In the immediate aftermath of the 2024 election, Black Americans received texts telling them it was time to “report” for slavery.
The messages said recipients should “board a van” that would transport them to a “plantation” to work as slaves. Black men, women, and children in at least 14 states reported getting texts.
These messages come as Black Americans fear the aftermath of a resounding electoral victory for President-elect Donald Trump, who has previously and frequently been accused of racist views.
In states and counties where residents have received these texts, school boards and branches of the NAACP condemned the messages.
The texts were sent through TextNow, a cheap alternative to data plans from the big cellular companies.
The app immediately shut down the accounts and pledged to investigate.
But it’s not the first time the service has been allegedly used for harassment. Online, the company faced repeated complaints it is being abused by anonymous stalkers and spammers.
TextNow markets itself as a solution to high costs from other mobile network providers.
It offers free unlimited talk and text nationwide with the one-time purchase of a $4.99 SIM card. In exchange for this low, upfront cost, users are served advertisements before making texts and calls.
Across social media, victims of stalking have spoken out about the app being a way for others to contact them without their consent.
One Reddit user complained on r/TextNow that their stalker has been using TextNow “for years” to generate new numbers in order to continually call and text them.
“[I] instantly block them, but they create another one within days,” they wrote.
The user also complained that they struggled to track the perpetrator down to an exact IP address.
“Honest Question: Are people seriously using this service for anything other than spam/stalking/concealment of identity?” asked another thread.
TextNow users often rely on SOCKS5, an internet protocol that funnels web traffic through a remote server, allowing anonymity.
This use of SOCKS5 came in response to the company’s attempts to block the use of VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), which hide IP addresses.
X users also complained of similar abuses of the app, with TextNow users able to create different numbers to harass others repeatedly.
On X, SOCKS5 protocols are routinely shared to help TextNow users create numbers that aren’t traceable.
One user showed a string of spam texts and calls from various unknown numbers across the U.S., which they claim were created through TextNow.
Another X user complained that someone who followed their social media channels used TextNow to send them harassment anonymously after attempting to block their number.
Others also pointed to ex-partners who have used TextNow to sexually harass them after romantic rejection.
In the aftermath of the post-election racist texts, TextNow discovered that “one or more” of its users allegedly sent out these racist messages. Speaking to ABC, the company said they were working with law enforcement and condemned the messages sent last week.
In a statement to the Daily Dot, the company reiterated it was working to unearth who was behind the messages.
Regarding other complaints, the service said “we do not tolerate or condone the use of our service to send messages that are intended to harass or spam others and will work with the authorities to prevent these individuals from doing so in the future.”
The racist texts, though, are symptomatic of a larger problem.
Throughout the 2024 election cycle, prospective voters have been inundated by mass texts from both Republican and Democrat campaigns, with some lamenting their “unhinged” desperation.
Some of it included offensive spam. Battleground state voters received odd, automated text messages from a group called “Trump for Traditional Wives.”
The messages stated that women had to be obedient to their husbands and that if Trump was elected, he would ban contraception.
But despite their universal dislike, experts warn that, under current regulations, there is no universal system to flag texts as suspicious or unwanted, making incidents like this more likely.
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