The ongoing harassment of a trans Twitch streamer escalated and caused her to switch hotels after online trolls tracked her down. Clara Sorrenti, known as Keffals online, shared she continued to be harassed after being the victim of a swatting in London, Ontario.
It was only a few hours after Sorrenti shared an image of her cat at the hotel she was staying at with her fiancé when transphobic trolls online were able to piece together which hotel it was.
It took the trolls less than six hours.
\u201c@keffals How in the hell they\u2019d already find you\u2019re address wtf\u201d— keffals (@keffals) 1660783484
\u201cthey crossreferenced the bedsheets in the picture of my cat with other local hotels until they found a match\u201d— keffals (@keffals) 1660783683
Earlier this month, Sorrenti was arrested after online harassers sent death threats to local politicians posing as her. The swatting ended up causing the Canadian streamer to hide by staying at a hotel.
While there, Sorrenti shared a picture of her cat on the bed to show she was safe, with almost no identifying information. However, members of the website Kiwifarms.net, an infamous website whose members harass and threaten targets with abuse, were able to piece together which hotel Sorrenti was staying at based on just the sheets from the bed.
Just six hours after posting the picture, Sorrenti started getting deliveries of pizzas and other food to her room using her dead name.
She shared a video update about the situation.
\u201c@keffals Why do we live in a world where livestreamers need to follow military opsec principles to stay safe\u201d— keffals (@keffals) 1660783683
\u201cHi @Uber_Support my account was hacked and had the password and email changed. Hundreds of dollars worth of food showed up on my doorstep. Can you please message me so I can remove my payment info from the hacked account and get reimbursed??\u201d— keffals (@keffals) 1661106812
\u201cthere aren't multiple takes on it, regardless of any prior opinions you have if you find what @keffals is going through as anything but horrific you're really exposing yourself as a reprehensible person\u201d— Jack Saint (@Jack Saint) 1660856663
\u201cWhat\u2019s happening to @keffals is horrifying https://t.co/Nb7eAxnDoY\u201d— Taylor Lorenz (@Taylor Lorenz) 1660793498
\u201cNot that I blame her in the slightest, but the recent thing where stalkers found Keffals hotel by cross-referencing the bed sheets goes to show you there's no such thing as too paranoid when it comes to infosec\u201d— Kathryn Gibes \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\u2728 (@Kathryn Gibes \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\u2728) 1660834906
Police started investigating the situation too.
Investigators have been keeping in touch with Sorrenti after the swatting incident and took this new incident under consideration.
Kiwifarms.net has been infamous for their targeted online harassment. This is especially true of any transgender activists.
The website was started to harass a webcomic artist, then grew into a powerhouse of online threats. There have been calls for website hosts to stop doing business with Kiwifarms.net.
This includes Cloudflare, the hosting space provider.
\u201c@eastdakota this is why I want you to drop kiwifarms from @Cloudflare. even speaking up about it has meant retaliation for me. they are going to keep trying to track me down and you have the power to end this\u201d— keffals (@keffals) 1661106812
\u201cboth @eastdakota and @Cloudflare have disabled replies on their tweets instead of acting on the call of thousands of people to have them drop kiwifarms for terrorizing marginalized communities. They have the power to make a difference that could save lives and are choosing not to\u201d— keffals (@keffals) 1661053185
\u201c@keffals Okay, can we shut down Kiwifarms and get its users arrested for multiple counts of doxxing and harassment?\u201d— keffals (@keffals) 1661116346
Sorrenti is a controversial figure in the trans community due to some problematic comments.
However her critics have also denounced the acts perpetrated by Kiwifarms.net and other transphobic trolls.
People are trying to defend trans rights in the face of anonymous harassment.
\u201cThe recent doxxing and swatting of @keffals is a chilling reminder of the violent effects of transphobia and online hate. The trans community deserves the freedom to exist safely, without the threat of unjust arrests at gunpoint and infringements to their identities.\u201d— AmnestyCanada (@AmnestyCanada) 1660324797
\u201cThe world needs to leave trans people alone, let them live and be safe in their own space.\u201d— overworked cat dad \u263b (@overworked cat dad \u263b) 1660881534
\u201ci am by no means a fan of keffals, her fanbase in general and many big white trans accounts in specific but if you're ok making fun of the fact she literally got swatted, had to move out and then got doxxed again i am considering you a bigot thank you very much\u201d— queer & plural inclusivity! \u2286\u22d0 (@queer & plural inclusivity! \u2286\u22d0) 1660906408
Sorrenti is planning to switch hotels every week until she can get out of the country. Ontario law enforcement are continuing their investigation into the situation.
Sorrenti had been banned from streaming on Twitch after discussing LGBTQ+ rights. The site has been accused of failing to support the community.
