Fifteen hours after calling for Jane Doe’s identity, Aidan Thompson, a 23-year-old man who regularly praises Hitler and disparages women on X, shared a woman’s name and photos, calling it “BREAKING NEWS.”
Thompson’s posts were followed by a large-scale identity hunt
Fifteen hours after calling for Jane Doe’s identity, Aidan Thompson, a 23-year-old man who regularly praises Hitler and disparages women on X, shared a woman’s name and photos, calling it “BREAKING NEWS.” In 2024, Thompson resigned as treasurer of the Kansas Young Republicans amid criticism over his interactions with Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist and antisemite. On Sept. 20, Thompson posted, “Hitler? Hitler, can you can hear me? Yes, there’s a problem. We need you Hitler. You’re our only hope.” Four days later, he wrote, “Hard not to hate women as you sleep with more of them.”¹
An analysis by Gudea, an online analytics company, found that more than eleven thousand accounts had made almost twenty-five thousand posts purporting to name Jane Doe. Gudea conducted the analysis at the request of The New York Times. The totals measure posts and accounts, not confirmed identities: the posts purported to name her.¹
The posts began on X and spread to Bluesky, 4chan, Discord, Telegram, Rumble and other platforms. Some writers misspelled words, using “sIut” instead of “slut,” in apparent attempts to evade text filters. Others added videos of Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist and antisemite, to drive engagement.¹
The former student alleged that the men sexually assaulted her at a party on Cornell’s campus in Ithaca, N.Y., in October 2024.
The lawsuit named fraternity members and used a pseudonym
Career GuidanceHow to Switch Industries Mid-Career Without Starting Over
Bridge roles can reduce risk, while targeted skills and industry-specific applications help you make the case for a new field.
Read More →Jane Doe’s lawsuit, filed on Sept. 16, named seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity. The former student alleged that the men sexually assaulted her at a party on Cornell’s campus in Ithaca, N.Y., in October 2024. All of the men named in the lawsuit have denied wrongdoing. Doe said she had willingly drunk alcohol that night and had initially agreed to sex with two of the men.¹
Jane Doe initially wanted to file under her real name, but her lawyer, Thomas Giuffra, advised against it. The pseudonym did not stop efforts to identify her: another user offered five thousand dollars for the name and photos of the woman who sued Cornell University under that pseudonym. The offer put a price on information about her identity while the lawsuit named the accused men.¹
Thompson framed disclosure as a matter of reciprocal rights. Writing about the seven men, he said, “They have a right to face their accuser,” and added, “we have a right to publish her identity if we discover it.” His post made the demand to reveal her identity explicit, alongside the lawsuit’s use of a pseudonym.¹
A mistaken identification brought threats to another family
Jane Doe’s lawyers mistakenly identified the wrong man as one of her assailants. The man is an active-duty Marine, and his family received so many death threats that law enforcement officers had to be stationed outside their home. The mistaken identification shows how claims about a person’s identity could expose people beyond the plaintiff and the men named in the lawsuit to threats.¹
In one Instagram video, a woman posted the accused men’s names and photos and invoked a female serial killer who had murdered seven men in Florida. The video was viewed more than two hundred forty thousand times. It circulated a counter-accusation by making the men’s identities and images public, while the online campaign sought Jane Doe’s identity.¹
Career GuidanceHow to Prepare for a Job Interview with Ethics in Mind
A paper on job interview ethics links preparation and conduct to a candidate’s value. It offers no criteria for take-home tasks.
Read More →Catharine MacKinnon, a feminist legal scholar, helped establish federal Title IX protection for college students facing sexual harassment. That legal context sits alongside the dispute over the lawsuit’s allegations, the defendants’ denials and the public efforts to reveal the plaintiff’s identity.¹
Thompson framed disclosure as a matter of reciprocal rights.
Online mobs can end careers
If you work in politics, media, or any public-facing role, your online posts are a permanent record that hiring managers and employers can review. Thompson’s resignation as treasurer of the Kansas Young Republicans followed criticism over his interactions with a white nationalist, and his later posts praising Hitler and disparaging women show how such behavior escalates. A single viral post can cost you a position or a job offer, so treat every public statement as a potential career liability.¹
For legal and advocacy roles, this case shows the real-world stakes of pseudonymous lawsuits and online identification campaigns. A mistaken identification in a lawsuit led to death threats against an innocent Marine’s family, requiring police protection. If you handle sensitive cases, verify identities carefully and understand that online mobs can amplify errors. Also, Title IX protections, established with MacKinnon’s help, remain a key framework for addressing campus sexual harassment, so know your rights and obligations under it.¹
Sources
Written by Career Ahead AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify key facts. Report errors to support@careeraheadonline.com
