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FBI takes down independent media, using ISP to do it.

thatwendigo

thatwendigo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 17, 2003
992
0
Sum, Ergo Sum.
Extra, extra, read all about it!

Beleaguered independent indymedia has had their servers and drives confiscated from their host Rackspace by way of some kind of secret court order. The provider isn't allowed to discuss the reasons or facts of the order, except that it was a warrant and they were obliged to comply. Since the seizure, a new server and backup copies of the site have gone back online.

Previous incidents include a Secret Service investigation into pictures posted anonymously to a French-run site, hosted in England, that supposedly showed Swiss undercover police. That's right... The FBI might be doing this to threaten an American company with foreign subsidiaries and locations, somehow using US courts to block media in other countries.

Read for yourself, though, and come to your own conclusions.
 
thatwendigo said:
Extra, extra, read all about it!

Beleaguered independent indymedia has had their servers and drives confiscated from their host Rackspace by way of some kind of secret court order. The provider isn't allowed to discuss the reasons or facts of the order, except that it was a warrant and they were obliged to comply. Since the seizure, a new server and backup copies of the site have gone back online.

Previous incidents include a Secret Service investigation into pictures posted anonymously to a French-run site, hosted in England, that supposedly showed Swiss undercover police. That's right... The FBI might be doing this to threaten an American company with foreign subsidiaries and locations, somehow using US courts to block media in other countries.

Read for yourself, though, and come to your own conclusions.
Click to expand...

Oh well, as if it is news that the government silences media in the states. The only news is that they do it Britain now too. But since Blair is Bush's maid, it's hardly any news either.
By the way, I do think this is wrong but I do also think it is wrong to post pics of undercover police officers.
 
Ok this bit is scary:

When asked what the US government was doing requesting the removal of information from a French-run website that contained information about Swiss police actions, the FBI stated that this was a "courtesy" to the Swiss government. The FBI agents stated that no laws had been broken, and no crimes had been committed
Click to expand...

The removal of photos of undercover policeman I can easily understand. The lives of those police officers could be placed in danger. But these latest actions are puzzling to say the least, especially when the announce no crime has been committed. Is this the 'Patriot Act' I'm seeing in action?! :rolleyes:
 
munkle said:
Ok this bit is scary:



The removal of photos of undercover policeman I can easily understand. The lives of those police officers could be placed in danger. But these latest actions are puzzling to say the least, especially when the announce no crime has been committed. Is this the 'Patriot Act' I'm seeing in action?! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

What else could it be? This Act gives so much power to those authorities it is scary to say the least.
The thing I don't get is that the FBI supposedly seized more stuff in different countries. Britain I could understand but all those other countries? Now this is scary. :eek:
 
Diatribe said:
What else could it be? This Act gives so much power to those authorities it is scary to say the least.
The thing I don't get is that the FBI supposedly seized more stuff in different countries. Britain I could understand but all those other countries? Now this is scary. :eek:
Click to expand...


How they're getting US Courts to block foreign media is confusing and more than a little bit perturbing. Hmm, it would be interesting to see how this story develops.
 
Way behind the time.
I don't remember the exact dates (a few years ago, well before the Patriot Act) FBI raided the offices of Steve Jackson Games (publishers of "Illuminati", the game of taking over the world). SJG had to sue for the recovery of its seized assets (games). Took a few months before the Feebs ackowledged that the raid was in error.
 
walking between the 1s and 0s

Does this not seem to be just another step forward in the administrations attempt at full control of all information? True, the progression started awhile ago with the VChip and Echelon. Now one of the best of the New Internet Media roups, completely decentralized has had it's servers siezed. Obviously the enemy is everywhere and everyone. Goodby 1st and 4th Amendment.

I just hope my new G5 has no tracking stuff built into it...that is true isn't it? Not like that Pentium chip a few years back.

Maybe it's time to dust off the old xerox machine and start making zines again, and use snail mail.
 
munkle said:
Ok this bit is scary:



The removal of photos of undercover policeman I can easily understand. The lives of those police officers could be placed in danger. But these latest actions are puzzling to say the least, especially when the announce no crime has been committed. Is this the 'Patriot Act' I'm seeing in action?! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yes, the Patriot Act contains a clause that permits federal investigators to issue a gag order which essentially bars a company or individual (in this case, Rackspace) from releasing any information about the seizure, regardless of whether it was your property/information that was seized.

Yes, Americans, this is the legislation that was spearheaded by our friends Ashcroft and Bush.

As appalling as the Patriot Act is, I've often heard people defend it by saying that Americans need to sacrifice some rights in return for guaranteed safety. I'll let Benjamin Franklin answer those people:

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."
 
frozenstar said:
Yes, Americans, this is the legislation that was spearheaded by our friends Ashcroft and Bush.
Click to expand...

Berlin, 1928.
Seriously, I HATE to bring up the "N" word, but isn't it a bit disconcerting to witness these actions? Want to know to what extent the far-right will go to shut down dissent? Why look right here in America at the Lonestar Iconoclast, Bush's hometown newspaper in Crawford Texas who endorsed Kerry. Their reporters have been threatened with bodily harn, others are warning businesses that advertising in the paper willl result in shutting down their busness any way possible.
Goebbels is alive and well.
 
Les Kern said:
Berlin, 1928.
Seriously, I HATE to bring up the "N" word, but isn't it a bit disconcerting to witness these actions? Want to know to what extent the far-right will go to shut down dissent? Why look right here in America at the Lonestar Iconoclast, Bush's hometown newspaper in Crawford Texas who endorsed Kerry. Their reporters have been threatened with bodily harn, others are warning businesses that advertising in the paper willl result in shutting down their busness any way possible.
Goebbels is alive and well.
Click to expand...

It's more than a bit disconcerting. In any polity, there is a constant struggle for power between the government and the people. The government always seeks to increase its scope of authority, while the people seek to reduce it.
But in the last four years we've seen our government balloon in size and our liberties erode in substance. I don't know how good Bush's opponent will be as president, but I do know that this country can't bear another four years of the incumbent.

Moderators, is this post too political for this thread? If so, I apologize. (Just let me know and I'll avoid it in the future)
 
I find it hard to believe that the FBI is going around closing down foreign media, sounds like a conspiracy theory to me. The only reason I can think of is if the organization got hold of some classified information...
 
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