1/5 There was a time in Internet land when trolls lived in the depths of message boards like Reddit & 4chan, cowering behind fake profile photos & sporting silly usernames. This year, there is a dangerous shift happening, a move from hidden spaces to public places.

2/5 Just this weekend I watched a Twitter user record himself as he traveled the streets of Ottawa screaming obscenities & threats at politicians & journalists while his many fans cheered him on. Right out in the open. Some encouraged more violence & many hailed him as a hero.

3/5 While we can all understand the benefits of peaceful protesting, this is not that.

4/5 I mention this trend with no solid solution in sight. After all, it requires a lot of time and even more money to quickly and efficiently manage this daily increase in verbal and physical threats that are picking up steam online.

5/5 During a challenging year, this hate-driven movement is bound to snowball. While I& #39;m mostly optimistic about the future of social, alarm bells are ringing loud & clear. So, why don& #39;t tech companies enforce their own terms of service to protect their communities? It& #39;s time.