3 ms·

I almost get the impression that the act of gathering of evidence for the supposed CFAA violation is intended as a form of extrajudicial punishment.

superkuh 3y ago
Yes, CFAA raids are definitely done as a form of extrajudicial punishment. When the FBI raided me at 6am with guns drawn in ~2010 they never indicted me, never charged me with anything. But they did steal all my computers and electronics, and all my flatmate's computers and electronics, and got me kicked out of my apartment (which they trashed). That morning they raided ~100 people across the US as part of a giant warrant to try to quash dissent and make people think twice about supporting wikileaks. It ruined my life despite no crimes being involved. I didn't receive my computer equipment back until literally last year: 2022. And they shipped them back in two large thin cardboard box with computer parts sliding around freely inside. Literally it arrived at my house with a video card poking half out through the box side. Obviously non-functional. One last "fuck you" from the FBI for doing nothing but being politically active.
- Anthony-G 3y ago
  Thanks for providing your story. I hear about people having all their electronic devices seized for spurious CFAA charges but it doesn’t make the news when the devices are returned more than a decade later – by which time they’d be obsolete even if they hadn’t been broken. I also wasn’t aware of the other damages that are inflicted on the victims such as intimidation with the threat of firearms, having their home wrecked and potential loss of one’s home. Best wishes and thanks for sticking your neck above the parapet for the rest of us.
- freedomben 3y ago
  I'd love to hear more about your story, if you're willing. If not willing, feel free to disregard. Were you uploading stuff to wikileaks? If so, what kind of stuff? Were you donating to WL? Did you have any "classified" data in your posession? What did the warrant say about the target, the reasonable suspicion, etc? Do you have a copy of the warrant you'd be willing to share?
- ethbr1 3y ago
  I.e. "Guilty until proven innocent" in the eyes of the enforcement branch. You're a guilty criminal, so why wouldn't they trash your stuff just for being who you are? And who is with them who's going to tell them not to do that? It's also especially ridiculous behavior in the context of CFAA raids (compared to drug or armed robbery), where the most lethal thing on the premises is likely to be old pizza.
- maxloh 3y ago
  Can the government be sued for compensation for data loss and broken hardware? Also, isn't there a legal duration for how long the FBI could keep the evidence/equipment they gathered in the investigation? Ten years seems to be too long for that.

superkuh 3y ago

Yes, CFAA raids are definitely done as a form of extrajudicial punishment. When the FBI raided me at 6am with guns drawn in ~2010 they never indicted me, never charged me with anything. But they did steal all my computers and electronics, and all my flatmate's computers and electronics, and got me kicked out of my apartment (which they trashed). That morning they raided ~100 people across the US as part of a giant warrant to try to quash dissent and make people think twice about supporting wikileaks. It ruined my life despite no crimes being involved. I didn't receive my computer equipment back until literally last year: 2022. And they shipped them back in two large thin cardboard box with computer parts sliding around freely inside. Literally it arrived at my house with a video card poking half out through the box side. Obviously non-functional. One last "fuck you" from the FBI for doing nothing but being politically active.

Anthony-G 3y ago
Thanks for providing your story. I hear about people having all their electronic devices seized for spurious CFAA charges but it doesn’t make the news when the devices are returned more than a decade later – by which time they’d be obsolete even if they hadn’t been broken. I also wasn’t aware of the other damages that are inflicted on the victims such as intimidation with the threat of firearms, having their home wrecked and potential loss of one’s home. Best wishes and thanks for sticking your neck above the parapet for the rest of us.
freedomben 3y ago
I'd love to hear more about your story, if you're willing. If not willing, feel free to disregard. Were you uploading stuff to wikileaks? If so, what kind of stuff? Were you donating to WL? Did you have any "classified" data in your posession? What did the warrant say about the target, the reasonable suspicion, etc? Do you have a copy of the warrant you'd be willing to share?
ethbr1 3y ago
I.e. "Guilty until proven innocent" in the eyes of the enforcement branch. You're a guilty criminal, so why wouldn't they trash your stuff just for being who you are? And who is with them who's going to tell them not to do that? It's also especially ridiculous behavior in the context of CFAA raids (compared to drug or armed robbery), where the most lethal thing on the premises is likely to be old pizza.
maxloh 3y ago
Can the government be sued for compensation for data loss and broken hardware? Also, isn't there a legal duration for how long the FBI could keep the evidence/equipment they gathered in the investigation? Ten years seems to be too long for that.