Citizens on the Internet

Written By: - Date published: 3:34 pm, February 3rd, 2012 - 5 comments
Categories: humour, law and "order" - Tags:


5 comments on “Citizens on the Internet ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. ropata 1
    3 February 2012 at 11:32 pm

    Do You Like Online Privacy? You May Be a Terrorist

    “A flyer designed by the FBI and the Department of Justice to promote suspicious activity reporting in internet cafes lists basic tools used for online privacy as potential signs of terrorist activity. The document, part of a program called ‘Communities Against Terrorism,’ lists the use of ‘anonymizers, portals, or other means to shield IP address’ as a sign that a person could be engaged in or supporting terrorist activity. The use of encryption is also listed as a suspicious activity along with steganography, the practice of using ‘software to hide encrypted data in digital photos’ or other media. In fact, the flyer recommends that anyone ‘overly concerned about privacy’ or attempting to ‘shield the screen from view of others’ should be considered suspicious and potentially engaged in terrorist activities. … The use of PGP, VPNs, Tor or any of the many other technologies for anonymity and privacy online are directly targeted by the flyer, which is distributed to businesses in an effort to promote the reporting of these activities.”

    • Matthew Whitehead 1.1
      4 February 2012 at 5:47 pm

      To be fair, a zealous concern with privacy IS an indicator of illegal activity, because privacy shields both the innocent and the guilty.

      What needs to be emphasized is that privacy alone is perfectly legitimate, like most indicators of suspicious behaviour. What’s suspicious is when you combine privacy with an interest in or support of political violence or eliminationism, and other non-demographic indicators of illegal behaviour, (by which I mean, it’s just as legitimate to value your privacy if you’re not white) especially when you’re simultaneously engaging in physical and digital privacy-keeping behaviour.

  2. eljaydee 2
    4 February 2012 at 12:57 am

    Curiously, the Chinese Government has a similar attitude.

  3. BLiP 3
    4 February 2012 at 1:40 am

    Get it while you can . . . https://www.torproject.org/

  4. Copra 4
    4 February 2012 at 11:20 am

    It is already happening ..