Swatting is when a person makes a prank call to the authorities in hopes of getting an armed team dispatched to the target's home. While dangerous and by no means cool, the practice is especially prevalent against streamers, as players try to see if their antics get caught live on stream.
What does it mean when a streamer is swatted?
Swatting refers to a harassment technique most often perpetrated by members of the online gaming community. Swatting entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses.
How do I protect myself while streaming?
How to Protect Yourself as a Viewer
- Never use your full name and/or address anywhere on the internet – first names are fine, but avoid any others.
- Use a quality VPN like Private Internet Access to prevent IP scrapers.
- Don't click on any links from urls you don't trust.
