Swatting

Swatting is a harassment tactic where one tricks law enforcement into visiting someone's address. This is usually done by making a false report of an emergency (such as murder, suicidal/homicidal behavior, armed assault, bomb threats, hostage situation, etc) to provoke the police into an immediate response.

It gets its name from the exploitation of SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) units, who are usually the ones assigned to deal with high-risk situations and terrorist threats. It gained popularity in recent decades as a way for terminally-online losers to best their opponents in video games, and as a way to troll Twitch streamers as a form of stream sniping. A convincing enough threat may result in the evacuations of schools and businesses, the unscheduled raiding of someone's home, and even the slaughter of people's pets by trigger-happy police.

“Swatting” is a criminal offense in many jurisdictions! Because law enforcement does not like having their time wasted on these things, having someone swatted can saddle you with some hefty fines and even land you in prison. It also crosses an unspoken criminal code to not get police involved with personal disputes, so this type of escalation can be responded to in ways you may not be prepared to deal with. Furthermore, the collateral damage it tends to inflict on nearby innocent bystanders is a surefire way to get people hurt or invite retaliation from people you do not even know. Because of these ethical considerations, the Anonymous Military Institute does not condone swatting or similar such attacks.