Corrupted-Justice - What is Perverted-Justice?

"PJ is a 'cyber-vigilante' organization whose members trawl Internet chat rooms pretending to be teenage girls in the hopes of enticing men into sexually graphic chats."

"notwithstanding the site owner's contentions that they do not condone harassment, their members are encouraged to begin a campaign of harassment and public humiliation ."

"in many cases the information gathered by their "amateur Internet detectives" is incorrect"

"all registration details for the domain name are false, in violation of ICANN"

"Recent news articles have determined that ownership and control of the site is held by a Phillip John Eide, an unemployed 26 year-old self-confessed computer gamer and wrestling affectionado from Portland, Oregon"

What is Perverted-Justice.com?

Perverted-Justice.com (henceforth referred to as "PJ") is a publicly accessible website, accessed via the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) http://www.perverted-justice.com.

PJ is a "cyber-vigilante" organization whose members trawl Internet chat rooms pretending to be teenage girls in the hopes of enticing men into sexually graphic chats. Once targeted, their members begin a campaign to obtain and publicly display every possible shred of personal information regarding the target, his family (including children), neighbors, employer, etc. Once the information is published on their website, notwithstanding the site owner's contentions that they do not condone harassment, their members are encouraged to begin a campaign of harassment and public humiliation by contacting anyone associated with the target with anonymous accusations of pedophilia. Unfortunately, in many cases the information gathered by their "amateur Internet detectives" is incorrect, resulting in the harassment of innocent people.

PJ consists primarily of two "areas", the website proper, and the "forums".

Perverted Justice Website Overview

The initial website is an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) web page containing links to various other web pages within PJ.

The primary purpose of the main page is to display links to a list of "busts" carried out by PJ contributors. The "bust" links, when clicked, display a separate page devoted to each individual bust, usually including a "chat log", a photograph of the "bust" if available, and comments added by the contributor throughout the chat log.

Generally, the links to the individual "bust" pages are listed in chronological order by the date of the "bust".

A number of links to "bust" pages are displayed under the PJ logo on the main page. The determination of which chat log links are displayed in this area are determined on the basis of a public voting system within the site. Users of the site are invited to read the logs and electronically vote for the "Most Slimy" based on the content of the chat, the "Right of Reply" if submitted, the target's reaction to being "busted", etc. The five with the highest number of "most slimy" votes are displayed on the main page.

Previous "bust" details are available from the "Archived Busts" link.

General links to site information, Frequently Asked Questions, Support Info, etc. are displayed across the top of the page. Each link leads to another page with further information about PJ, their methods, alledged motivations, etc.

Further links to various PJ information, as well as links to the "PJ Store" where T-shirts, Coffee Mugs, etc. bearing the PJ logo and various "witty one-liners" may be purchased, are displayed down the right side of the main page.

Website Ownership

The website is hosted on servers belonging to a privately owned company, Softlayer Technologies Inc. (http://www.softlayer.com) Their corporate headquarters are located at

SoftLayer Technologies Inc.
1950 N Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, TX
75207

The domain name, www.perverted-justice.com is registered through an anonymous registrar in Canada via Register.com.

Although all necessary domain registration information for PJ is readily available, all registration details for the domain name are false, in violation of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) "Registrar Advisory Concerning Whois Data Accuracy" (See http://www.icann.org/announcements/advisory-10may02.htm)

Recent news articles (see our "links" section) have determined that ownership and control of the site is held by a Phillip John Eide, an unemployed 26 year-old self-confessed computer gamer and wrestling affectionado from Portland, Oregon. Further investigation into Mr. Eide's background reveals his plans to run for the 2016 presidency of the United States as a Libertarian candidate, assisted by his room-mate and website "technician", Nicholas Wilkins.

Eide is well-known on various websites and blogs by his many pseudonyms, most popular of which are "Angry German", "Ombudsman", and "Xavier Von Erck" (his most recent). His long-winded and often arrogant diatribes are displayed on many blogs and websites, usually written to justify his political views or with an "argumentative for the sake of arguing" style.

Like many cult leaders or self-styled "revolutionaries", Eide appears to surround himself primarily with uneducated and socially maladjusted individuals, many (more than 40% of his "followers" according to Eide himself) of which are former sexual abuse victims themselves. His complete control of his site forums ensure that any dissenting opinions of PJ, or any forum postings which question their member's qualifications or authority are immediately removed and the poster "banned" so as to ensure his followers are not inclined to question Eide's authority. His efforts to ensure that no negative opinions are publicly voiced regarding his cyber-vigilante group have recently extended to attempts to libel and threaten legitimate journalists and other online activists for speaking out about perverted-justice.com.

Baiters

·The "bust" contributors are the members of PJ who personally participate in the "baiting" of PJ Targets in internet chat rooms by pretending to be 12 - 16 year old girls.
·

There are usually anywhere from 24-35 contributors listed on PJ (URL: http://www.perverted-justice.com/?profile=PJ%20Staff) Many of these people have been identified by our organization. This information can be provided to attorneys or investigators on request.

In many cases, as evidenced by the posted "chat logs" of these conversations, the sexual content and innuendo is specifically begun or "forced" by the PJ contributor rather than the PJ Target.

The contention that PJers never initiate a chat cannot be proven, as there is no archived record of any conversation that may have occurred in the public room prior to the private chats that are posted. A number of "busts" contend that in conversations with the baiter in the public areas, the baiter enticed the target into private chat by initially stating their age as older.

The contributor asks as many leading questions as possible throughout the conversation in an attempt to ascertain as much personal information about the PJ Target as possible in the course of the chat, such as "So, what do you do for a living?", "Where do you live?", "Are you married?", "What kind of car do you drive?", etc. This is generally done in an innocuous manner so as not to alarm the PJ Target.

Once a "bust" has been completed, the contributor modifies the chat log locally by adding short comments, usually of an inflammatory nature designed to inflame the readers of the log. The log is then posted publicly on the site.

During the course of a "bust", contributors will contact, by phone or private internet messages, a "phone verifier" to make an initial phone call to the PJ Target. (For further information about the phone verifiers, please see below)

In many cases, the "bust" contributor is also heavily involved in the subsequent information seeking and harassment of the PJ Target.

Newer contributors are apparently given "training" in their techniques by more experienced contributors. The format and content of this "training" is a closely guarded secret among PJ contributors.

Recently, information has come to light regarding the age of some of their contributors, in particular, one called "Satine" who began "baiting" for PJ when she was 15 years of age. In addition, PJ has employed children as young as 13 and 14 to contact and harass their targets and become involved in the "follow-up" activities. (More information is available on this topic in our Editorials and Articles section). Other specifics can be provided on request)

Phone Verifiers

The purpose of the phone verifier is to confirm the stated telephone number of the PJ Target, usually given to the contributor in the course of the Internet chat.

Phone verifiers are generally people with young-sounding voices, virtually always female.

During the course of a chat, the baiter will contact a phone verifier, passing the necessary details as required.

At the appropriate time, the phone verifier will telephone the PJ Target and assume the identity of the baiter. The conversations are generally short, with the phone verifier usually ending the conversation with an excuse such as "My phone battery is about to die."

In some cases, the phone verifier will attempt to elicit more personal information from the PJ Target during the phone call.

The phone verifier then contacts the baiter to confirm the telephone number and pass on any further details extracted during the phone call.

Many of the phone verifiers are also "Baiters"

Forum Moderators

Each message area or "Forum" at PJ has one or more people who are responsible for maintaining order in the forum.

Forum moderators are responsible for moving messages to appropriate areas, deleting messages they find objectionable, and editing the contents of posted messages where they deem it necessary.

In many cases, forum moderators are also PJ "Contributors".

Phillip Eide generally chooses moderators personally after they have been involved with PJ for a considerable period, and have proven through their message postings that they share his beliefs and enthusiasm regarding the task.

Moderators, in many cases, have the privilege of either suggesting the "banning" of particular users to Eide, or, in some cases, have been given the ability to directly ban those they feel are counter to PJ's purpose.

On PJ, the moderator's primary task is to delete messages that appear to be uncomplimentary towards PJ, or any messages providing links to any external site not specifically and personally approved by Eide. (Primarily links to anti-PJ sites mentioned in the course of a message)

Personal Information Searchers

Once a "bust" has been posted publicly on PJ, all general members of the site are encouraged to begin searching for all possible personal information about the PJ Target using the details given during the chat and subsequent phone verification.

The PJ member list now numbers over 10,000 individual users. While the list is quite large, it does not accurately reflect the number of people actually involved in searching for information or "active" PJ members. Usernames are never removed from the list, therefore usernames of simple curiosity seekers, those who have been banned from the site, and those who no longer have any interest in the site remain on the list. That actual number of "active" general members appears to be around 100 - 200 or less.

Searchers use any means possible to attempt to ascertain more information about the PJ Target, including but not limited to:

Reverse telephone lookups
Reverse address lookups
Telephoning and e-mailing the PJ Target's possible places of employment
Telephoning and personally questioning neighbors residing in the PJ Target's neighborhood
Contacting possible acquaintances
Use of "social engineering" so obtain last names from employers
Posing as law enforcement / private-eyes / child social services
Searching of school yearbooks and reunion sites.
Hacking of personal and commercial computer systems and servers
Use of protected information databases at member's places of employment

Information posted in the follow-up forum is generally represented as "Confirmed" or "Unconfirmed", based on how accurate the contributors, Forum Moderators, and general members feel the information is.

All details are publicly viewable by anyone in the "Follow-up Forums" on the site.

Information posted in the follow-up forums usually includes:

The PJ Target's real name, both first and last
Personal information regarding completely innocent people who merely share the same or a similar name with the target
PJ Target's e-mail addresses
All known online ID's for chat services
Names of family members, both in the PJ Target's home and around the world including the PJ Target's children, spouse, parents, siblings, etc.
Their phone number(s), both home and cell
Their full street address
Image maps of the entire neighborhood surrounding the PJ Target
Their criminal history, previous arrest records, convictions, driving offenses, etc.
Their place of employment, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of colleagues, employers and subordinates.
Photos of the PJ Target's car, license plates, front yards (sometimes with children playing outside - Photos are taken by drive-by volunteers)
Names, addresses and phone numbers of neighbors residing in the vicinity of the PJ Target's home address
Names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of anyone who may have been associated with the PJ Target through acquaintance, work, professional association, etc. (In many cases, this information is gained by searching for web sites where the PJ Target's name has been found, then attempting to contact any other persons mentioned on the same site, both to "warn them about the pervert" and to attempt to obtain further personal information about the PJ Target.)
There have been confirmed instances of members attempting to gain access to PJ Target's personal information via confidential employment databases and files. (In one specific case, a PJ member had volunteered to search a confidential military database at his place of employment, but was convinced otherwise by one of OUR members.)
There has been at least one incident of a PJ member accessing the legal databases LexisNexis & WestLaw. (Member was caught.)
In some cases, volunteers access information via "pay-for-use" services such as reverse cell-phone lookups and DMV databases. The searcher usually personally pays for the searches. (In a number of cases, searchers have publicly asked for donations to assist with a pay-for-use search)

Harassers

Notwithstanding the statement posted in the PJ FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) that "We do not support any type of violence of any kind used against anyone we have posted here, nor do we support harassment of any kind", general members are encouraged to continuously contact and harass their victims. Considerable evidence of this fact has been archived and is available throughout our website, or details can be forwarded on request.

Once enough of the PJ Target's "confirmed" personal information has been posted in the Follow-up Forums, ALL PJ members are encouraged to attempt to contact the "bust" using any means possible, including telephoning at all hours of the day or night, death threats, sending of continuous derogatory IMs (internet messages) to the PJ Target's computer, ordering pizza delivery to the PJ Target's address in the middle of the night, etc.

Members are encouraged to contact family members, neighbors, acquaintances, work colleagues, employers, etc. to "warn" them about the "pervert" in their midst.

The majority of the harassment appears to be carried out by a relative few (less than 50) of the more outspoken members.

Details of the harassment efforts are posted in the "Reactions" forum, where they are lauded and encouraged by other members.

To circumvent current harassment laws, PJ harassers are taught to stop calling the target if the target requests it. The harasser then posts the the fact that they were asked to stop calling publicly in the forums, "passing off" the responsibility for further harassing phone calls to the next available harasser. Due to the number of PJ members willing to engage in anonymous phone harassment, this can result in the target receiving hundreds of phone calls and death threats, even after he has requested that the initial harasser stop calling.

Recent information indicates that a number of their "harassers" are actually underage children themselves. One particular case was that of "Geris", a 14-year-old boy who was being used by PJ to phone and e-mail busts.

Note: It should be noted that the PJ forums have an automated feature whereby any use of the word "harass" in any posted message is automatically replaced by the word "contact", along with a statement to the effect that PJ does not condone harassment.

In many cases, PJ harassers act in the guise of "friends" who state that their intention is to "help" the PJ Target. Recently, PJ members have been illegally assuming the identities of our staff in order to attempt to gain the trust of the target and ascertain and confirm even more personal details about the target.

The target is told that their information will be removed from the site if they immediately submit a convincing "Right of Reply" (RoR) via e-mail to admin@perverted-justice.com or ror@perverted-justice.com.

They are told that the RoR must include an honest confession of what they have done, and proof that they are seeking counseling or psychiatric assistance for their alleged problem by forcing the target under duress to authorize the release of proof of counseling.

To date, while many PJ Targets have been convinced of the necessity to write a RoR, our evidence shows that not a single PJ Target's personal information has ever been removed from the site as a result of their RoR. All follow-up information, chat logs, and all personal information (as listed above) remains posted publicly forever.

Once an RoR has been submitted by a PJ Target, it is publicly posted with the rest of his personal information, and then routinely ridiculed by the general members in the public "reactions" forum. In most cases, its "believability" is voted on by the members.

In most cases, the RoR is seen as either an admission of guilt or a denial of responsibility, and is used as a catalyst to further inflame the general members into increasing their harassment tactics.

The posts in the follow-up forums are ordered chronologically by the date of the latest added message. When a member feels that a particular PJ Target is "slipping off the radar", new messages are posted in the PJ Target's specific forum topic to ensure it is moved back to the top of the list, thereby ensuring the harassment will continue.

All harassing is done completely anonymously to ensure the members cannot be held accountable for their actions. Specific techniques to avoid revealing their identities during harassment campaigns are provided to the members by senior members and the site owner. Members are told to refrain from referring to PJ during their harassment attempts.

General Members

The majority of visitors to PJ are "General Members"

In order to access any of the forums on the site, users must first register using a simple online registration form.

A unique "screen name" is entered by the user, and a password and a valid e-mail address is submitted.

The site software automatically sends a "Registration Confirmation" e-mail to the supplied e-mail address containing an HTML link. Once clicked, the e-mail address is considered "confirmed" and the user is allowed access to the public forum areas.

All users, including general members, have the ability to read messages in any forum, post new messages in any forum, and generally participate in all areas.

All users are encouraged to become active in the forums, and are rewarded by attaining varying "ranks" based on the number of messages they have posted.

All users are actively encouraged to become involved with the searching of PJ Target's personal information and any harassment tactics that they see fit.

Once a user has shown to be an active harasser or contributor to the forums, they may be invited to become an official "PJ Contributor" by the current PJ Contributors or Xavier Von Erck himself.

Human Shields

December 2004 saw the creation of a new section of the PJ site, called the "Human Shield" area. A long-time PJ contributor, Tobi Schweitzer (Red Baroness) was selected to administer this area.

In this area, all users are encouraged to involve themselves in their own "baiting" in Internet chat rooms, then posting their own chats in the area strictly for the purpose of entertainment and self-indulgence in the "PJ power-trip".

While the site owner Phillip Eide has decreed that those participating in this area are not to reference PJ proper, and are not to suggest that they are representing PJ, a brief glance through some of the chats shows that most participants delight in telling their targets that they "have been nailed by PJ" and that "… they are going to prison thanks to PJ."

Eide has stated that participants in this area must edit out identifying details before posting the chat.

They have been told that they must not make any suggestion to meet the target or contact anyone associated with the target, but it appears these directives are being ignored, as a number of family members of those targeted by "Human Shield" volunteers have contacted us recently regarding harassment from PJers.

The "Info First" program

The site owner claims to have begun an "Info First" program as a method whereby proactive law enforcement would "partner" with PJ, allowing PJ to bait their targets, then turn the sting over to the police without posting them to the site. Eide keeps all information regarding the "Info First" program under very tightly controlled secrecy. He has claimed on numerous occasions that PJ is working closely with numerous law enforcement agencies via the program, but to date has provided absolutely no evidence of any law enforcement agency actually partaking in such a program, or that any such program actually exists. To date, not one law enforcement spokesman has publicly endorsed PJ. (A large number have spoken out against PJ's vigilante tactics - Further info can be found on the "Editorials and Articles" page of this site.)