FBI investigating incidents on Infoshop News and Flag.blackened.net

by Joe Tue Mar 29, 2005 22:51

The webserver that hosts and has hosted loads of Irish groups including WSM, ARC, The Alliance for Choice, Irish Mexico Group, SIPTU Fightback, Alliance for a No Vote, Organise, DGN, Grassroots Gathering and others is under threat from the FBI. Below is the statement from Dave the site maintainer explaining the situation followd by a URL at which you can leave a message.
FBI investigating incidents on subdomains hosted by flag.blackened.net.

OK folks, here's the real deal as far as I can share it legally at the moment. Consider it as a press release if you wish and feel free to distribute it for whatever reason you deem necessary.

I'm under court order not to speak about specifics and have my attorney trying to find out what the maximum penalty for disclosure really is. I hate to have to keep my mouth shut in areas where the Gestapo is involved, but I also have to weigh things against the overall security of flag and it's subdomains and also the wellbeing of my family.

I have been ordered to submit IP info on two separate incidents having to do with subdomains hosted on flag. Both of these are in regard to claimed or threatened responsibility for acts of propaganda by the deed. Both incidents involve topics which are completely out of line for consideration here at flag and really I can only view them in two ways. Either people are simply ignorant about the murderous history of the FBI, or, as is my belief in one case, they are trying to make flag vulnerable to government intrusion.

At this point let me say, in all honesty and conviction, that if I end up dead by strange means - suicide, overdose, drunk driving accident (I never, ever, ever drink and drive), "accidental" gunshot to the back of the head while sleeping ala Fred Hampton, car jacking, or anything else reasonably suspicious, contact the FBI in Chico, California for more details.

I have called numerous friends nationwide, anarchists and otherwise whose opinions I respect and who I know will be honest and forthwith in their opinions to ask them how I should proceed. The unanimous consensus is that I comply with the wishes of the FBI and provide the IP addresses responsible. The only point of discussion, really, has been whether or not I should reveal the specific information in violation of two court orders.

Really, I am not left with much of a choice. Here are my two choices as I see them:

1. Do not comply with the wishes of the FBI. This will most likely lead to the seizure of flag and a compromise of all the sites and information online. It will probably also lead to me being imprisoned, I would guess. I personally do not fear this, but I am the sole support for my wife and infant daughter. There can be no doubt we would probably lose our home as a result.

2. Comply with the wishes of the FBI, provide the IP addresses, and count on the fact that I will catch a lot of heat and hatred from my comrades in the anarchist movement worldwide.

Though it pains me to comply with the State in any manner, I have to choose option #2. The people who have foolishly compromised us all will shoulder the burden for their selfish actions. Frankly folks, they know better - we all know better.

I was first contacted by the Oakland FBI. Many of you know their history. We are talking COINTELPRO for real - not a perceived or mythical fear. They are proven murderers and automatons for the state who will blindly follow any order to kill or disrupt without question. Read the history of their disinformation campaign against the panthers if you don't believe me. The panther comic book which they completed and distributed, the fake letters between Huey and Eldridge, the fires of hatred and murder they faked and inflamed between the panthers and the US or "united slaves" which led to the murder of Bunchy Carter and John Higgins in L.A., the list goes on and on.

But, the real point is that I feel like a coward and traitor to my comrades, even in the face of what is essentially a coerced decision. I'm the last one who will criticize or disagree with any of you who want to deride me. I'm also aware that this will probably cause quite a few of you to lose faith in me, flag, and it's subdomains. This can't be avoided and it's something I weighed into my decision. I post this mainly to inform you all and give you opportunity to make your own decisions as to whether I've handled this correctly and whether you wish to use flag or it's subdomains in the future. If you don't trust me, I understand, believe me.

It is by far the most agonizing decision I've been faced with in relation to my anarchist opinions.

This is why we do not discuss certain things as if they are a legitimate part of anarchism. Resist the extra y-chromosome influenced urge to sound more hardcore than the guy next to you. Nobody is impressed and the powers that be are sitting on the edges of their seats waiting for an excuse to shut down flag. Freedom of speech does not exist, don't try to test it. They will come bust down your door - for real - point a gun to your head and pull the trigger if you refuse to comply.

Believe it.

Your admin,

Dave
_________________
An unresisted massacre is not a battle. - Liddell Hart.

by jeff Wed Mar 30, 2005 00:30

Well, talk to your lawyers more before you hand over information.

But what the hell were you doing logging IP's?! Indymedia does not log IP's, to protect the privacy of it's authors.

by professor rat Wed Mar 30, 2005 02:51

I'm almost embarressed to call myself an anarchist trawling through that tripe above but regardless neither of these two sites will be missed for long.
They can go offshore and stop logging IPs and start practising some security culture if they want any respect from anarchists.
Indymedia, blogs and various other boards inc usenet will seamlessly take up the slack from those tired stale censorious sites. Infoshop and flagblackened.
It's not as if these self censorious 'anarchist ' dingbats were not warned repeatedly AND had the example of Sherman Austin in their face. Sheesh.

BTW the FBI is less a Gestapo to be feared than a pack of laughable keystone Kops. I'm not sayin' they always will be but that is what they are based on their recent form and their technology . We have a window of opportunity to completely destroy them and their employer if we use secure leaderless resistance and propaganda of the deed... just like we used too remember?

Nothing to see here folks - move along.

by R. Isible Wed Mar 30, 2005 03:54

Everywhere is under the control of one or another State government. Maybe they should join you in outerspace.

by AC Wed Mar 30, 2005 09:10

> Indymedia does not log IP's, to protect the privacy
> of it's authors.

Not true.

Some IMCs wisely choose not to log IP addresses, but some IMCs most definitely *DO* log IP addresses, both of those who post and also of those who merely read.

by jack white Wed Mar 30, 2005 10:22

...Even if Indymedia's don't log ip addresses the hosting company probably does.That doesn't mean you should get paranoid about viewing these (or any other) sites, it just means that you shouldn't have any false expectations about 'security culture'.

and as for this crap " We have a window of opportunity to completely destroy them and their employer if we use secure leaderless resistance and propaganda of the deed... just like we used too remember?" Talk about being embarassed to be an anarchist! Just like we used to - what before we achieved the revolution?

by Michael Wed Mar 30, 2005 11:06

1. Release the content on your website under an easy to follow license, so people who copy your content know that they're allowed to. Then anyone can use wget to grab your website and run a mirror in their college or private machine.

2. That's it. Get back to work! :-)

by redjade Fri Apr 01, 2005 18:02

Unfortunately, not maintaining IP logs make it harder to fend off crackers trying to attack IMC websites, but the consensus appears to be that the tradeoff is worthwhile in order to protect the anonymity of IMC website posters.

According to comments on this thread [ http://nyc.indymedia.org/feature/display/146897/index.php ] about the flag.blackened.net situation at NYC IMC, some of the software running sites on that server do maintain IP addresses, which the sysadmins periodically purge. Unfortunately, it looks like the addresses the FBI was after were not yet purged.

The threat from the government is real, and the intent is real: Independent media websites should shut up and control what gets published. Don't push the boundaries.

We don't have to give in to the threat. But I agree with Dave, that we have to pay attention and watch ourselves:

http://www.mediageek.org/archives/002530.html

-- -- --

Government coercion is real. That said, concern for personal property is not a justification for cooperating with political police. Just because it is understandable does not mean it is justified or acceptable. If these are the times we are living in, it's time to get straight on the basics. Don't talk. Comrades must look out for each other, and that includes caring for the family of people who go to prison. It's been done before by people in harder situations that we've had to face yet. Nobody said this would be easy.

http://burning.typepad.com/burningman/2005/03/fbi_pressures_a.html

-- -- --

→ Comments above found on Blogs listed at Indyblogs - http://indyblogs.protest.net/

by R. Isible Fri Apr 01, 2005 18:39

The very first public attempt by the FBI to take down an indymedia was Seattle IMC where a very obvious _agent provocateur_ posted bogus information about the location of Bush which had supposedly been stolen. They failed in that and since then have been busy trying to do similar things by whatever means possible above, beyond, behind and over the rule of law.

I wouldn't mind betting that this is more of the same.

by marco Sun Apr 03, 2005 00:11

Some of the previous Indymedia posts need to be quickly looked
over and then ignored.

1) Why after all this time..._________ by Professor X

2) No Logs = No Problems _________ by Professor X

3) Well... _________ Professor X


This alias is currently used by one who often
nicknames his self "proffr" and a few other derivations,
including professor rat over at ireland imc

Both sites no real loss ______________ by professor rat
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69155


He lives in Australia and likely works directly for General Waranto.

The worst thing he's done over and over is plant death threats
inside open publishing forums such as Ohio Valley IMC, Montreal
IMC, Seattle IMC, and a few others.

http://www.mediageek.org/archives/000422.html
http://lists.myspinach.org/pipermail/fibreculture/2003-October/003318.html


Most times the FBI, Secret Service and Treasury Department are
too dumb to go right to his house and jail him. Instead they
subpoena the particular IMC or open forum and just generally
make things absolutely miserable for the people keeping the
open forums going.

ARE they too stupid? Or working directly in concert with "proffr"
and/or General Waranto?

I'll leave that for you to decide.

For now I suggest you ignore most of what this troll says, beyond
looking it over and going "oh, aha."

Anyone wanna put odds on whether you'll smell "profr" all over
the flag.blackened.net subpoenas after the gag order is lifted
and Dave can talk?

by professor rat Sun Apr 03, 2005 05:41

and at ...

http://anarchy.org.au/

Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:27 pm Post subject: Infoshop-flagblackened debacle Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post
For the record I want to deny having anything to do with the incidents that sparked the recent FBI raid on the webmaster there. I may be under suspicion as I have placed incediary comments around the web that have recieved LEO attention. The thing is that I stopped doing that at Chucks ages ago . His house - his rules. So for the last year or so I have gone there regularly only for about 20 minutes and tried to stick closely to mod guidelines. I did not post in the forums for over two years I think, a long time anyway and a very few comments about books I think.I Did not lurk in them either for well over a year. I don't do lurking ...except on DHS sites:)

I trust the US anarchs will bounce back and we may even look forward to better distributed security as we keep 'losing every battle ' and ' winning every war.' The FBI are less some fearsome bunch of hitech hitmen but more like just a pack of dozy bumbling criminal imbeciles. They can stick my IP where the sun don't shine. We Will Win.
_________________
Hasta Luego los Solidarios.

Now as I don't get along with General Wiranto I would appreciate it if the liar ' Marco' would stop repeating the slander of the shill from Cato, Declan Mc Cullagh, the loony tune from Amerika, James A Donald and the loony tune from au, Ned Rossiter ( who HAS impersonated me btw and admitted it )

I do appreciate any publicity of course but ' marco' is risking his own street cred ...if he still has any .

by professor rat Sun Apr 03, 2005 07:08

You are using three people to slander me ...

1) Declan Mc Cullagh...ask Seth Finklestein about him. ( but remember - I called him a CATO shill first! )

2) James A Donald...ask Dan Clore about him or see for yrself here...

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/9879/jamesd.html

3) Ned Rossiter...you mean this Ned Rossiter?

:fibreculture:: Who is Professor Rat?
::fibreculture:: Who is Professor Rat? Ned Rossiter n.rossiter at ulster.ac.uk Fri
Oct 15 04:52:05 EST 2004. Previous message: ::fibreculture:: Fibreculture ...
lists.myspinach.org/pipermail/ fibreculture/2004-October/004146.html - 4k - Cached - Similar pages

A well known nut case and liar and ID thief.

I don't mind you quoting anything I did write as I stand by my words. I do NOT stand behind the lies of the three stooges.

Neither should you Shemp.

by Badman Sun Apr 03, 2005 14:14

Prof Rat, why do you think anybody here cares about your poisonous feuds with other lunatics on the internet? From your postings, it is quite clear that you are a nasty piece of work. Get back to whatever cointelpro office dreamed you up.

by marco Sun Apr 03, 2005 17:41

I did not slander you.
(Or libel for that matter.)

If as you claim, this person out
there is impersonating you, then
that's "who done it."

by R. Isible Thu Apr 07, 2005 06:53

This stuff was available on loads of IMCs and was widely discussed. Basically it seems that the FBI attempt to get access to the flag.blackened.net and infoshop logs was due to supposed postings from some deranged guy that admitted that he supposedly killed a police officer in California.

Most of the argument is about whether or not he's a Ted Kazyncski/ Timothy McVeigh nutter or what.

The article does a pretty good job at presenting him as a left-wing nutter who's been to Palestine and LatinAmerica and anti-IMF meetings and got encouraged by a "left leaning" "echo chamber".

by redjade Thu Apr 07, 2005 19:01

FBI - Flag - Slashdot Update

Slashdot is running an update story on their website tonight which insinuates that the FBI subpoenas of information from the Flag.blackened.net server are related to the Andrew Mickel murder investigation.

This is false and we are contacting Slashdot to correct their story.

http://chuck.mahost.org/weblog/index.php?p=889