Thanks to some investigative work done by Zoe Quinn, it was revealed that the original intent of #GamerGate and #NotYourShield were for malicious purposes.
Quinn says that she has been idling and recording logs for the past "few weeks" in a "4chan raid IRC channel." Quinn made a huge number of Tweets last night featuring screenshots from those logs that specifically debunk many of the rumors started from those tenaciously defending #GamerGate. For a number of days, many of the most vocal #GamerGate supporters said that the movement was never about harassment. Supporters claimed that from the start it was only about seeking journalistic integrity and nothing more.
Keep that in mind while going through these images released by Zoe Quinn.
Even The Fine Young Capitalists were used by the #GamerGate people.
What about pulling in actors and persons known around Hollywood to help push the #GamerGate cause under false pretenses?
It was also shown how the #NotYourShield hashtag was created just to deflect blame when they started to get called out on the legitimacy of #GamerGate.
What about those allegations that Quinn and her friends faked being hacked? She also posted a video that she claims validates that her claims of being hacked are true.
Yes, many people that have used the #GamerGate hashtag have done so with nothing but pure intents. There are people who firmly believed that #GamerGate was about journalistic integrity and transparency from the very beginning. Unfortunately, these images and the accompanying chat log show the more nefarious origins of the entire situation. The images show how well orchestrated the massive smear campaign was from the beginning.
If you feel like this is too much to read, you really should reconsider. It's well worth going through this if you have heard about #GamerGate or if you have been involved in it in any way, shape, or form. The full list of shared and relevant Tweets from Zoe Quinn can be found on Storify. She has posted more since these Tweets were archived, so be sure to check out her Twitter for the latest.
As I understand it, these logs and other pieces of evidence have already been sent to the authorities.
If people in group A are harassing, quote where they're harassing and call them out. No hashtags are going to defend against cold hard truth of fact. All this 'movement' and 'support' stuff is diffusing the issue. It's like forming a petition online. Sometimes it gets something done when people see how much 'support' something has, but facts are always going to win against popularity. Sometimes it takes awhile for people to wisen up, but in the long run, the truth will out.
That's why I'm less concerned with who made a hashtag or why, what I'm more concerned with is how they used it. What specific tweets did they give that caused someone to lose a job? Shame that. Not the creation of the tag.
There's a difference between calling for integrity in journalism, and harassment. Make that difference clear and the whole thing is done, in my opinion. The rest is just fluff.
Much like the OP of this thread, attempting to bring to light the origins of the tag...however the origins of the tag don't really matter: Show where there's been harassment.
This doesn't just apply to the anti-A group, either. Show some proof or shut up about it already. That should apply to everyone lol.
My point is that you need to cut through the fluff, say your piece about the issues that you actually have something to say about, and then be done. The "wow what a mess" just contributes to the mess, ironically. Ignore the mess, focus on the issues.
I'm not just directing this advice at you because honestly you need it least. It's just my overall attitude towards the general population involved in the whole kerfuffle. -shrug-
I strongly dislike twitter. The character limit keeps you from saying anything of serious importance or credibility. And the hashtag thing is simply a popularity meter.