Anonops #14: All about control

quote:

OSCE Vienna (REPRISE)

quote:

If you have followed the previous OSCE release, you will have seen the article Jeffrey Carr wrote. Today we were notified that OSCE has shutdown its Austrian servers after the article was published.

Frane Maroevic, Deputy Head of Press and Information for the OSCE stated that "due to the sensitivity of the issue, the OSCE was unable to comment any further". Let us comment then, with another 55mb of internal documents from OSCE Vienna, dating upto today (November 11th), two days after the publication of Jeffrey's article. Again, many of the documents are marked as restricted; for example the report on "Efforts in the field of arms control agreements and confidence– and security–building measures" (PDF, 150kb) which concludes unsurrisingly that the meeting's result was "below expectations".

We can't help to notice the irony of this release, as the OSCE is currently running a program to train Ukrainian police in Cybercrime (translation). Maybe the OSCE can include this incident in their program.

The source of the data has provided a statement along with the files. As usual, feel free to browse the files using the links below. Most documents are English, some Russian; many restricted and you'll find things like scans of diplomatic passports as well.

quote:

Twitter pedophile targets #Anonymous with child porn spam:

Anonymous has gotten a lot of attention this year for its actions against online pedophiles, with OpPedoChat to take them off Twitter, OpLiberation to protect abused kids in abusive schools and homes, OpYoungPony for junior Bronies, OpLithChild to rescue a Lithuanian girl they claim is being prostituted to well-connected men, and OpDarkNet, the granddaddy of anti-pedo ops.

Now, it’s gotten the attention of a pedophile (or pedo-supporter) on Twitter. A user wielding a series of as many as 13 accounts, all variants on the username @amj_o, spent a busy three hours this morning tweeting child pornography images, in between threats against the hacktivist collective. The user is apparently angry about Anonymous’ anti-pedophile activities.

The posts came rapid-fire, several times a minute, indicating either bots or a very fleet-fingered person using an app which enables posting across multiple accounts, and they continue intermittently to the time of this writing.

“CONTINUE OR YOU SAY I"M SORRY? #preteen #pthc #preteen #pthc #pedo #Anonymous #Anti_Anonymous @Angel_Anon @AnonymousGrupo” tweeted one of the accounts.

Anonymous wasn’t taking that lying down. While some angry Anons tweeted horrified remarks at the offending accounts, others followed the recommended procedure, which is to report such accounts to cp@Twitter.com and block them. Others took it philosophically, as an obvious trolling attempt, albeit more loathsome than usual.

“Tut tut tut. Idiots trying to associate #Anonymous with childporn. This will only lead to serious butthurtness ;-) me thinks. #EpicFail” tweeted AnonPsyOps, who’s seen it all before.

Indeed, it is almost certainly only a matter of time until the accounts are suspended. It’s only almost because Fawkes Security, which tweeted bomb threats prior to the election, was not suspended. Some Anons are claiming that it and other Anon-antagonizing accounts which appear immune to suspension must therefore be Feds. And the accounts are not suspended at the moment, although they are no longer tweeting the offensive material. They may only be in Twitter Jail, a temporary suspension that kicks in when an account exceeds a certain number of tweets over an hour.

For now, the #Anonymous hashtag is not exactly the wholesome playground of Lulz and revolution that it normally is. Meanwhile, life goes on in the Anonyverse.

“#OpPedoChat I have exposed and reported 42 pedophiles in less than 24 hours https://pastee.org/3qsfn #Anonymous #ExpectUs” said @Data_Overflow.

quote:

Police accused of over-zealous reaction to poppy burning

Teenager from Canterbury detained after reportedly posting image on Facebook of a remembrance poppy being set alight

The arrest of a teenager on suspicion of posting a picture of a burning poppy on Facebook has triggered fresh allegations of over-zealous policing of the internet.

The 19-year-old was detained on Remembrance Sunday in Canterbury, Kent, after the posting of the image of a poppy being torched by a lighter was reported.

Kent police confirmed that a youth was in custody and being questioned under the Malicious Communications Act 1988. The act makes it a crime to send anything "indecent or grossly offensive, or which conveys a threat … [where] there is an intent to cause distress or anxiety to the recipient". It is usually used against poison pen letters.

The Crown Prosecution Service is drawing up draft guidelines on when to prosecute those who misuse social media websites.

Kent police said officers had been alerted at 4pm on Sunday to the image, which was accompanied by an offensive message, reported to be: "How about that you squadey c****."

Civil liberties groups criticised the arrest as a restriction on freedom of expression. The campaign group Big Brother Watch called on the police to drop their investigation. Nick Pickles, the director, said: "Kent police need to urgently release this man and drop an utterly ridiculous investigation into something that has harmed no one.

"It is not illegal to offend people and, however idiotic or insensitive the picture may have been, it is certainly not worthy of arrest. The case highlights the urgent need to reform a law that poses a serious risk to freedom of speech after several ludicrous prosecutions in recent months."

On Twitter, there was widespread condemnation. Thom Lumley, tweeting as Hotstepperrr, wrote: "Dear idiots at Kent police, burning a poppy may be obnoxious, but it is not a criminal offence."

There have been prosecutions for similar offences. In March 2011, Emdadur Choudhury, a member of Muslims Against Crusades, was fined £50 at Belmarsh magistrates court for the "calculated and deliberate" insult to the dead of burning two replica poppies during the two-minute silence commemorating Armistice Day, 11 November. Choudhury had denied a public order offence of burning the poppies in a way likely to cause "harassment, harm or distress" to witnesses.

The Royal British Legion declined to comment on the investigation in Kent.

In September, the CPS gave a detailed explanation of why a semi-professional footballer who tweeted offensive messages about the Olympic diver Tom Daley was not prosecuted.

The CPS pointed out in that case the message, "however misguided" was supposed to be humorous and that Daley and his teammates were not the intended recipients.

In Bristol, a man who skateboarded alongside a Remembrance Sunday parade wearing a pink outfit and horned mask has been charged under the Public Order Act, police said. Jose Paulo Da Silveria, 38, is alleged to have skateboarded beside troops as they marched past the cenotaph towards College Green. He was arrested at the scene and will appear at Bristol magistrates court on 4 December.

quote:

Op dinsdag 13 november 2012 03:26 schreef LelijKnap het volgende:
nee nja kvroeg me wel af of ie iets wilde zeggen... wt t is dat ie wilt overbrengen...mr tis gwn neutrale berichtgeving van zijn hand dus ?

quote:

The Future Of Hacktivism

quote:

After some high-profile arrests, hacker groups like Anonymous are changing the way they work. Asher Wolf interviews a former member of LulzSec about the future of hacktivism

quote:

The Kylie Chronicles: Anonymous vs. suicide trolls

quote:

Kylie Kylem is a 15-year-old high-school student and Twitter user, and she's in pain. For some "friends," that was enough reason to spend a few hours on social media trying to encourage her to commit suicide. That's when Anonymous stepped in and the trolls quickly learned what it meant to anger the Internet.

quote:

@YayyImKyliebaby We hate you just die... From sara, jesse, Hayley, Cat, Josh, becca and others

twitter:

GonzoPhD twitterde op woensdag 14-11-2012 om 08:32:13 @Hayley_Foster17 So,you think this is FUNNY?Let me introduce you to the REAL Internet Hate Machine, you dumb-ass bullying twats.Game: On. reageer retweet

quote:

The Hackers of Damascus

quote:

Much has been written about the rebellion in Syria: the protests, the massacres, the car bombs, the house-to-house fighting. Tens of thousands have been killed since the war began in early 2011. But the struggle for the future of the country has also unfolded in another arena—on a battleground of Facebook (FB) pages and YouTube accounts, of hacks and counterhacks. Just as rival armies vie for air superiority, the two sides of the Syrian civil war have spent much of the last year and a half locked in a struggle to dominate the Internet. Pro-government hackers have penetrated opposition websites and broken into the computers of Reuters (TRI) and Al Jazeera to spread disinformation. On the other side, the hacktivist group Anonymous has infiltrated at least 12 Syrian government websites, including that of the Ministry of Defense, and released millions of stolen e-mails.

The Syrian conflict illustrates the extent to which the very tools that rebels in the Middle East have employed to organize and sustain their movements are now being used against them. It provides a glimpse of the future of warfare, in which computer viruses and hacking techniques can be as critical to weakening the enemy as bombs and bullets. Over the past three months, I made contact with and interviewed by phone and e-mail participants on both sides of the Syrian cyberwar. Their stories shed light on a largely hidden aspect of a conflict with no end in sight—and show how the Internet has become a weapon of war.

quote:

Anonymous begint online kruistocht tegen Israël

quote:

Het hackerscollectief Anonymous heeft verschillende Israëlische overheidswebsites aangevallen. De computerkrakers steunen daarmee openlijk de Palestijnen in Gaza, die sinds woensdag opnieuw in een gewelddadige strijd met Israël zijn verwikkeld.

quote:

OpIsrael Info Update: 11/15

Intro:

For far to long, Anonymous has stood by with the rest of the world and watched in despair the barbaric, brutal and despicable treatment of the Palestinian people in the so called "Occupied Territories" by the Israel Defense Force. Like so many around the globe, we have felt helpless in the face of such implacable evil. And today's insane attack and threatened invasion of Gaza was more of the same.

Anonymous does not support violence by the IDF or by Palestinian Resistance/Hamas. Our concern is for the children of Israel and Palestinian Territories and the rights of the people in Gaza to maintain open lines of communication with the outside world.



#OpIsrael #GazaUnderAttack #Anonymous


* Post all relevant links and information that will be useful to people in Gaza during the Israeli attack/invasion.


Current Issues:
Arabic translations may be sloppy. Poor grammar. Needs repair.



OpIsrael Press Releases:

-- Nov 15th:

English: http://www.anonpaste.me/a(...)gb1nV5DwOZXdau60ajQ=

Arabic: http://www.anonpaste.me/a(...)3dT3OjDE+sDvuvuV1aQ=

Arabic (enhanced Version) : pic.twitter.com/n95pIURF

Enhanced Arabic Version: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A7wqaWjCcAAhPRc.jpg

Hebrew: http://www.anonpaste.me/a(...)/vKSbGhzS8cA/3zwJF8=

Anonymous Operation Israel - Gates Of Hell | Video -

OpIsrael - Gates of Hell

Restoring Internet Service:

#OpIsrael Care Package for Gaza (Full v1.5) Mediafire Mirror http://www.mediafire.com/?z8ev035mw482x77

#OpIsrael Care Package for Gaza (Mini v1.0) http://www.mediafire.com/?3jrur7krcuucjr7


Tails: https://tails.boum.org/

-- English:
Telecomix: http://pastebin.com/6dYQruHu
Movement.org: http://www.movements.org/(...)-connection-cut-off/
Telecomix Pastebin: http://pastebin.com/6dYQruHu

--- Arabic:
Telecomix: http://www.anonpaste.me/a(...)jxV0lNNnbdPQnx0uQRw=
Movement.org: http://www.anonpaste.me/a(...)UbHLRvoGcTwb4lcN7GQ=
Telecomix Pastebin: https://pad.riseup.net/p/FAqaSYWGCZYe
WIFI Range Extend - http://pastebin.com/Smkcg6TE
Hebrew: Translator Needed.



#OpIsrael Pads:

Anonymous Tango Down List: http://piratenpad.de/qQ8nmbLXj3



Live Actions/Demonstrations:

Emergency Global Actions List: https://docs.google.com/d(...)eview?pli=1&sle=true



Israeli Contact Info:

List of World-Wide Israeli Embassies via Anonymous: http://pastebin.com/4DM7cfqF



IRC Channels:

Telecomix IRC: https://chat.wnh.me/?channels=gaza&uio=d4
VoxAnon: irc.voxanon.net 6667/6697 SSL



Livestreams:

@HarryFear Livestream from Gaza: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/operation-pillar-of-cloud



Anonymous Carepackages:

#OpIsrael Care Package for Gaza (Full v1.5) Mediafire Mirror 11MB http://www.mediafire.com/?z8ev035mw482x77

#OpIsrael Care Package for Gaza (Mini v1.0) 1MB http://www.mediafire.com/?3jrur7krcuucjr7

TinyTor+Vidallia 8MB http://www.mediafire.com/?0rgv1vw1d2rqv5t

TinyTor 6MB http://www.mediafire.com/?cu6u9h916ny77a1

Tails: https://tails.boum.org/

Tweet (Arabic)
مجموعة ملفات مساعدة #عملية_اسرائيل #غزة_تحت_الهجوم #غزةhttp://bayfiles.com/file/(...)Package_For_Gaza.zip …



Cellphone Apps:

- http://hackerdemia.com/ Allows for mesh network connecting (if Gaza cell service is taken down, they can possibly access Egyptian towers.)

http://www.androidzoom.co(...)rval-mesh_bgstt.html Another mesh program. Requires root.

there will be networks deployed on the ground using openwrt http://wiki.openwrt.org/inbox/mesh.olsr, this is an app they can use if they want to make their phones part of that network http://www.olsr.org/?q=olsr_on_android



How To Use Twitter VIA Text Message:

Get Twitter messages redirected to your phone and send Tweets by text. Make sure to link your mobile phone to your Twitter account and locate the Twitter short code for your country. Then you can send a text message containing your Tweet to that short code and it will be posted to your profile.

Info: http://support.twitter.co(...)d-your-phone-via-sms
Palestinian Terrority Shortcodes:
Wataniya: 40404
Jawwal 37373

If you use one of the phone services listed above, text START to the shortcode to sign into your Twitter account.



Telecomix Dial Up Numbers:

Telecomix Dial up Numbers:

Important: The Telecomix dialups are not secure and do not protect from wiretapping of your communications. It is still important to proceed with precaution and encrypt the data.

Visit this link for dial up numbers:
http://www.cyberguerrilla.info/blog/?p=5077

Note: Since the number of lines is limited, do not use them if you don't need to!

- French free isp FDN (about 100 lines): +33172890150 (login/pass: toto/toto)

- German free Free.de (about 35 lines). +4923184048 (login/pass: telecomix/telecomix)

- Swedish isp Gotanet (about 30 lines atm, can expand services) : +46708671911 (login/pass: toto/toto)

- Belgium Edpnet: +32022750640 (login/pass: free.edpnet/ free)

- Netherlands Edpnet: +31676002000 (login/pass: free.edpnet/ free)

netherlands +31205350535 and the username/password are xs4all



Medical Info:

http://streetmed.wikidot.com/ -- Street Medic resources. Includes Arabic translations.



Petitions:

Condition US aid to Israel on compliance with the law not to violate the rights of Palestinians.
https://petitions.whiteho(...)tm_campaign=shorturl



Gaza News Links:

Baby son of BBC worker killed in Gaza strike
http://www.telegraph.co.u(...)-in-Gaza-strike.html

As Israel Attacks Gaza, Palestinians find an unlikely ally (Anonymous)
http://tribune.com.pk/sto(...)nd-an-unlikely-ally/

Gaza activist: 'Israel has declared war, act now'
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/52820

Impressions of Gaza by Noam Chomsky:
http://chomsky.info/articles/20121104.htm

http://tribune.com.pk/sto(...)nd-an-unlikely-ally/



Gaza Videos:

Martyred in Gaza - a documentary

Martyred in Gaza - a documentary by Harry Fear for GazaReport.com

Translators:

@Pino_Rodriguez
@Masterpiece_s
@alxgucci
@yazannshewat
@xJashin
@Samof88 - Arabic/Turkish.

Active Twitter Accounts:

@AnonOpsSweden
@DBCOOPA
@AnonymousZC
@AnonIRC
@OpLiberation1
@VizFoSho
@Op_Israel
@HarryFear
@PLF2012



Defaced/Hacked Websites:

http://www.rom.org.il
http://www.datinet.co.il/index.html
http://dannydanon.com
http://falcon-s.co.il
http://www.kosherest.co.il/index.htm
http://e-yoman.co.il/var | http://operator.co.il/var | http://p-tzofit.co.il/var | http://e-tzofit.co.il/var | http://www.tzofit.co.il/var
http://d3d.cwo.il
http://mor-space.co.il/he
http://www.cyber-ma.com/isreal.html
http://littner.co.il / http://iconcept.co.il / http://danybarshay.co.il / http://filtuna.co.il
http://iiamo.co.il
http://advocate-israel.com
http://deplus.co.il/home
http://hilulla.co.il / http://gan-pazit.co.il / http://almagorswishes.org.il
http://www.dolevltd.co.il/fuk_isreal.asp / http://shaked.co.il/fuk_isreal.asp / http://openspace1.co.il/fuk_isreal.asp / http://www.g-2.co.il/fuk_isreal.asp


Anonymous Operation Israel MSM Media Reports:

http://rt.com/news/gaza-israel-strike-anonymous-787/

http://www.dailydot.com/n(...)aza-internet-access/

http://www.globalpost.com(...)roup-vows-support-pa

http://tribune.com.pk/sto(...)nd-an-unlikely-ally/

http://freakoutnation.com(...)-telecommunications/

http://www.forbes.com/sit(...)on-for-gaza-attacks/

http://betabeat.com/2012/(...)ttack-on-gaza-strip/

http://bits.blogs.nytimes(...)s-israeli-web-sites/

http://www.huffingtonpost(...)-gaza_n_2139325.html

http://www.salon.com/2012(...)aza_internet_threat/

http://www.examiner.com/a(...)el-gaza-under-attack

http://www.foxbusiness.co(...)fter-gaza-airstrike/

http://www.washingtonpost(...)itter_washingtonpost

http://globalvoicesonline(...)g-like-rain-in-gaza/



Personal Messages:

غزہ کے عظیم، دلیر اور عزیز دوستو، پاکستان کا بچہ بچہ اپ سے پیار کرتا ہے- - A message from #AnonymousPakistan

You might need this: http://www.instructables.(...)rPoint-Presentation/ via @VizFoSho

Please contact me on Twitter or through one of the IRC networks to update this document.
Also, if you can translate Arabic or Hebrew from English and want to help #OpIsrael
hit us up - @DBCOOPA @AnonSikko @VizFoSho @PLF2012



CURRENT INTERNET AND TELECOMM CONNECTIVITY IN GAZA

Broadband: DOWN

PBX Lines DOWN

Mobile: DOWN

Ham Radio: Unknown

Satellite: Unkown

Electricity: DOWN, Current electricity by Generators



CONFIGURING AND USING DIAL-UP (WINDOWS)

Configuring Dial-Up Connections
Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Network and Internet Connections.
Click Create a connection to the network at your office.
In the Location Information dialog box, enter the appropriate information. Click OK, and then click OK to close thePhone and Modem Options dialog box and start the New Connection wizard.
In the New Connection Wizard, click Dial-up connection, and then click Next.
Type a name for the network to which you are connecting (such as "My Office Network"), and then click Next.
Type the phone number for the network to which you are connecting, including, if necessary, the area code and "1" prefix.
Specify whether you want this connection to be available for anyone's use, meaning for any user on this computer, or for your use only, meaning only for the user who is now logged on.
Specify whether you want a shortcut to the connection on your desktop.
Click Finish.
Using Dial-Up Connections
Click Start, click Connect To, and the click the connection that you want to use.
In the User Name box, type your user name.
In the Password box, type your password.
Choose one of the following options:
To save the user name and password so that you will not have to type them in the future, select the Save this user name and password for the following users check box.
If you want only the current user to have access to the saved user name and password, select the Me only check box.
If you want all users to have access to the user name and password, select the Anyone who uses this computercheck box.
Click Dial.




CONFIGURING AND USING DIAL-UP (MAC)

Configure Mac OS X
From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
From the View menu, choose Network.
Choose "Internal Modem" from the Show pop-up menu (or the "Configure" pop-up menu prior to Mac OS X v10.1).
If your computer does not have a built-in modem, select your external modem.

Mac OS X v10.5 or later: From the Configuration pop-up menu, choose Add Configuration.
Mac OS X 10.4.x or earlier: Click the PPP tab.
Enter your information into the relevant fields. Your username goes in the Account Name field, for example. If you want to copy this connection information to other user accounts on this computer, select "Save password".
You should now be able to connect. If you need to configure DNS servers or other advanced settings, continue to the next step.
Mac OS X v10.5 or later: Click the Advanced button, then click the DNS tab.
Mac OS X v10.4 or earlier: Click the TCP/IP tab. Choose either PPP or Manually from the Configure pop-up menu, as instructed by your Internet service provider. If configuring manually, type the IP address in the matching field.
Type the DNS server addresses in their field if necessary (click the "+" button first in Mac OS X v10.5 or later).
Click OK.
Click Apply (or Apply Now for Mac OS X v10.4 or earlier).

Connect and verify
Mac OS X v10.5 or later: Open Network preferences (in System Preferences).
Mac OS X v10.4.x or earlier: Open Internet Connect (from the Applications folder).
Be sure the Configuration pop-up menu is set to your modem.
Click the Connect button.
Once you're connected, open a Web browser or other Internet application to make sure your connection works.
Tip: You can have Mac OS X automatically connect to the Internet whenever you open an Internet application.


Stay Frosty.

OpIsrael - Gates of Hell

twitter:

th3j35t3r twitterde op vrijdag 16-11-2012 om 01:12:16 Propaganda attempts like israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx are spread via Hamas official sites. Not today. qassam.ps & http://hamasinfo.net TANGOS DOWN reageer retweet

quote:

Op vrijdag 16 november 2012 04:25 schreef SuperHarregarre het volgende:
Dikke misser om alleen Israël te targetten, zeg. Naïef hoor...alsof Hamas de vrede zelve is.

quote:

Anonymous hack hundreds of Israeli websites, delete Foreign Ministry database in support of Gaza

Hacker group Anonymous has launched a massive attack named #OpIsrael on almost 700 Israeli websites, protesting against Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza. Israeli media confirmed the group’s move.

­The hackers reportedly took down websites ranging from high-profile governmental structures such as the Foreign Ministry to local tourism companies’ pages.

The biggest attack as of now has been the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s international development program, titled Mashav. Anonymous announced on Twitter they’ve hacked into the program’s database, with the website remaining inaccessible at the moment.

“There is [sic] so many defaced Israeli websites right now, that we just made a list of them,” Anonymous tweeted.

The hacktivists also took down the Israeli President's official website and the blog of the country's Defense Force, www.idfblog.com, posting the news on Twitter using their infamous #TANGO DOWN hashtag.

The Jerusalem Post has confirmed the group’s assault, including the attack on the Foreign Ministry’s website, as well as those of Kadima party, Bank of Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv Municipality. The latter is online as of now. Among other functions, it provides residents with directions to bomb shelters. Meanwhile, the majority of the web pages that were taken down were blank, but some showed pro-Palestinian images and messages, Jerusalem Post reported.

It was mentioned, however, that most of the 663 pages on the list were subdomains of the same site, and many proved to be still online and functioning properly.

Most of the sites were simply unavailable, but others displayed pro-Palestinian images and messages. One site whose front page was replaced with an image of a man wearing a Palestinian kaffiye, displayed a message reading: "This attack is in response to the Injustice against the Palestinian people."

quote:

Anonymous put together a Gaza Care Package, which contains instructions in Arabic and English to assist Palestinians in the event that the Israeli government cuts their internet connection. Plus, the package includes information on evading IDF surveillance, along with first aid information. The collective encouraged Palestinians to download and share the package with others.

quote:

Anonymous targets Israeli Web sites in protest over Gaza

quote:

The Bank of Jerusalem, one of Israel's largest financial institutions, has received particular attention from the hacktivists -- as the cyberattackers crowed on Twitter about deleting the organization's online database. Access to the bank's Web site has been spotty. Trying to access it yesterday afternoon resulted in nothing more than a database error, and though the site reappeared, it seemed to be offline again this morning.

quote:

Anonymous claims it stopped Karl Rove from hacking the vote

quote:

The hacktivist group Anonymous is claiming credit for Mitt Romney's loss, alleging that ORCA, Karl Rove's GOTV ubercomputer, was actually a vote tabulation manipulation software.

, We began following the digital traffic of one Karl Rove, a disrespecter of the Rule of Law, knowing that he claimed to be Kingmaker while grifting vast wealth from barons who gladly handed him gold to anoint another king while looking the other way.

After a rather short time, we identified the digital structure of Karl's operation and even that of his ORCA. This was an easy task in that barn doors were left open and his wind swept us inside.

Before the election Anonymous sent out a warning to Mr. Rove. In my mind what I had imagined transpiring was that after the election, Anonymous would release two spreadsheets, the former being the precinct-correct tally, and the second being the post-manipulation tally. An audit would discover that the "official" tally did not match the pre tabulation numbers, and to no one's surprise the audit would reveal that the actual vote count matched the precinct-correct tally on Anonymous' spreadsheet.

But that would have allowed the damage to be done, in order to catch the criminals. Mitt Romney would have already been declared president, and it would take months of court proceedings to reverse the election, amid cries of "stealing the election!" from both sides.

Had it been effective, it would have ruined the Republican brand forever, or at least the next two years, whichever voters remember longer. Given that they were so ready to forget the failures of George W. Bush, I don't have faith in the permanence of that notion.

So the better route was to "close the barn doors" and prevent the manipulation from happening.

Did Anonymous stop Karl Rove from Stealing Ohio again?

quote:

House Republicans: Copyright Law Destroys Markets; It's Time For Real Reform

quote:

This document really is a watershed moment. Even if it does not lead to any actual legislation, just the fact that some in Congress are discussing how copyright has gone way too far and even looking at suggestions that focus on what benefits the public the most is a huge step forward from what we've come to expect. In many ways, this is the next logical step after the completion of the SOPA fight. Rather than just fighting bad policy, it's time for Congress to recognize that existing copyright law is bad policy and now is the time to fix it. It comes as a surprise, but kudos to the Republican Study Committee -- and specifically Derek Khanna, the policy staffer who wrote the document -- for stepping up and saying what needed to be said, but which too many in Congress had been afraid to say for fear of how the entertainment industry lobbyists would react.

quote:

That Was Fast: Hollywood Already Browbeat The Republicans Into Retracting Report On Copyright Reform

quote:

So, late Friday, we reported on how the Republican Study Committee (the conservative caucus of House Republicans) had put out a surprisingly awesome report about copyright reform. You can read that post to see the details. The report had been fully vetted and reviewed by the RSC before it was released. However, as soon as it was published, the MPAA and RIAA apparently went ballistic and hit the phones hard, demanding that the RSC take down the report. They succeeded. Even though the report had been fully vetted and approved by the RSC, executive director Paul S. Teller has now retracted it, sending out the following email to a wide list of folks this afternoon:

quote:

Vendetta masks in UAE colours draw warning

Product being sold online declared illegal as National Day draws closer

Dubai: Police officials in Dubai have warned against wearing a mask that symbolises opposition to state authority during any celebrations connected to National Day and declared it illegal.

Any person found wearing Guy Fawkes masks, also known as ‘Vendetta masks’, risks police questioning as any object or action deemed to be instigating unrest or insulting the UAE is illegal, police officials said.

The masks are a stylised depiction of a man who was behind the failed Gunpowder Plot to blow up the British House of Lords in London in 1605. The plot is commemorated with a fireworks displays in the UK on November 5 each year in an event that has come to be known as Guy Fawkes night.

The masks being targeted at people in the UAE have mainly shown up on some online stores and are emblazoned with the colours of the UAE flag — red, white, green and black. They also feature the number 41 prominently — a reference to the 41st National Day on December 2.

The ‘Vendetta mask’ was popularised during the Arab Spring uprisings and has been used as a symbol of rebellion against governments and regimes across the region. Its design closely mirrors the mask used by activists portrayed in the 2006 movie ‘V for Vendetta’.

A Dubai Police official stressed the negative connotations of the mask. “Using any symbol that insults the country or instigates unrest against its system is not allowed. We urge citizens to celebrate using other symbols such as national flags, slogans or photos that are more appropriate to the happy occasion of National Day.”

The masks are being offered online for around Dh50 each with shipping fees ranging between Dh20-50.

Some markets and stores in Dubai are also reportedly selling the masks.

Emirati Twitter users have taken to the social media outlet to warn against wearing the mask and explaining its serious implications — claiming some people have no idea of what the mask denotes.