6 ms·

Hey Ahmed I live in Tunisia too. You seem to be young enough to not remember how it was to live under the dictatorship 10 years ago. I'm a political activist fr

by slim 5y ago

Hey Ahmed I live in Tunisia too. You seem to be young enough to not remember how it was to live under the dictatorship 10 years ago. I'm a political activist from the Pirate Party, and I've been arrested twice under the dictatorship and I'm not as worried as you are. Send me an email if you want to chat. I'm slim@pirate.tn

wahern 5y ago
[Some time later] I'm glad you contacted me Ahmed. Lesson #1: Don't trust random people on the internet. The secret police are everywhere. Now come with me down to the police station so we can get you booked and interrogated.
- scotuswroteus 5y ago
  This is not funny or clever. It's ghoulish.
  - ev1 5y ago
    This is also a valid warning to not trust immediately. This kind of reaching out is exactly what many other groups do.
  - bwb 5y ago
    It is also a very good point in this situation. Just look at how many informers there were under the Stasi…
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - bostonsre 5y ago
    It's satirical to hammer home the point to tread carefully with advise from random people on the internet.
  - stickfigure 5y ago
    It's funny, clever, and ghoulish.
- slim 5y ago
  :) While this was good advice under the dictatorship, it is not anymore. He specifically said he's not concerned about his physical safety. Tunisia is not like saudi arabia or syria anymore. It's as safe as any western country. And he can easily check me out, I'm on HN since 2007.
  - 908B64B197 5y ago
    > It's as safe as any western country. Citation needed.
    - caslon 5y ago
      Tunisia's life expectancy is 76.7 years. The United States's is 78.7 years. A difference of two years compared to the most wealthy nation on the planet is minor. In fact, your average person in Tunisia is likely to outlast your average person in many US States: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/life_expectancy/life_expectancy.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/life_expectancy/li...
      - sockaddr 5y ago
        This is either erroneous thinking or intentionally misleading. Conflating "outlasting" with "safe" is problem number 1. Problem number two is they said "any western country" and you picked one pretty far down the list. Many western countries have a life expectancy well into the 80's so your citation only works against their argument.
        chakhs 5y ago
        it's clear that OP meant that there are no major differences in safety between Tunisia and a random western country. Meaning you don't have to worry about getting robbed or whatever more than you would in say, England. People don't speak with exactitude, it would be weird.
      - Zababa 5y ago
        And in France it's 82.7 years, the wealth of the US doesn't directly translate to good life expectancy, especially when you've got so many inequalities. The highest life expectancy is at 85 years in Japan. The average life exepctancy in the world in 72.6 years, 79 in Europe, 82.5 in Western Europe. With all due respect to Tunisia, it's better than average but still lower than "any western country".
- csomar 5y ago
  Slim Amamou is not random. Maybe not quite famous but he is a bit known in Tunisia. And there is no secret police in Tunisia for now. The current plot is quite amateurish but given history (Cuba/Fidel) anything is possible.
  - wahern 5y ago
    I didn't mean to make equivocations to any modern or historically violent regimes, though perhaps I was too flippant in using the term "secret police". I'm well aware that Tunisia (now and even years ago) has a much stronger civil society than most if not all of the Arab world, and in many respects comparable to Europe. It's no coincidence that it was the first (and arguably only) country to transition to democracy during the Arab Spring. My point was just that if you're worried about the consequences of your country slipping back into authoritarianism, obviously you'll want to 1) be more prudent about what you say, and 2) be more rigorous in practicing trust & verify--both regarding the trustworthiness of the person purporting to speak with you, and that they're actually that person, much like if a bank or journalist contacted me. (I always try to verify both, with varying degrees of rigor depending on consequences. And I'll never provide personal information, confidential or otherwise, over an incoming phone call; I always ask for a callback number that I can verify.) Suffice it to say, even in robust democracies you can be interrogated by police for making innocuous statements online. A couple Muslim friends experienced exactly that (repeatedly) in the aftermath of 9/11. That was wrong and harmful, but there was never any threat or perceived threat of physical harm. I didn't mean to denigrate Tunisia by suggesting it would be so quick to descend into a thoroughly repressive and violent dictatorship. The world is much more complex than as portrayed in Hollywood and pulp history. To the extent my comment made a caricature of Tunisia, I apologize.
  - Aeolun 5y ago
    > And there is no secret police in Tunisia for now. If you knew about them they wouldn’t be secret now would they?
    - csomar 5y ago
      The secret police is basically a non-legal entity operating illegally to do stuff for the dictator/authoritarian regime.
- jimmy2020 5y ago
  slim is pro-coup and our guy here is obviously against it. it makes the situation a little bit difficult.
- chakhs 5y ago
  you're overestimating Tunisian police, I don't think they ever heard of HN, and the situation is not that grave for them to check random forums
analyte123 5y ago
Do not do this.
- rudian 5y ago
  This what and why?
  - sativallday 5y ago
    Who's to say it isn't a possible honeypot? Best security results in his situation might be to * keep head down * move out of country * trust no one
Teracotage 5y ago
Hey Slim, nice work, "Mass Gmail Phishing in Tunisia" you got them by the balls, but why the same brutal policing everywhere, who trained them thugs? https://advox.globalvoices.org/2010/07/05/mass-gmail-phishing-in-tunisia/https://advox.globalvoices.org/2010/07/05/mass-gmail-phishing-in-tunisia/ https://advox.globalvoices.org/2010/07/05/mass-gmail-phishin...
- slim 5y ago
  French police trained them (Tunisia was a colony of France during WW2)
  - tasogare 5y ago
    Tunisia never was a colony of France, it was a protectorate. Words have meaning, so please stop spreading disinformation. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectorate https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectorate "Le protectorat colonial se distingue de la colonie dans la mesure où un territoire colonisé est placé sous l’administration directe de la métropole dont il fait partie intégrante, tandis que le territoire sous protectorat conserve théoriquement une relative autonomie." https://bibliotheque-numerique.diplomatie.gouv.fr/MEAE/fr/protectorats https://bibliotheque-numerique.diplomatie.gouv.fr/MEAE/fr/pr...
    - slim 5y ago
      France does not get to invent a new name for colonialism and just get away with it
    - selimthegrim 5y ago
      And Egypt was a "protectorate" and Sudan and Vanuatu were "condominia", let's get real here.
  - fluffy_kitten 5y ago
    I'm starting to think that the French police are the worst in the EU at least. And here I was thinking that the Dirty Harry cop in the Dobermann movie was a caricature. Looking at the news of the last few years it seems they really are that deranged. 1. Police answer a domestic case by kicking down the door and shooting the father of the (Asian) family without warning: https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2083188/more-clashes-paris-family-dead-chinese-man-dispute-police-account https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2083188/more-... 2. Riot cops shoot a mother and her children at the outskirts of a Gillets Jaunes demo, one of the kids loses a hand: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/30/french-police-tactics-scrutiny-gilets-jaunes-injuries-paris https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/30/french-police-... 3. Police anally rape a young (black) man with an expandable baton during an identity check: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38892302 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38892302 4. Police assault a (black) musician in his studio, allege "smell of cannabis" emanated from within: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55127815 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55127815 And all this is happening in a democratic country at the heart of the EU. If the police in Tunisia are taking lessons from the French police, I'd be worried about the safety of anti-regime Tunisians. Of note, I come from a European country that is ostensibly a democracy and I know well that all the democratic laws in the world are not enough to control a bunch of jumped-up brutes given the authority to beat up their fellow citizens.

by slim 5y ago

wahern 5y ago

[Some time later] I'm glad you contacted me Ahmed. Lesson #1: Don't trust random people on the internet. The secret police are everywhere. Now come with me down to the police station so we can get you booked and interrogated.

scotuswroteus 5y ago
This is not funny or clever. It's ghoulish.
- ev1 5y ago
  This is also a valid warning to not trust immediately. This kind of reaching out is exactly what many other groups do.
- bwb 5y ago
  It is also a very good point in this situation. Just look at how many informers there were under the Stasi…
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- bostonsre 5y ago
  It's satirical to hammer home the point to tread carefully with advise from random people on the internet.
- stickfigure 5y ago
  It's funny, clever, and ghoulish.
slim 5y ago
:) While this was good advice under the dictatorship, it is not anymore. He specifically said he's not concerned about his physical safety. Tunisia is not like saudi arabia or syria anymore. It's as safe as any western country. And he can easily check me out, I'm on HN since 2007.
- 908B64B197 5y ago
  > It's as safe as any western country. Citation needed.
  - caslon 5y ago
    Tunisia's life expectancy is 76.7 years. The United States's is 78.7 years. A difference of two years compared to the most wealthy nation on the planet is minor. In fact, your average person in Tunisia is likely to outlast your average person in many US States: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/life_expectancy/life_expectancy.htm https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/life_expectancy/li...
    - sockaddr 5y ago
      This is either erroneous thinking or intentionally misleading. Conflating "outlasting" with "safe" is problem number 1. Problem number two is they said "any western country" and you picked one pretty far down the list. Many western countries have a life expectancy well into the 80's so your citation only works against their argument.
      - chakhs 5y ago
        it's clear that OP meant that there are no major differences in safety between Tunisia and a random western country. Meaning you don't have to worry about getting robbed or whatever more than you would in say, England. People don't speak with exactitude, it would be weird.
    - Zababa 5y ago
      And in France it's 82.7 years, the wealth of the US doesn't directly translate to good life expectancy, especially when you've got so many inequalities. The highest life expectancy is at 85 years in Japan. The average life exepctancy in the world in 72.6 years, 79 in Europe, 82.5 in Western Europe. With all due respect to Tunisia, it's better than average but still lower than "any western country".
csomar 5y ago
Slim Amamou is not random. Maybe not quite famous but he is a bit known in Tunisia. And there is no secret police in Tunisia for now. The current plot is quite amateurish but given history (Cuba/Fidel) anything is possible.
- wahern 5y ago
  I didn't mean to make equivocations to any modern or historically violent regimes, though perhaps I was too flippant in using the term "secret police". I'm well aware that Tunisia (now and even years ago) has a much stronger civil society than most if not all of the Arab world, and in many respects comparable to Europe. It's no coincidence that it was the first (and arguably only) country to transition to democracy during the Arab Spring. My point was just that if you're worried about the consequences of your country slipping back into authoritarianism, obviously you'll want to 1) be more prudent about what you say, and 2) be more rigorous in practicing trust & verify--both regarding the trustworthiness of the person purporting to speak with you, and that they're actually that person, much like if a bank or journalist contacted me. (I always try to verify both, with varying degrees of rigor depending on consequences. And I'll never provide personal information, confidential or otherwise, over an incoming phone call; I always ask for a callback number that I can verify.) Suffice it to say, even in robust democracies you can be interrogated by police for making innocuous statements online. A couple Muslim friends experienced exactly that (repeatedly) in the aftermath of 9/11. That was wrong and harmful, but there was never any threat or perceived threat of physical harm. I didn't mean to denigrate Tunisia by suggesting it would be so quick to descend into a thoroughly repressive and violent dictatorship. The world is much more complex than as portrayed in Hollywood and pulp history. To the extent my comment made a caricature of Tunisia, I apologize.
- Aeolun 5y ago
  > And there is no secret police in Tunisia for now. If you knew about them they wouldn’t be secret now would they?
  - csomar 5y ago
    The secret police is basically a non-legal entity operating illegally to do stuff for the dictator/authoritarian regime.
jimmy2020 5y ago
slim is pro-coup and our guy here is obviously against it. it makes the situation a little bit difficult.
chakhs 5y ago
you're overestimating Tunisian police, I don't think they ever heard of HN, and the situation is not that grave for them to check random forums

analyte123 5y ago

Do not do this.

rudian 5y ago
This what and why?
- sativallday 5y ago
  Who's to say it isn't a possible honeypot? Best security results in his situation might be to * keep head down * move out of country * trust no one

Teracotage 5y ago

Hey Slim, nice work, "Mass Gmail Phishing in Tunisia" you got them by the balls, but why the same brutal policing everywhere, who trained them thugs? https://advox.globalvoices.org/2010/07/05/mass-gmail-phishing-in-tunisia/https://advox.globalvoices.org/2010/07/05/mass-gmail-phishing-in-tunisia/ https://advox.globalvoices.org/2010/07/05/mass-gmail-phishin...

slim 5y ago
French police trained them (Tunisia was a colony of France during WW2)
- tasogare 5y ago
  Tunisia never was a colony of France, it was a protectorate. Words have meaning, so please stop spreading disinformation. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectorate https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectorate "Le protectorat colonial se distingue de la colonie dans la mesure où un territoire colonisé est placé sous l’administration directe de la métropole dont il fait partie intégrante, tandis que le territoire sous protectorat conserve théoriquement une relative autonomie." https://bibliotheque-numerique.diplomatie.gouv.fr/MEAE/fr/protectorats https://bibliotheque-numerique.diplomatie.gouv.fr/MEAE/fr/pr...
  - slim 5y ago
    France does not get to invent a new name for colonialism and just get away with it
  - selimthegrim 5y ago
    And Egypt was a "protectorate" and Sudan and Vanuatu were "condominia", let's get real here.
- fluffy_kitten 5y ago
  I'm starting to think that the French police are the worst in the EU at least. And here I was thinking that the Dirty Harry cop in the Dobermann movie was a caricature. Looking at the news of the last few years it seems they really are that deranged. 1. Police answer a domestic case by kicking down the door and shooting the father of the (Asian) family without warning: https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2083188/more-clashes-paris-family-dead-chinese-man-dispute-police-account https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2083188/more-... 2. Riot cops shoot a mother and her children at the outskirts of a Gillets Jaunes demo, one of the kids loses a hand: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/30/french-police-tactics-scrutiny-gilets-jaunes-injuries-paris https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/30/french-police-... 3. Police anally rape a young (black) man with an expandable baton during an identity check: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38892302 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38892302 4. Police assault a (black) musician in his studio, allege "smell of cannabis" emanated from within: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55127815 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55127815 And all this is happening in a democratic country at the heart of the EU. If the police in Tunisia are taking lessons from the French police, I'd be worried about the safety of anti-regime Tunisians. Of note, I come from a European country that is ostensibly a democracy and I know well that all the democratic laws in the world are not enough to control a bunch of jumped-up brutes given the authority to beat up their fellow citizens.