A Cape Breton woman whose video defending a transgender rights advocate made her the target of online vitriol and threats is suing her cellphone provider and a customer service agent she alleges shared her number and home address with harassers.

Richelle McCormick said the bullying began after her video, which she posted in February 2023 on TikTok, was shared and criticized by an account with more than seven million followers.

“After this, the plaintiff became the subject of a harassment campaign by several individuals, some living in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom,” reads a statement of claim filed last week in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

The document alleges McCormick’s name was posted on a “doxing” website with the purpose of gathering personal information that could be used to harass her.

By August 2023, McCormick had deactivated TikTok, but she said the harassment spilled into text messages, including some sent to family and friends. The Glace Bay woman tried to escape the bullies by deleting apps and changing her cellphone number for a $55 fee.

But the statement of claim alleges one of those bullies was a customer service agent for McCormick’s cellphone provider, Bell Mobility, who was checking her customer file for updates and passing that information along to people in a private group chat.

“I thought nobody could get my new number. But they had it immediately,” McCormick told CBC News.

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CBC News
July 25, 2024