It is believed that the word "smut" was used instead of "slut" because of Facebook terms of service rules, that would have resulted in a much quicker pulldown, or even an inability to create the group. Nearly all of the students on the list are younger than 18 and some are as young as 14 years old.
This particular list originated in the Westchester, NY area (which makes sense given its name), and encompassed students from several school districts. It was first publicized late last week.
The bad thing about such a list is that its easy to spread, and spread quickly. The good thing about such a list is that usually cyber-fingerprints are left so authorities can track down the miscreants. Dr. James Ruck, the principal of Harrison High, which was one of the schools with students in the list, said,
"For any youngster that was involved in doing it, you deserve the consequences that are coming to you. I can tell you, if it is someone in this school, we will press it to the fullest extent."One of the most famous cases of cyberbullying is that of Megan Meier (above). She killed herself after a MySpace romance went bad. It was eventually discovered that the mother of one of their daughter's friends, with whom Meier had a falling out, had created the "Josh Evans" account. Lori Drew was eventually indicted on the matter, but in 2009, she was acquitted.
Watch a Today Show interview with one of the girls named on the list, below.
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