6 ms·

I don't know you and I don't know the world you live in, but just from your worried tone, and the rate at which you're responding to comments in this thread, I

I don't know you and I don't know the world you live in, but just from your worried tone, and the rate at which you're responding to comments in this thread, I just want to say: take a breath. Engaging in a wild HN thread, full of well meaning but varied techy suggestions/speculation might not be the best approach right now. Have some friends sift through it for good information and disengage. Seek legal advice, and take it slow.

magikarp 14y ago
Sorry. I am very stressed and am knocked into full self-defense/damage control mode. Not sure I am in a state to meet people IRL at the moment.
- jacquesm 14y ago
  I think that you actually should meet someone IRL, have them stay over with you or stay over with them.
  - PavlovsCat 14y ago
    Yes.. and in the meantime, I suggest all of us watch this 29c3 talk by Jacob Applebaum, "Not My Department" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mnuofn_DXw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mnuofn_DXw ), and think about all our roles in all this. It's not going to stop unless we make it.
    - dmix 14y ago
      There seems to be a new pattern where anyone involved in promoting free speech and privacy through encryption gets harassed by the state, regardless if they actually did anything illegal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Appelbaum#Investigation_and_detainment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Appelbaum#Investigation_a... It really shows how those in power are scared of the liberating powers of technology.
      - csoghoian 14y ago
        Although the details of the gov's investigation and harassment of Jake are largely shrouded in secrecy, his harassment at the border began right after giving a keynote at HOPE 2010 in place of Julian Assange, as the only US citizen identified in the media as a member of the Wikileaks team. Although I think what the US government has done to Jake is quite clearly a disgusting abuse of power, let us not kid ourselves by somehow believing that the state has gone after him because he has publicly advocated for the use of strong crypto.
        lawnchair_larry 14y ago
        What about moxie?
        pyre 14y ago
        IIRC, moxie said at some point that he was being harassed because he was a contact on Jake's phone which was confiscated by the US government at some point, so now he's associated with him.
        yakiv 14y ago
        I don't really know anything about this story, but do you have any guesses as to why they did go after him?
        pyre 14y ago
        | his harassment at the border began right after | giving a keynote at HOPE 2010 in place of Julian | Assange | the only US citizen identified in the media as | a member of the Wikileaks team. I'm thinking that these two pieces of information are part of it.
        rdl 14y ago
        However, Phil Z did get harassed over strong crypto, but that was in the bad old days.
        plaguuuuuu 14y ago
- anigbrowl 14y ago
  I strongly suggest you take a week off - don't expend valuable energyon trying to control the things that are stressing you. Check in and say hi to friends on Twitter (or suchlike) by all means, so that nobody has to worry about you, but don't put pressure on yourself to get to the bottom of this or resolve it within a certain timeframe. You haven't done anything wrong that I can see so there's no particular reason you should knock yourself out trying to untangle the situation. Watch some movies, catch your regular classes (or skip a couple if you can), read that fat sci-fi novel - fill in the blank. FI anyone you don't know calls you on the phone just tell them you're not interested, goodbye, and take a rest from the internet. After a week, chat to a lawyer and work on the fact that someone is harrassing you - might be an intelligence service, might be criminals, but make it your lawyer's problem. The best thing for you right now is to recharge your batteries and that putting some distance between yourself and the source of your stress. The best way to deal with your computer being hacked is to leave it switched off; not least because your lawyer might advise handing it over to a forensic analyst for an audit. But primarily, take it easy and be good to yourself. Nothing obliges you to wear yourself out responding to the behavior of others if it is making you stressed or unhappy.
- coldtea 14y ago
  Isn't that what got Sandra Bullock's character in "The Net"? Speak to a lawyer and/or some journalists.

magikarp 14y ago

Sorry. I am very stressed and am knocked into full self-defense/damage control mode. Not sure I am in a state to meet people IRL at the moment.

jacquesm 14y ago
I think that you actually should meet someone IRL, have them stay over with you or stay over with them.
- PavlovsCat 14y ago
  Yes.. and in the meantime, I suggest all of us watch this 29c3 talk by Jacob Applebaum, "Not My Department" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mnuofn_DXw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mnuofn_DXw ), and think about all our roles in all this. It's not going to stop unless we make it.
  - dmix 14y ago
    There seems to be a new pattern where anyone involved in promoting free speech and privacy through encryption gets harassed by the state, regardless if they actually did anything illegal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Appelbaum#Investigation_and_detainment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Appelbaum#Investigation_a... It really shows how those in power are scared of the liberating powers of technology.
    - csoghoian 14y ago
      Although the details of the gov's investigation and harassment of Jake are largely shrouded in secrecy, his harassment at the border began right after giving a keynote at HOPE 2010 in place of Julian Assange, as the only US citizen identified in the media as a member of the Wikileaks team. Although I think what the US government has done to Jake is quite clearly a disgusting abuse of power, let us not kid ourselves by somehow believing that the state has gone after him because he has publicly advocated for the use of strong crypto.
      - lawnchair_larry 14y ago
        What about moxie?
        pyre 14y ago
        IIRC, moxie said at some point that he was being harassed because he was a contact on Jake's phone which was confiscated by the US government at some point, so now he's associated with him.
      - yakiv 14y ago
        I don't really know anything about this story, but do you have any guesses as to why they did go after him?
        pyre 14y ago
        | his harassment at the border began right after | giving a keynote at HOPE 2010 in place of Julian | Assange | the only US citizen identified in the media as | a member of the Wikileaks team. I'm thinking that these two pieces of information are part of it.
      - rdl 14y ago
        However, Phil Z did get harassed over strong crypto, but that was in the bad old days.
      - plaguuuuuu 14y ago
anigbrowl 14y ago
I strongly suggest you take a week off - don't expend valuable energyon trying to control the things that are stressing you. Check in and say hi to friends on Twitter (or suchlike) by all means, so that nobody has to worry about you, but don't put pressure on yourself to get to the bottom of this or resolve it within a certain timeframe. You haven't done anything wrong that I can see so there's no particular reason you should knock yourself out trying to untangle the situation. Watch some movies, catch your regular classes (or skip a couple if you can), read that fat sci-fi novel - fill in the blank. FI anyone you don't know calls you on the phone just tell them you're not interested, goodbye, and take a rest from the internet. After a week, chat to a lawyer and work on the fact that someone is harrassing you - might be an intelligence service, might be criminals, but make it your lawyer's problem. The best thing for you right now is to recharge your batteries and that putting some distance between yourself and the source of your stress. The best way to deal with your computer being hacked is to leave it switched off; not least because your lawyer might advise handing it over to a forensic analyst for an audit. But primarily, take it easy and be good to yourself. Nothing obliges you to wear yourself out responding to the behavior of others if it is making you stressed or unhappy.
coldtea 14y ago
Isn't that what got Sandra Bullock's character in "The Net"? Speak to a lawyer and/or some journalists.