Good morning. It’s Wednesday, April 29, and you can expect a sunny day with a high of 75.
In today’s newsletter, Disneyland parkgoers decry new facial recognition technology, a palatial Bel-Air estate goes on sale, and a California data handoff could expose undocumented immigrants to federal law enforcement. But first, a fascinating deep-dive into the viral frat troll of UCLA.
It’s easy to hate on frat guys, and a Westwood man is going viral for doing just that. Joseph Freeman, known as the “I hate Sigma Chi guy,” is a bona-fide internet celebrity among college students across the country, filming and taunting fraternity members in candid street videos that have earned him more than 750,000 followers on social media.
He has at once attracted attention from frat bros who jeer at him online and sparked delight from people who love seeing the so-called popular kids brought low.
But unbeknownst to many of his followers, Freeman is not just an influencer with a confrontational M.O. According to an L.A. Material review of court filings and police records in four states, as well as interviews with more than two dozen people, Freeman has left a trail of disturbing phone calls and relentless online intimidation that has played out off screen for at least six years.
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