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WHEN Zo毛 Quinn picks up, she sounds a little on edge. 鈥淢y phone came up 鈥楴o caller ID鈥�, which always makes me feel a bit nervous,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou understand why I might be a little stand-offish at first.鈥�

Quinn is a games developer in the US who co-founded Crash Override Network, a group that helps those subjected to online abuse. She is better known as a key target in the storm of abuse dubbed 鈥淕amergate鈥� 鈥� one of the most sustained and coordinated hate campaigns the internet has ever seen.

And she lived to tell the tale. Her new book, Crash Override, is both autobiography and manual for dealing with the hate wars raging online. The first thing Quinn tells me is that online abuse is worse than most people think. Four in 10 people in the US have been harassed online, according to a recent Pew survey. Twitter is notorious for people posting racial and misogynistic abuse, for example, but anywhere that provides a public forum lets people vent the worst they have to give.

鈥淵ouTube is a dumpster fire even worse than Reddit, and Reddit is a goddam joke,鈥� says Quinn. Reddit 鈥� one of the largest online discussion sites, branding itself the front page of the internet 鈥� is increasingly popular with white supremacists, she says.

Don鈥檛 feed the trolls, people say. But it is useless advice when the internet wants to destroy you. Quinn has received so many death threats she has lost count. Her home address and phone number were posted online. She has had 5 am phone calls from strangers detailing how they plan to rape her. Her father was harassed. Dead animals have been put in her mailbox. Nude photos were stolen, plastered across the internet and sent to family, friends and colleagues.

Before Quinn鈥檚 hell began on 15 August 2014, things were looking up. Her game Depression Quest 鈥� which simulated the experience of someone with depression 鈥� had seen modest success and she was becoming a name in the indie developer scene. Then her ex-boyfriend posted a 9000-word character assassination on websites popular with gamers, including salacious details of alleged infidelities. He accused Quinn of sleeping with a games journalist. Boom! For anyone desperate to find it, here was 鈥渆vidence鈥� that Quinn had exchanged sex for good reviews of her game.

Warped perception

It made no sense. For a start, the journalist had never even written about Quinn鈥檚 game. But for thousands of gamers with a warped perception that women were changing the industry for the worse, the accusation rang true. Within minutes of the document going up, her phone started buzzing as people began to hound her on social media. A few hours later, she was 鈥渄oxxed鈥� 鈥� her phone number and address published online.

鈥淧eople don鈥檛 understand how this sort of thing can happen over less than nothing, so they think there must be some truth to it,鈥� says Quinn. 鈥淭he rumour persists because people don鈥檛 bother to look it up. Even if they do, there鈥檚 so much garbage on the internet, it鈥檚 hard to tell what鈥檚 true.鈥�

Within weeks, the mob organised a crusade against what it framed as corruption in the games industry. Some websites cracked down on users who supported the harassment 鈥� and were in turn accused of censorship. Still, each credulous story from mainstream news sites gave the campaign validation. 鈥淭he adults running these outlets should have damn well known better,鈥� says Quinn. 鈥淓very scrap of legitimacy the abusers got was a new circle of hell for me. That鈥檚 the shocking part, and arguably the most upsetting.鈥�

Gamergate is viewed as one of the internet鈥檚 darkest hours. The storm blew itself out after a year or so, but for those on the campaign鈥檚 most-wanted list, it has never really ended. Though the hounding is now less intense, says Quinn, 鈥渢here鈥檚 still a large community of dedicated stalkers鈥�.

Her coping mechanisms have become routine. Every so often, she鈥檒l lose a day rushing to shut hackers out of her online accounts. When one goes down, she quickly changes details across others as a precaution, changing passwords and phone numbers. 鈥淚鈥檓 so used to all of this shit, I forget other people haven鈥檛 been face down in it for years.鈥�

Hate campaigns like Gamergate achieve remarkable levels of coordination thanks to the strength of the communities behind them. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a shared bonding, people are making friends,鈥� says Quinn. 鈥淭hey have their own in-jokes and mascots.鈥� She understands the attraction of an activity done with other people who share your views 鈥� especially ones you couldn鈥檛 share with anyone at work. 鈥淚f you said to someone face-to-face a lot of the things people say to me online they鈥檇 be like, 鈥榃hat the hell is wrong with you?鈥� 鈥� But that鈥檚 what draws people in and sustains their abuse. 鈥淲hen what you鈥檙e doing with other people is a dirty secret, there鈥檚 an allure to it.鈥�

Where are these people? All around, says Quinn. 鈥淭he person screaming at minorities online might be the person at work who makes you uncomfortable with their jokes,鈥� she says. 鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 slightly racist stuff. Maybe it鈥檚 the embarrassing high-school friend you make excuses for.鈥� People find each other online and build a movement.

All this makes the internet sound like a lawless place, but Quinn is quick to point out that isn鈥檛 the case. 鈥淭he internet has laws, it鈥檚 just very selective on what matters.鈥�

In her experience, the police have been at worst completely unsympathetic and at best unable to help even if they wanted to. The internet doesn鈥檛 map onto police jurisdictions and, at times, Quinn was unable even to file a complaint. If it happens online, it is always someone else鈥檚 problem. But there was no one else. That鈥檚 where Crash Override comes in. After a few years of frustrating first-hand experience, Quinn knows what kind of help those subjected to abuse need. She has the contacts at websites who can delete malicious material quickly and she knows what practical steps you can take to defend yourself.

鈥淵ouTube is a dumpster fire even worse than Reddit 鈥� and Reddit鈥檚 a goddam joke鈥�

Given that many abusers are heterosexual white males, I ask Quinn if it matters that she鈥檚 being interviewed by one. She says a woman might have a better understanding of what it is like to be abused. 鈥淢en of colour get it more. Gay men get it more.鈥� But it depends on who you鈥檙e writing for, she says. Perhaps a white male can speak to a non-minority audience more easily. 鈥淕etting people to realise this is a real problem is a huge first step,鈥� she says.

That is why she wrote her book, though she knows it will bring a spike in abuse. 鈥淲henever I do anything, people pop up and say, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 that professional victim Zo毛 Quinn.鈥� There are thousands of people ready to twist what I say into a weird balloon animal, something that鈥檒l make people start coming after me again.鈥�

Yet despite all that, Quinn is upbeat about the future. 鈥淚鈥檓 an optimist, though it depends on what day you get me.鈥� Her unlikely positivity comes entirely from seeing the difference just one person can make. 鈥淲hat we do online matters,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so easy to hurt somebody, but it鈥檚 just as easy to bring people up and look after each other. The internet is made of people, and people have got to step up. At least, let鈥檚 not surrender the internet to those who scream the loudest.鈥�

This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淔acing down a tsunami of hate鈥�