On 6 November 2024, just one day after Donald Trump won the presidential election, a wave of vile, coordinated text messages flooded phones across the United States, targeting Black individuals and other minority groups, including Hispanic and LGBTQIA+ Americans. These hateful messages ranged from cruel commands to “pick cotton” on plantations to orders to report to “re-education camps,” leaving recipients shaken and outraged. This deliberate attack was not only racist but deeply disturbing, sparking questions about how such a campaign could target individuals with such chilling precision.

@screenshothq

Across the US, Black people are reporting r@cist texts telling them they’ve been “selected” to “pick cotton at the nearest plantation.” Many messages came right after Election Day, often targeting Black college students and appearing to come from untraceable “burner” numbers. Watch the video to understand the issue. #uselection #news #mystery

♬ Suspenseful and tense orchestra(1318015) - SoLaTiDo

Now, weeks later, an update from CBS News has shed light on how these hateful messages were organised and orchestrated. Moreover, it’s exposed troubling vulnerabilities regarding how personal data is collected and used online.

While investigations are still underway, this is what we know so far. According to The Guardian, reports came in from at least 24 states, with recipients spanning a wide demographic but skewing heavily toward Black Americans. Teenagers, college students, and young adults were particularly affected. Investigators revealed that high school students were also among those targeted, adding a layer of concern about the psychological impact on younger victims.

While most of the texts were sent on the Wednesday following the presidential election, the campaign appeared to be part of a broader effort to exploit societal divisions and provoke fear. These hateful messages weren’t just random; they were alarmingly specific, raising questions about how the perpetrators were able to target Black Americans so precisely.

According to investigators, the ability to pinpoint victims so accurately lies in the vast amount of personal information collected, shared, and sold online. Each time we sign up for an app, make an online purchase, or register for a service, we leave behind digital breadcrumbs—name, phone number, email address, and sometimes even racial or demographic details.

These details are often aggregated into data profiles and sold to third parties. This information is sometimes exposed during data breaches, giving malicious actors access to personal details. The racist text campaign appears to have exploited such a breach or purchased data that included racial identifiers, allowing perpetrators to target specific racial groups.

While the exact source of the information used in this hate campaign remains unclear, it underscores a broader issue: our digital lives are far less private than we might think.

The FBI is urging anyone who received these messages to come forward to assist in the ongoing investigation. Tips from victims and witnesses could provide critical leads in identifying and prosecuting the individuals or groups behind this campaign.

TextNow, a mobile provider known for offering free phone number services, revealed that “one or more” of its users were allegedly behind the wave of racist text messages sent across the country, as reported by ABC News. The company stated that it swiftly shut down the offending accounts and is actively cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation. TextNow also condemned the hateful messages, emphasising its commitment to ensuring a safe and respectful platform for its users.

Following the coordinated attack, some students were left questioning their own safety, wondering if the people behind the messages might escalate their harassment. “How did they get my information?” one college student asked, describing the mix of confusion and fear that gripped them after receiving the text. “I thought it was a sick joke at first, but then I realised it wasn’t random. It was personal. And then I started worrying—could they show up at my house?”

High school students echoed similar concerns, with one teacher recounting how several of their pupils were visibly shaken after receiving the texts: “They were scared—not just about the message itself, but about the idea that someone out there knew who they were.”

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced in a video statement posted on X that “some” of the racist text messages “can be traced back to a VPN in Poland.”

🚨BREAKING: My cyber team at the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation has discovered that some of these vile & racist spam messages can be traced back to a VPN in Poland. At this time, they have found no original source – meaning they could have originated from any bad actor state… pic.twitter.com/R85FQ6CgAa

— Attorney General Liz Murrill (@AGLizMurrill) November 8, 2024

Speaking with the Associated Press, Cori Faklaris, an assistant professor of software and information services at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, explained how the senders likely purchased personal data online and used machine-learning algorithms to analyse it, extracting demographic details.

Unfortunately, when it comes to our own personal data in the digital age, each time we share information online, whether to register for a free trial or join a loyalty program, we risk exposing ourselves to potential misuse.

The FBI has shared several actionable steps individuals can take to safeguard their personal data and prevent it from being exploited in targeted campaigns.

Public assistance remains crucial to solving this case. If you or someone you know has received these messages, authorities urge you to report the incident and provide any details that may aid the investigation. For example, you can visit the FBI tip form or call your local FBI office.

Not surprisingly, the broader context of this hate campaign reflects a grim global reality. In fact, the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues highlights that minorities make up over 70 per cent of those targeted by hate crimes or speech on social media.

This trend exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, with extremist groups seizing the opportunity to spread anti-minority conspiracies. President Trump became a notorious ringleader of this movement, spreading baseless, racist claims—like the grotesque insinuation that Haitian migrants were eating Americans’ pets. The tragic reality? Many believed it.

This is more than just a technological or security failure, it’s a symptom of systemic racism emboldened by leaders who thrive on division and fear-mongering.