At long last something convinced Google to set its sights on preventing all that awful harassment and abuse people get on the Internet, and naturally such a monumental task requires a group of extraordinary people:

Fighting online abuse w/ @FeministaJones @TheQuinnspiracy @roseveleth @randileeharper @jamiaw @CCRInitiative @femfreq pic.twitter.com/5xPp3jVL0T

— Jigsaw (@Jigsaw) September 23, 2015

Those familiar with #GamerGate should recognize some of those people right away, but suffice it to say that group does not consist of cyber security experts, criminal investigators, master psychologists, or pretty much anyone who could contribute productively to stopping Internet trolls from making life miserable for everyone.  Instead Google Ideas picked out a handful of the same feminist agitators, social justice warriors, professional victims, and all around despicable personalities that have been the bane of the Internet for at least a year now.

Of the bunch, Anita Sarkeesian is probably the one most recognizable to HotAir readers since Jazz reported on her cancelling a talk last year.  She’s made a small fortune off accusing the video game industry of being a misogyny factory with her Feminist Frequency videos, and she’s parlayed the inevitable backlash she’s received into being the go-to spokesperson for anyone interested in talking about women getting harassed online.

Gamers will note Zoe Quinn’s on that list too.  Quinn’s the infamous creator of the game, and I use that word as loosely as possible, Depression Quest whose dalliances with members of the video game press created the conflicts of interest that sparked the #GamerGate movement.  Just a few days ago a judge finally tossed out the unconstitutional gag order she had placed on her ex-boyfriend to stop him from airing any more of her dirty laundry online, but despite that she’ll be joining Sarkeesian to talk about cyber violence at the UN today.

Rose Eveleth you may remember from the #ShirtStorm incident, as she was one of those people who thought Dr. Matt Taylor’s choice of apparel was more important than him having landed a probe on a comet for the first time in human history:

.@googleideas pic.twitter.com/cIfH3ib0b1

— Lord BT (@back_ttys) September 23, 2015

https://twitter.com/roseveleth/status/532538957490561024

And then there’s Randi Harper, creator of the ggAutoblocker. If you’ve ever found yourself blocked on Twitter by someone you’ve never interacted with before, chances are it’s because her dysfunctional blockbot tagged you as having something to do with #GamerGate.  It’s a notoriously terrible piece of code that actually flagged KFC’s Twitter account as a harasser at one point, and she’s hardly a paragon of virtue herself, which Twitter users attempted to make clear to Google Ideas:

https://twitter.com/deleco31/status/646791683087032320

https://twitter.com/Nero/status/646737792010166272

https://twitter.com/lizzyf620/status/646800943820972033

https://twitter.com/tv_Expert1/status/646798455252361217

Unfortunately Google Ideas has already learned far too well from this group.  Facing an avalanche of concerned Tweets, they went ahead with the standard boilerplate response any one of those people gives whenever they’re faced with criticism:

The replies to our last tweet are precisely why we are exploring ways to combat online harassment.

— Jigsaw (@Jigsaw) September 23, 2015

Thus ends any hope that perhaps they just wanted to use trolls to catch trolls like how the FBI works with ex-cons to take down other criminal enterprises.  Perhaps Google Ideas should consider changing its name to something more in line with what they actually care about, like Google Feminism or Google Social Justice.  Then people will know at a glance that it should not be taken seriously.

For more of what I think about entertainment and politics, follow me on Twitter @crankytrex or check out my other writing at buzzpo.com.