# The burnerverse and Maddie Kowalski > Anonymous college sports fans turned the sexual humiliation of a University of Florida student into a networked sport. Her story exposes how platforms and institutions fail victims. - Title: The burnerverse and Maddie Kowalski · WIRED | Shortify - Summary: Anonymous college sports fans turned the sexual humiliation of a University of Florida student into a networked sport. Her story exposes how platforms and… - Keywords: maddie kowalski, burnerverse, nonconsensual content, university of florida, x platform, cyberharassment, sexual humiliation, anonymous accounts, college students, Maddie, Kowalski, WIRED - Source: WIRED — https://wired.com/story/uncanny-valley-podcast-anonymous-men-turned-cyberharassment-into-group-sport-heres-one-womans-side - Author: Zoë Schiffer - Published: 2026-09-24T20:50:33.763+00:00 - Read time: 4 min - Topics: maddie kowalski, burnerverse, nonconsensual content, university of florida, x platform, cyberharassment, sexual humiliation, anonymous accounts, college students ## A sophomore's world collapses Maddie Kowalski was a regular sophomore at the University of Florida when burner accounts on X started posting explicit nonconsensual videos of her. She had little memory of the night they were filmed. > I felt really detached from the girl in the videos because I had so little memory of the events. ## The videos go viral nationwide Hash tag Maddie Kowalski trended on X nationwide. The videos were viewed more than eight point five million times. For the next twenty four hours, Maddie sat paralyzed while anonymous people harassed her. > And at this moment, I just felt my whole world collapse. ## Harassment from classmates The people behind the posts were not distant strangers. Many were her literal classmates hiding behind anonymous burner accounts, mostly used to celebrate college sports. They called and texted her parents throughout the night. ## What is the burnerverse The burnerverse is a loosely organized network of anonymous college sports fan burner accounts. A segment of this community has made a sport of systemically doxing women, posting racist, misogynistic, and antisemitic content. ## How the burnerverse started WIRED senior writer EJ Dickson discovered the burnerverse in February twenty twenty five when she saw a young woman's name trending on X. Mary Kate Cornett, an Ole Miss student, had a salacious rumor about her go viral after Barstool Sports personalities and Pat McAfee discussed it. ## Police offer little help Maddie went to the Gainesville Police Department early on, receiving harassing phone calls every second of the day. The police basically told her to change her phone number. She couldn't even turn off her phone because it was ringing so much. ## University closes investigation The University of Florida opened a Title IX investigation after finding out about the images going viral. It was closed after about a month because the university said there was no evidence the videos were filmed on campus. ## Sorority abandons her Maddie's sorority disavowed her immediately. They allegedly held meetings discussing how the incident would reflect on them. Many sorority sisters blocked her and unfollowed her, abandoning a nineteen year old who needed support. ## Finding legal help proves difficult The Kowalskis struggled to find a lawyer who understood the scope of the problem. This was not a typical revenge porn case. It was a network of total strangers posting nonconsensual intimate images of a girl they did not even know. > This wasn't a typical revenge porn case. This was much bigger than that. ## Obstacles to prosecution Maddie did not know who was behind the accounts or why they were posting her videos. She still does not know how her video was leaked. The speed of the viral news cycle far outpaces the speed of legislation. ## Going after the burner accounts Maddie decided to go after the anonymous men who shared her nonconsensual videos. It took a couple of months for the Gainesville Police Department to subpoena X for their records. Two freshmen boys in Theta Chi fraternity were identified, plus a former UF student. ## X's role in the spread X did not respond to requests for comment. The platform's algorithm amplifies divisive or inflammatory content. Elon Musk's dismantling of the trust and safety team and relaxed content policies enabled the harassment to spread nationwide. ## Takedown is whack-a-mole X was responsive to takedown requests because of the Take It Down Act. But removing one video meant ten more popped up in its place. The Kowalskis faced an endless cycle of reporting and removal. > If you remove one, ten more pop up in their stead. ## Criminal charges filed The men are being charged with sexual cyberharassment, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and an one thousand dollar fine. One is alleged to have financially profited off her humiliation. ## Theta Chi responds When reached out to, Theta Chi fraternity said they were on interim suspension and completely disavowed the members' activities. They said this is not what Theta Chi is about. ## A pattern across the country EJ Dickson identified about a little less than a dozen women across the country who had been doxed on this scale. All were young women in their late teens and early twenties, college students or recently graduated, and conventionally attractive. ## Harassment extends to incoming freshmen The burner accounts also targeted teenage girls whose photos appeared on college incoming students' Instagram pages. They posted full names and made fun of bodies and appearance. Girls not yet in college were doxed on a smaller scale regularly. ## Maddie chooses to speak out Maddie understood the impact her story could have and the opportunity to speak for other women. She decided to share her experience despite the risk of renewed harassment, wanting shame to switch sides. ## Maddie's path forward Maddie says these last few weeks have been the darkest and hardest moments of her life, but she is still here. She is taking steps to rebuild herself and feel safe again. She hopes sharing her story helps others understand consent and decency matter. > Although I don't have control over what happened to me, I can control what I do moving forward, and I want to move forward with healing. ## Key takeaway Maddie Kowalski's nonconsensual videos went viral on X through a network of anonymous burner accounts, exposing gaps in law enforcement, platform accountability, and institutional support for victims.