or state you're from.
Q: What will happen after I submit a name?
A: One of our site's moderators will review your submission, verify your contact information, and after receiving your confirmation, publish the information you provided us (minus any personally identifying info) on the list page on our site. The purpose of the verification process is not for us to determine whether or not the individual accused is guilty or innocent (again, only a court of law can do that), but whether or not the submission is legitimate, and that the people behind it are not bots/trolls, in the same way that Facebook and Twitter verifies accounts to make sure they're not bots/trolls. The information you provide us will not be used for any other purposes. If you submitted a name and filled out the form correctly, but the name hasn't been posted within a week of your submission, feel free to follow up via email. Also, check your spam to see if we sent you a confirmation email. We can only post the name after you reply to this email. We do not alter, correct, or edit the content of submissions in any way before publishing them.
Q: I want to submit a name, but am worried about retaliation. What should I do?
A: We encourage all potential accusers to prioritize their own safety. If you believe giving us the name of your attacker will put you in danger, we encourage you not to do so. Once enough accusations are received, those accused by more than one person will be marked with an asterisk (*) by their name. This is so that those who are afraid their attacker would be able to identify them know that their attacker has already been accused by other parties.
Q: What about victims who aren't female/perpetrators who aren't male?
A: As long as the claim passes our verification process, the gender and/or political leanings of the name submitted does not matter to us. We make an effort to use gender-neutral language across our reporting form and site. That being said, obvious troll accounts like "Brett Kavanaugh" or "Christine Blasey Ford" will be ignored completely. We also do not publish the names of any prominent public figures, unless exceptional evidence is provided, as there may be more motivation to levy accusations against these individuals than those outside of the public eye.
Q: What happens if someone asks for their name to be removed from the list?
A: We will first contact the accuser to inform them of the request. If they stand by the truth of their claim, then the individual will be informed of this and the name will remain on the list. If the accuser left no means of contact, does not reply within one week, or approves of having the name removed, then the name will be removed. The only other circumstances under which a name will be removed is if the accusation is proven to be untrue or for legal reasons.
Q: Is this illegal? Slander? Defamation?
A: A Cornell law professor much more qualified to answer this question than us did so in detail here.
Q: What about innocent until proven guilty/false accusations/collateral damage, etc.
It's worth noting that most people, by default, will be skeptical of the claims on our list, and we aren't finding anyone innocent or guilty here. We just post the information that's given to us. The concepts of "innocent until proven guilty" and "due process" specifically apply to American legal proceedings in a court of law, not the court of public opinion, because only a court of law can assign punishment for a crime. Despite some people's opinion to the contrary, the consequences an accused person will face because their name is on our list are not at all comparable to the ones they would face if they were found guilty in a court of law, and rightfully so. People are not weighing the names on our list the way they would names in a sex offender registry, which helps to mitigate the amount of damage our site could cause. The purpose of the list is to give survivors a way to inform potential victims and prevent further assaults, not to punish the accused.
If you have a question that isn't addressed here, feel free to email us at: makethemscared@gmail.com
A: Make Them Scared is a communal rape list. It is intended to be an online hub for anyone who wants to expose the names of their attackers and harassers, and to fill a gap left by inadequate treatment of these cases by formal institutions. Make Them Scared is not intended to serve as a substitute for official means of reporting, but as a last resort for those whom official institutions have failed.
Q: Why are you called "Make them Scared"?
A: This admittedly ominous-sounding name alludes to the injustice of women having to live their life in fear of sexual assault and harassment, while perpetrators can easily live their lives free of any fear of being caught or held accountable for their actions. Our goal is just that: to make perpetrators afraid that if they commit or have committed an act of sexual assault or harassment, they will be held accountable for their actions.
A: This admittedly ominous-sounding name alludes to the injustice of women having to live their life in fear of sexual assault and harassment, while perpetrators can easily live their lives free of any fear of being caught or held accountable for their actions. Our goal is just that: to make perpetrators afraid that if they commit or have committed an act of sexual assault or harassment, they will be held accountable for their actions.
Q: I/my attacker don't go to UW or live in Washington, can I submit a name?
A: Yes, we accept submissions from anywhere, although we ask that you clarify in your submission the university or state you're from.
A: Yes, we accept submissions from anywhere, although we ask that you clarify in your submission the university or state you're from.
Q: What will happen after I submit a name?
A: One of our site's moderators will review your submission, verify your contact information, and after receiving your confirmation, publish the information you provided us (minus any personally identifying info) on the list page on our site. The purpose of the verification process is not for us to determine whether or not the individual accused is guilty or innocent (again, only a court of law can do that), but whether or not the submission is legitimate, and that the people behind it are not bots/trolls, in the same way that Facebook and Twitter verifies accounts to make sure they're not bots/trolls. The information you provide us will not be used for any other purposes. If you submitted a name and filled out the form correctly, but the name hasn't been posted within a week of your submission, feel free to follow up via email. Also, check your spam to see if we sent you a confirmation email. We can only post the name after you reply to this email. We do not alter, correct, or edit the content of submissions in any way before publishing them.
A: One of our site's moderators will review your submission, verify your contact information, and after receiving your confirmation, publish the information you provided us (minus any personally identifying info) on the list page on our site. The purpose of the verification process is not for us to determine whether or not the individual accused is guilty or innocent (again, only a court of law can do that), but whether or not the submission is legitimate, and that the people behind it are not bots/trolls, in the same way that Facebook and Twitter verifies accounts to make sure they're not bots/trolls. The information you provide us will not be used for any other purposes. If you submitted a name and filled out the form correctly, but the name hasn't been posted within a week of your submission, feel free to follow up via email. Also, check your spam to see if we sent you a confirmation email. We can only post the name after you reply to this email. We do not alter, correct, or edit the content of submissions in any way before publishing them.
A: We encourage all potential accusers to prioritize their own safety. If you believe giving us the name of your attacker will put you in danger, we encourage you not to do so. Once enough accusations are received, those accused by more than one person will be marked with an asterisk (*) by their name. This is so that those who are afraid their attacker would be able to identify them know that their attacker has already been accused by other parties.
Q: What about victims who aren't female/perpetrators who aren't male?
A: As long as the claim passes our verification process, the gender and/or political leanings of the name submitted does not matter to us. We make an effort to use gender-neutral language across our reporting form and site. That being said, obvious troll accounts like "Brett Kavanaugh" or "Christine Blasey Ford" will be ignored completely. We also do not publish the names of any prominent public figures, unless exceptional evidence is provided, as there may be more motivation to levy accusations against these individuals than those outside of the public eye.
Q: What happens if someone asks for their name to be removed from the list?
A: We will first contact the accuser to inform them of the request. If they stand by the truth of their claim, then the individual will be informed of this and the name will remain on the list. If the accuser left no means of contact, does not reply within one week, or approves of having the name removed, then the name will be removed. The only other circumstances under which a name will be removed is if the accusation is proven to be untrue or for legal reasons.
Q: Is this illegal? Slander? Defamation?
A: A Cornell law professor much more qualified to answer this question than us did so in detail here.
Q: What about innocent until proven guilty/false accusations/collateral damage, etc.
It's worth noting that most people, by default, will be skeptical of the claims on our list, and we aren't finding anyone innocent or guilty here. We just post the information that's given to us. The concepts of "innocent until proven guilty" and "due process" specifically apply to American legal proceedings in a court of law, not the court of public opinion, because only a court of law can assign punishment for a crime. Despite some people's opinion to the contrary, the consequences an accused person will face because their name is on our list are not at all comparable to the ones they would face if they were found guilty in a court of law, and rightfully so. People are not weighing the names on our list the way they would names in a sex offender registry, which helps to mitigate the amount of damage our site could cause. The purpose of the list is to give survivors a way to inform potential victims and prevent further assaults, not to punish the accused.
