Winston Lee, one of seven Cornell students named as defendants in a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault, has become the focus of a cross-border online search seeking information about his identity and background. The allegations against Lee and the other defendants have not been adjudicated in the civil case.
The online search has spread through Korean and Korean-American communities, where users have circulated unverified assertions about Lee's identity, education, military service and personal background. Reporting on the activity has raised wider questions about public interest, privacy and the risks of crowd-sourced investigation during an unresolved legal case.
