HONR Network FAQ: Nonprofit Status, Mission and How to Help
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Is the HONR Network a Non-Profit?
HONR Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, organized in Florida. As a public charity, the HONR Network is exempt from federal income taxes. Our Tax ID number is #82-3556040.
What is the mission of the HONR Network?
Founded by Lenny Pozner after the Sandy Hook massacre, the initial goal of the organization was to end the continued harassment and intentional torment of the victims’ families, who suffered abuse and additional anguish after being targeted by online hoax and hate purveyors. As additional mass-casualty events occurred, and the families of other victims similarly became targets, and reached out for help, the organization mission expanded to include them.
Today the HONR Network mission has evolved even further to provide guidance and a network of support for all affected by online harassment, hate campaigns and victimization, to provide education for professionals dealing with the effects of harassment in the workplace and on campuses, and to provide policy assistance for online platforms and legislators seeking to make the internet a safer, more inclusive place for all.
What has the HONR Network achieved?
Since inception, the HONR Network has been instrumental in the removal of tens of thousands of illegal and harassing posts, pictures, videos, blogs, and other content created to torment, harass, manipulate, and intimidate survivors and the families of victims of mass casualty and highly publicized events. Additionally, we have provided removal assistance and guidance for victims of other cyber-crimes including harassment, hate campaigns, revenge porn, and stalking. We continue to be the first line of defense for countless victims of online hate and harassment.
We have also become a valued partner with many of the largest social media and online platform providers and help to improve their removal process and establish better policy. This includes assisting in policy changes that protect victims immediately after a mass casualty or high profile violent incident, when victims, survivors, and their families are most vulnerable.
Lenny has continued to bring harassers and hoaxers to justice in courts across the country. These successes establish legal precedent that makes it easier for other victims of online hate and harassment to prosecute their harassers.
Does the HONR Network support any political party?
The HONR Network is a non-partisan organization and is not affiliated with any political party. Board members and volunteers represent the complete range of political affiliations.
Is the HONR Network affiliated with other organizations or causes?
The HONR Network is not affiliated with other organizations or causes.
While the HONR Network was founded in direct response to online attacks on Noah Pozner and other Sandy Hook massacre victims and their families, the HONR Network is not affiliated with other Sandy Hook related charities.
Additionally, many of the members of the HONR Network Board are active in their own political and philanthropic causes. However, no affiliation with other organizations should be assumed.
From what sources do the statistics on the HONR Network website come?
In addition to our own internal information, the statistics presented on this site come from a variety of respected sources, including those below:
- Pew Research Center: Online Harassment 2017 (Jul 11 2017). Supports: 41% of Americans have been harassed online (About HONR); 62% call it a major problem (Ways to Give); 79% say online services should step in (Why Hasn’t Social Media Done More?); 27% decided not to post after seeing others harassed (What About the First Amendment?); 26% have had untrue information posted about them (Founding HONR).
- Pew Research Center: Online Harassment (Oct 22 2014). Supports: 66% of people harassed online said their latest incident was on a social networking site or app (Reporting Online Hate).
- Data & Society Research Institute: Online Harassment, Digital Abuse, and Cyberstalking in America (Nov 21 2016).
- Data & Society Research Institute: Nonconsensual Image Sharing (Dec 13 2016).
- Fight the New Drug: 10 Need-To-Know Facts About How Common Revenge Porn Is (Jul 11 2018; the page has since been updated and retitled).
- Washington Post: Teens rarely report online harassment. When they do, they rarely get help. (Feb 18 2016). The article covers Data & Society’s 2016 report on online harassment, digital abuse and cyberstalking. Supports: only about one in five teens who experienced online sexual harassment reported it to the site or app.
- A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland: Female-Name Chat Users Get 25 Times More Malicious Messages (May 9 2006).
- Brandon Gaille: 21 Provocative Cyberstalking Statistics (May 26 2017). Supports: an average cyberstalking case lasts two years, and almost twice as long when the people were once intimate (Is Online Hate New?).
How can I help financially?
How can I help the HONR Network achieve its goals?
There are many ways that people can support our work.
Being a responsible user of social media is a great first step in making the internet a safer place for everyone.
Report incidents of cyber aggression when you see it. You can find out more about the various ways to report online hate and harassment HERE. You can write letters to your political representative, report things directly to the social media provider or platform, join the private HONR forum to help in mass removal requests, or use our online reporting tool to alert us to illegal content.
You can also show your support by wearing HONR apparel.
The HONR Network depends on the dedication and hard work of volunteers. Professionals with relevant knowledge can volunteer their services to victims through Join the Network and everyone can volunteer to help locate and remove hate and harassment online through the closed Facebook group the HONR Forum or if you don’t have social media, through our volunteer form.
What is HONR Network?
HONR Network is a non-profit organization founded in 2014 by Lenny Pozner, whose six-year-old son Noah was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. It works to protect victims of online harassment through content removal, legal advocacy, and public education.
HONR is a Sandy Hook nonprofit founded by Lenny Pozner.
What does HONR stand for?
HONR is not an acronym. Lenny Pozner, the Sandy Hook father who founded HONR Network in 2014, repurposed a web domain name he had owned from an earlier website project.
HONR is a Sandy Hook nonprofit founded by Lenny Pozner.
How can I report online abuse to HONR Network?
You can report online abuse through the Report Online Abuse page on honrnetwork.org. The HONR team reviews all submissions and takes action to remove harmful content targeting victims of mass violence and their families.
How is HONR Network funded?
HONR Network is funded through individual donations and grants. You can support the mission by visiting the Ways to Give page and making a contribution to help protect victims of online harassment.
How can I volunteer with HONR Network?
HONR Network has several volunteer teams including the Search and Report Team, Onboarding Team, and Fundraising Team. Visit the volunteer pages on honrnetwork.org to learn how to get involved.