A Typo Landed an Innocent Gamer in Prison for 18 Months
One missing underscore in a Skyrim-themed username put an innocent Nova Scotia man in prison for 18 months. A 2018 child-luring investigation, which began in Madison, Wisconsin, and eventually extended to Halifax, Canada, was based on a false premise.
Reported by 1 outlet — WIRED. See all sources ↓
One missing underscore in a Skyrim-themed username put an innocent Nova Scotia man in prison for 18 months. A 2018 child-luring investigation, which began in Madison, Wisconsin, and eventually extended to Halifax, Canada, was based on a false premise. Police were looking for a man using the Kik messaging service under the name “fus__ro_dah” (two underscores after “fus”), but they accidentally requested records for the username “fus_ro_dah” (one underscore after “fus”). This one-character difference led them not to the perpetrator but to a Canadian man named Brandon Klayme.
Read the full report at WIRED ↗
Why it matters
A technology story we're tracking; its significance and source trust firm up as more outlets confirm it.
- What's the story?
- One missing underscore in a Skyrim-themed username put an innocent Nova Scotia man in prison for 18 months. A 2018 child-luring investigation, which began in Madison, Wisconsin, and eventually extended to Halifax, Canada, was based on a false premise.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 7.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 13h ago.
How outlets are framing the same story
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A Typo Landed an Innocent Gamer in Prison for 18 Months
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