7 ms·

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
        Interesting side note Assange developed part of Truecrypt if I recall correctly.
        EwanToo 14y ago
        He was one of the developers of Rubberhose - a similar, earlier, tool to Truecrypt, not Truecrypt itself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubberhose_%28file_system%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubberhose_%28file_system%29
    - speeder 14y ago
      I know good part of why crypto creators are being hunted. Bit if I explain most people will just think I am crazy, so I won't. But yes, there are a reason that crypto people get hunted in general ( not only wikileaks) and there are even a ground war going on in other fronts.
      - newsmaster 14y ago
        Enlighten us with your craziness please. No judgement here.
        speeder 14y ago
        Ok, to explain in the least charged way as possible. First, I will tell there are "groups", mind you, I only mean a collective of individuals and organisations, that many times are fighting amont themselves, also individually they may have different aims and purposes, but the "group" thing simplify the things. Second, the subject is very ancient, so I will try to talk only about the last 100 years, because otherwise it will become a too complex thing to write about in a short post. Also, I will not name the groups, because whatever name I use for each of them, have different meanings and charges to each person, resulting in a flamewar (and the reason people think I am crazy). I will list the groups in order of theoretical and legal (not necessarily de facto) power. Group A: This group is in power in several states, run some huge international organisations, and wants more power centralisation, individuals within it want more power to themselves. The Group A is very much against cryptography technology leaking (the weapons of choice of Group E), Group A also tend to help Group C if they think it will be a blow to Group B or E, otherwise they currently use Group C as scapegoat and target to fool their subjects in giving them more power. Group B is very much alike Group A, but with fundamentally different economic beliefs, Group B realised it cannot beat Group A directly, so they right now work by mostly promoting ideologies and morals that will undermine Group A centralisation of power and capacity to react, Group B also don't like Group E, and don't like crypto on Group E hands, but sometimes they might allow Group E to get that tech if it means improving their own to use against Group A. Group C currently is like Group A and B, but based on religion, also Group C recently took over 4 countries, with great help of Group E and Group A, much to the regret of Group E that only now realised it was against their interests to this happen. Group D only want to be left alone, but are frequently caught in the crossfire. Group E are the opposite of Group A, they want more freedom, more decentralisation, and of course, more power to themselves too, but not in a hierarchy, and more splintered. Group E loves cryptography, and the reason OP is being hunted, is because he is helping Group E (on purpose or not).
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.

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
      Interesting side note Assange developed part of Truecrypt if I recall correctly.
      - EwanToo 14y ago
        He was one of the developers of Rubberhose - a similar, earlier, tool to Truecrypt, not Truecrypt itself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubberhose_%28file_system%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubberhose_%28file_system%29
  - speeder 14y ago
    I know good part of why crypto creators are being hunted. Bit if I explain most people will just think I am crazy, so I won't. But yes, there are a reason that crypto people get hunted in general ( not only wikileaks) and there are even a ground war going on in other fronts.
    - newsmaster 14y ago
      Enlighten us with your craziness please. No judgement here.
      - speeder 14y ago
        Ok, to explain in the least charged way as possible. First, I will tell there are "groups", mind you, I only mean a collective of individuals and organisations, that many times are fighting amont themselves, also individually they may have different aims and purposes, but the "group" thing simplify the things. Second, the subject is very ancient, so I will try to talk only about the last 100 years, because otherwise it will become a too complex thing to write about in a short post. Also, I will not name the groups, because whatever name I use for each of them, have different meanings and charges to each person, resulting in a flamewar (and the reason people think I am crazy). I will list the groups in order of theoretical and legal (not necessarily de facto) power. Group A: This group is in power in several states, run some huge international organisations, and wants more power centralisation, individuals within it want more power to themselves. The Group A is very much against cryptography technology leaking (the weapons of choice of Group E), Group A also tend to help Group C if they think it will be a blow to Group B or E, otherwise they currently use Group C as scapegoat and target to fool their subjects in giving them more power. Group B is very much alike Group A, but with fundamentally different economic beliefs, Group B realised it cannot beat Group A directly, so they right now work by mostly promoting ideologies and morals that will undermine Group A centralisation of power and capacity to react, Group B also don't like Group E, and don't like crypto on Group E hands, but sometimes they might allow Group E to get that tech if it means improving their own to use against Group A. Group C currently is like Group A and B, but based on religion, also Group C recently took over 4 countries, with great help of Group E and Group A, much to the regret of Group E that only now realised it was against their interests to this happen. Group D only want to be left alone, but are frequently caught in the crossfire. Group E are the opposite of Group A, they want more freedom, more decentralisation, and of course, more power to themselves too, but not in a hierarchy, and more splintered. Group E loves cryptography, and the reason OP is being hunted, is because he is helping Group E (on purpose or not).

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.