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From: +Grant <+Grant@grant.grant>
Newsgroups: alt.fan.prettyboy
Subject: *+++++ Basic Posting Security Information +++++* Repost
Date: 7 Oct 2008 16:51:01 -0500
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This is a repost of some things to be careful about if you are posting
here. Its from a former poster who updated it July 2008.
If anybody has questions about any of this please post them to the
group for help.
Start repost:
************************************************
Important Security Information
This is a repost of some things I've written about some security
issues. People new to these newsgroups will find this useful. Others
can use this post as a reminder.
Please excuse me if what I write here looks as if I am writing to a
child. It is very important that *all* of us understand what I write,
so I am trying to make it easier for translation to other languages.
Some of what I write here will look very simple and obvious, and we may
feel sure that no one will ever do these things. We did. Some of the
most expert people in these newsgroups have made these mistakes,
because they are very easy to do, and because our own psychology is
against the very unnatural ideas of security.
This is about what and how you post. Other security matters can be
discussed in other posts, by other people.
Posting Service:
Do not post to the newsgroups through what your Internet Service
Provider (ISP) gives you for newsgroups access. Do not post through
Google. They keep records of who you are and what you do and will give
them to anyone who asks properly.
Use a newsgroups service provider that does not keep a record of what
you do, and does not show who you are and your computer address in your
posts. You may have to pay money for this service.
Be aware that posts of *any* kind, even just text, can get you noticed
by the wrong people. ALWAYS be careful.
DO NOT POST -->
Pictures:
Of yourself. At any age. NEVER NEVER do that.
Of anyone who knows who you are.
Of where you live, or where you have ever lived, or anything that can
be used to identify the city.
Of any documents that can be used to identify you.
Information:
Your real name, or any part of your name, or any nickname that you are
known by outside of the newsgroups, or any nickname that relates to
your real name.
Your age.
Date of birth.
What you look like.
What your home looks like.
Specific information about your possessions, such as what kind of car
you have and it's color, and exactly what kind of computer you have.
Were you work, and what you do there.
Where you went to school, and what degrees you earned.
Exactly what health problems you have, or had in the past.
About anyone who knows you, and who you know.
What company provides your internet connection.
Any real email address that is not secure.
www.hushmail.com is good for basic secure email, and it's free.
Each thing you do has a different level of risk, and depends on where
you live.
Post only text = minimal risk.
Post pictures that are usually thought to be legal = some risk because
accidents can happen.
Post pictures that are known to be against the law in most places = a
little bit more risk. (Don't get identified - take good precautions.)
Post pictures that are known to be against the law in most places, THAT
IS KNOWN THAT YOU CREATED = highest risk. Don't get identified - take
the highest precautions. The law *will* come after you. Don't make it
easy for them. Be *very* careful.
All of the above advice should also apply to EVERYTHING you do through
the internet that might involve the subject matter you visit these
groups for. Please be careful in exchanging emails or any private
communications with anyone you meet in the newsgroups. You can never be
sure who they are. LEA have been known to impersonate posters and
worse, to get private information from posters. Even if you have proof
your email or messaging buddy isn't out to hurt you, that can change in
an instant after an argument, and result in all the private information
you gave him being spread all over the internet. This HAS happened!
Even if he remains your steadfast friend, that doesn't guarantee that
he keeps good computer security. Someone else might be able to see what
information he has about you from saved emails and saved chat
transcripts. And would you trust him not to turn you in if it means
less time in prison for him if he is caught? Realistically, who knows
what any of us would do in that kind of situation? There is also the
possibility that your internet communications could be intercepted. So,
please be careful with your private communications. Your freedom
depends on it.
Beware of the possibility of someone giving you false information,
especially about security. There are, sadly, people would would harm
you with lies. If someone says you are safe, do not assume they are
being truthful. As in everything else, get a second (and more) opinion.
I have probably forgotten to list some things. Please feel free to add
to this list.
Any investigator or security agent will agree with what is written
here. If you don't understand how posting this information can harm
you, please ask someone in those occupations to confirm this.
An extreme example of *bad* security:
There was a poster named "Woody" who posted pictures of boys that he
took the same day. The boys were doing sexual things and did drugs. He
did this from a hotel in Bangkok Thailand. He said this.
He was warned that what he was doing was dangerous to his freedom (over
and above the damage he was doing to the children). He didn't listen to
the many warnings and continued posting, even asking for requests for
specific actions for the boys to do.
He posted some pictures that were taken *outside* his hotel. He was
warned to stop right away and run for safety. He didn't believe us. A
few days later he stopped posting. That was the end. He never posted
again.
Someone had recognized the hotel where he was living, and called the
British Embassy (Woody had said he was English.). They called the hotel
and asked if there was anybody staying there named "Woody". THERE WAS!
His real last name was "Wood"! The idiot had used his real nickname.
The Embassy notified the local police, who arrested Woody at the
airport. He has not been free since then, and will not be free for many
years to come.
Woody made many mistakes. Any *one* of them could have enabled him to
be caught.
Don't let this happen to you.
A WARNING TO POSTERS:
Before you use an autoposter to post the contents of a folder, please
examine *every* single item in it before you press the post button.
What you think might be in that folder may not be ALL that is in there.
How many of us have inadvertently moved things by an errant mouse
twitch, and then have to go look for them? ALL of us. Those who don't
think we did that, just haven't noticed it yet. Don't let it catch you
by surprise, to find pictures of your house cat posted all over the
internet. Or worse. This has happened to people I know. Don't let it be
you.
When you DO access the newsgroups, read all the text messages in the
groups of your interest. This is one of them. :-)
You could learn a lot that way. For your survival.
Because of who we are, many of us feel that our society that we've
built here is like a true family. Many of us have lasting friendships
with others here that we have maintained for years, and for some, most
of our lives. There is real love here. But this can cause us to express
too much of our selves without realizing it, disregarding the
unpleasant fact that other people are seeing what we post, who are not
like us and would wish us harm. I know we don't want to think about
this, but we *have* to. Our survival depends on it. PLEASE be careful.
Please be safe.
--
Grant
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