• BagMinge's Guide to Anonymous Activism over the Internet!
    3 replies, posted
[b]Greetings, potential and/or current activist![/b] In our modern world, protest and rebellion has taken center stage. Populations have become disenchanted with the injustices of this world, and have taken to the streets to take action and make change. However, in this modern age, the use of the internet to organize, communicate, and disseminate information has become a central backbone to many of these protests. Many activists, however, have fallen victim to the public nature of the internet - the Arab Spring revolution provides countless examples. Don't make these same mistakes. By using this guide, hopefully you'll be able to evade detection for long enough to make some real change in the world. [b]Notice: This is a quick and dirty guide to getting you something from which you will be able to communicate safely. Depending on the scale of your operations, this guide may or may not be for you[/b] [highlight] More important notice: By using the methods outlined in this guide, I trust that your cause is just and respects the nature of every man. I share no responsibility and do not vouch for any specific cause aided or abetted by these methods, and do not take responsibility if legal or illegal action is taken against you or your compatriots. [/highlight] [b]1. Attitudes and key facts towards privacy and security [/b] 1. [i] Avoid social networks [/i] It's widely documented that Facebook, Twitter, and other networks routinely disseminate your private information to corporations and governmental entities. This is a no-brainier: any information on a social network can be used to track you down. Squash any social networks you have before proceeding, and make sure they are truly deleted. Odds are the data will still be out there somewhere, but having such info publicly available is plainly stupid. Besides, you can't honestly claim to be friends with 200+ people, can you? 2. [i] Start practicing security now, not before heat ramps up.[/i] Everything you are doing right now on the internet is leaving a digital trail, and if you start preforming activist activities without taking these measures first, that trail will lead right back to you and your friends. Don't make that mistake. Before you even make your first post or organize your first demonstration, make sure it is extremely difficult for things to be traced back to you or anyone who is associated with you. 3. [i] You are not the only one in this boat - check for weak links [/i] Chances are you will associate with others to aid your cause - make sure that they are taking the same stringent precautions you are taking so in the event one of you is compromised, they can't lead back to you. This is one of the hardest things to do, as association requires some amount of trust and detail, but you musn't let others become your undoing. 4. [i] Be a different person on the internet [/i] Overwhelmingly, those who get caught for activist transgressions over the internet are usually tracked down through means that don't follow a digital trail - details such as a name or style of writing that can be used to identify you. Thusly, you must try your hardest to strip yourself of your identity on the internet. Use neutral names or names that you would never pick - if your username is normally Garry, try using something with xX's around it or something totally neutral like "anonymouspostingaccount" 5. [i] Have a physical out [/i] This can be very difficult or impossible, but in the event that you can foresee a potential demise, it's important to have a secure plan worked out where you can escape hopefully unharmed. Look for countries that don't have extradition. [b] How to run an anonymous blog [/b] [i]1. Use Tor.[/i] There is a reason why so many people use Tor, especially for activities where you'd prefer not to be caught: because it works. At it's simplest definition, Tor connects you through a series of random proxies through it's network to mask your location. Provided you have the right mindset, Tor can be one of the best tools to use to avoid detection. Tor Installing Tor is as easy as installing the browser bundle ([url]https://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en[/url]), but if you want even more security, you can use their live cd/usb distribution, Tails ([url]https://tails.boum.org/[/url]). Tails is a separate operating system that makes sure all traffic is being put through the Tor, helping to ensure that something left running isn't pushing through unsecured data. Make sure you follow the install instructions carefully for what your installing. [highlight]From here on in, make sure that you use tor for the rest of this guide.[/highlight] [i]2. Make a new, secure email.[/i] You are going to need a new E-Mail account for both communication and to set up your blog. Ideally, you'd use [url]https://riseup.net/en[/url] - it's a non-corporate activist email designed specifically to protect activists like you. However, there is an application process to get in, which may or may not impede your efforts. The next best runner up is G-Mail - it's easy to use, and plus they don't record the IP of your computer. However, it's a corporate email, which means at the end of it they are likely to play ball under legal pressure. You can also set up your own personal e-mail, if you have the expertise and the know-how. Whatever you do, do NOT use an existing E-Mail account - data is probably already stored on there that can fall under suspicion and be traced if it's used for illicit activities. [i]Create a Wordpress account.[/i] I know what your thinking - that it's pretty plainly stupid to use a corporate website. However, with the measures you took above, you should be pretty safe. Nothing is going to be transmitted that will provide identifying details to them or the police. However, it will be open to take-downs - however, it should be easy enough to rehost somewhere else. Further reading from the EFF: [url]https://www.eff.org/wp/blog-safely[/url] [highlight]I'll be taking further requests from you guys in the thread[/highlight]
So you're trying to teach internet common sense.
Wow, that's awesome man. Now I go to another thread.
Excuse me for being an idiot in advance, but I'd rather own up to my actions. Sure, you can't exactly talk about hacking things on Facebook and get away with it, but I'm interested in words. Maybe I'm a coward for sticking to such useless tactics, but I think that if you don't want to own up to it, you shouldn't have done it in the first place.
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