the Cornell case, she went online and found community in the Jane Doe posts.

 We are all right here feeling the same thing, and we have had enough,  Brewer said.

The Associated Press typically does not name victims of sexual abuse unless they publicly identify themselves.

The protection of the crowd

The use of pseudonyms like Jane Doe in lawsuits has grown in recent decades, said Diana Simon, a professor of law at the University of Arizona.

While the legal system is geared toward transparency, with the expectation that parties in a suit would be named, there can be situations that are highly private or sensitive  where it would be in the person's best interest to remain anonymous,  she said.

But that does not mean someone's real identity would not get out, especially if people search for it.

That's why Kelsey Combe made her  I am Jane Doe  post. The idea was that numerous similar posts could provide a form of online protection to the Cornell plaintiff if her name were to be revealed, by making it harder to determine its authenticity.

 It was to confuse the AI models and stand in solidarity with her,  said Combe, a photographer in the Midwest.

She decided to do so after seeing a reel from a content creator who posts as  women_inamerica,  talking about how important it was. It had already generated responses from many women by the time Combe posted anything.

The attempt to sow confusion worked in a way Combe was not expecting, though: She later saw that AI had linked her as the actual Jane Doe, saying it was Combe that sued Cornell. She was able to get it removed, but not without getting a taste of what public critique can be like.

 It was an interesting situation, because the second that I sounded the alarm about it … a lot of people were replying,  Well, you asked for this. You participated in this. What did you think was going to happen?' And I was like,  Well, look at that,'  Combe said.

It only emphasizes what the solidarity efforts are trying to show, that there are larger systemic issues to be addressed rather than just individual cases, she said.

 It's standing in solidarity with her, but it's also acknowledging that to an extent we are Jane Doe, I think the majority of us, because … we have our own experiences with sexual assault,  Combe added.

 So we are all Jane Doe until nobody is. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, free, confidential help is available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.