American Government Cracking Down on Protestors

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American Government Cracking Down on Protestors

Post by Gawd » Fri Jan 28, 2011 9:31 pm

"TWO *REAL* GUNS POINTED AT ME": how the FBI raided Anonymous
The FBI yesterday executed 40 search warrants around the US to gather evidence on the Anonymous distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks in defense of WikiLeaks last year—attacks which targeted Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and Amazon. And when the FBI comes a-knockin', the whole house starts a rockin'.

Ars has seen posts from a private forum in which several targets of the FBI raids offer brief descriptions of the experience, along with the occasional photo of a beaten-in front door. We cannot guarantee the authenticity of these accounts, though we believe them to be genuine.

A note of context: "LOIC" here refers to the Low Orbit Ion Cannon, a software tool used in the Anonymous DDoS attacks that can flood a network connection with data.

I used LOIC during that whole Wikileaks fiasco. The FBI showed up at my door with a search warrant for any electronic devices that may have been used in the attack. That means any and all computers, unless I pointed out to them which one was used in the attack. I'm not retarded, I invoked my 5th amendment rights and didn't say anything so now they are taking everything. Yes, I'm f**king dumb. No, I didn't have time to thermite the hard drive. I'm worried that the FBI might stumble upon this site due to all the :filez: on my computer.

A second account showed a similar level of, err, enthusiasm on the part of the FBI.

6am, door busted down (NOT KIDDING), "FBI FBI FBI POLICE FBI GET YOUR ARMS UP AND DONT MOVE THEM. WALK DOWNSTAIRS RIGHT NOW. DO NOT MOVE YOUR HANDS." --- TWO *REAL* GUNS POINTED AT ME.

me in 1 cop car, gf in other car.

took 3.5 hrs, all electronic devices taken including 3 computers. said nearly nothing. finally left.

.....

Similar raids took place in the UK, resulting in the detention of five suspects. In response, someone claiming to speak for Anonymous issued a manifesto (PDF) against the UK government in the name of "us, Anonymous, the people."

The document says that the DDoS attacks were little more than peaceful protests:

As traditional means of protest (peaceful demonstrations, sit-ins, the blocking of a crossroads or the picketing of a factory fence) have slowly turned into nothing but an empty, ritualised gesture of discontent over the course of the last century, people have been anxiously searching for new ways to pressure politicians and give voice to public demands in a manner that might actually be able to change things for the better. Anonymous has, for now, found this new way of voicing civil protest in the form of the DDoS, or Distributed Denial of Service, attack. Just as is the case with traditional forms of protest, we block access to our opponents' infrastructure to get our message across.

Besides, the main Wikileaks site was hit with a DDoS attack first; are the authorities breaking down doors to solve that case? "We have noted that similar attacks have also been carried out against Wikileaks itself, yet so far, nobody has been arrested in connection with these attacks, nor are there even any signs of an investigation into this issue at all," the manifesto continues. "Yet, we know exactly who was responsible for that attack. Anonymous believes it is unfair and hypocritical to attempt to put these 5 arrested anons to trial without even attempting to find those who DDoS'ed a website which you oppose."

......
The American government should be overthrown with extreme prejudice, just like what is happening in Egypt. The USA is no democracy, it is only a two party state with the common goals of total control.
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Re: American Government Cracking Down on Protestors

Post by sandinista » Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:39 pm

Protesting is basically illegal in canaduh. The US isn't even really a 2 party state, its one party with two sides.
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Re: American Government Cracking Down on Protestors

Post by Seth » Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:13 am

Er, engaging in computer crime is not "protesting," it's committing a federal felony criminal offense. Protesting is when you peaceably assemble to petition your government for redress of grievances. That activity is also distinct from rioting, insurrection and terrorism, economic or otherwise.

Sounds like he got exactly what was coming to him. The lesson: don't initiate your DoS and other computer crime attacks from your mommy's basement, and always wear clean underwear to bed.
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Re: American Government Cracking Down on Protestors

Post by Feck » Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:25 am

What do you call it when a government switches off the internet then ? Is that a crime ?
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Re: American Government Cracking Down on Protestors

Post by Robert_S » Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:29 am

As traditional means of protest (peaceful demonstrations, sit-ins, the blocking of a crossroads or the picketing of a factory fence) have slowly turned into nothing but an empty, ritualised gesture of discontent over the course of the last century, people have been anxiously searching for new ways to pressure politicians and give voice to public demands in a manner that might actually be able to change things for the better. Anonymous has, for now, found this new way of voicing civil protest in the form of the DDoS, or Distributed Denial of Service, attack. Just as is the case with traditional forms of protest, we block access to our opponents' infrastructure to get our message across.

I have no problem with civil disobedience, but not everyone can do it. You have to have an emotional and intellectual maturity to demonstrate that you are willing to face the pointy end of the law by breaking the law in public and facing the consequences. But trying to hide what you're doing makes it no longer civil disobedience or protest.
Feck wrote:What do you call it when a government switches off the internet then ? Is that a crime ?
A betrayal of free speech, if that is one of the values the government claims to uphold.
What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
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Re: American Government Cracking Down on Protestors

Post by Feck » Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:30 am

:hoverdog: :hoverdog: :hoverdog: :hoverdog:
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Re: American Government Cracking Down on Protestors

Post by Robert_S » Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:34 am

Fucking Israel DDOSing Egypt just when they need free communications the most. :nono:
What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
-Mr P

The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange

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Re: American Government Cracking Down on Protestors

Post by Feck » Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:36 am

Robert_S wrote:
Fucking Israel DDOSing Egypt just when they need free communications the most. :nono:

Denial is not just a river in... oh, nevermind
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