Unofficial Reporting in the #MeToo Era

Abstract

In the age of #MeToo, victims of sexual misconduct are coming forward en masse to allege abuse, finding strength in numbers and a growing cultural responsive- ness to their claims. Facilitated by innovative technologies, #MeToo is sparking the creation of new channels for reporting abuse — channels intended to bypass the laws and rules that prohibit sexual misconduct. To make sense of this unexamined development, a proposed taxonomy classifies informal avenues of complaint into four distinct categories: the Traditional Whisper Network, the Double Secret Whis- per Network, the Shadow Court of Public Opinion, and the New Court of Public Opinion. While unofficial reporting can advance important ends, the rise of infor- mal accusation also raises concerns that bear directly on the need to enhance for- malized accountability for sexual assault and harassment.