downstairs: omnibus_necanda_sunt: Computer people, what are the best ways to avoid giving yourself away, assuming that most proxies keep logs and the FBI watches TOR like a hawk?

Not using a computer.

Seriously... think of all the emails that have implicated white collar criminals, when a simple non-recorded phone call would have avoided all issues.

You trust phone calls?
Back in my day we met in person in a loud bar.

Too damn bad.

downstairs: omnibus_necanda_sunt: Computer people, what are the best ways to avoid giving yourself away, assuming that most proxies keep logs and the FBI watches TOR like a hawk?

Not using a computer.

Seriously... think of all the emails that have implicated white collar criminals, when a simple non-recorded phone call would have avoided all issues.



The government's been in bed with the entire telecommunications industry since the forties. Fort Meade has 18 acres of mainframe computers underground. You're talking to your wife on the phone and you use the word "bomb", "president", "Allah", any of a hundred keywords, the computer recognizes it, automatically records it, red-flags it for analysis. That was 20 years ago.

omnibus_necanda_sunt: But back on topic...

Computer people, what are the best ways to avoid giving yourself away, assuming that most proxies keep logs and the FBI watches TOR like a hawk?

/Not a terrorist.
//They're for tree stumps and boulders only.


///They're all 18.

Truecrypt your hard drive. Set up a VM with Ubuntu, get a credible out-of-country VPN, use that to connect to Tor. And don't do anything stupid. Of these, that last one is most important.

So how is this not anonymous?

Fark the FBI, hooray bitcoin.

The FBI doesn't want to admit that they got this idea from an episode of The Good Wife.

Electric_Banana: The government's been in bed with the entire telecommunications industry since the forties. Fort Meade has 18 acres of mainframe computers underground. You're talking to your wife on the phone and you use the word "bomb", "president", "Allah", any of a hundred keywords, the computer recognizes it, automatically records it, red-flags it for analysis. That was 20 years ago.

And I have absolute proof that it doesn't work. Nope, not telling you details, but some people had an open conversation about what would happen if a certain event would happen, and the very next day, that very same event took place. You saw it all on TV, and for the next half year, the people who've had that conversation, on the net, were very antsy indeed and expected a friendly visit any day now.

Kar98: Electric_Banana: The government's been in bed with the entire telecommunications industry since the forties. Fort Meade has 18 acres of mainframe computers underground. You're talking to your wife on the phone and you use the word "bomb", "president", "Allah", any of a hundred keywords, the computer recognizes it, automatically records it, red-flags it for analysis. That was 20 years ago.

And I have absolute proof that it doesn't work. Nope, not telling you details, but some people had an open conversation about what would happen if a certain event would happen, and the very next day, that very same event took place. You saw it all on TV, and for the next half year, the people who've had that conversation, on the net, were very antsy indeed and expected a friendly visit any day now.

CSB.

ZAZ: The FBI sees the anonymous Bitcoin payment network as an alarming haven for money laundering and other criminal activity ? including as a tool for hackers to rip off fellow Bitcoin users.

Just wait until Wall Street notices there is a tradeable thing that fluctuates in value and can be manipulated. You'll wish for the good old days of Polish hackers.

This.

I think the federal government wants to maintain its monopoly on currency and the ability to manipulate it and print as much as it wants.

Yeah, I think the idea of an unaffiliated, global currency is pretty scary to governments that like the ability to have sovereignty over their currency. Not to mention the current reserve currency of the world.

Electric_Banana: The FBI doesn't want to admit that they got this idea from an episode of The Good Wife.

I came here to say the exact same thing.

mrlewish: So how is this not anonymous?[theapplepeeled.com image 400x300]

Oh, its anonymous. But get caught carrying around too much and don't be surprised if they take it all until you can prove you never did anything or plan to do anything illegal with with it.

U.S. vs anonymous wad of cash. Unlike corporations, cash isn't a person, so no rights.

The US government has a problem with any currency substitutes, online or offline, anonymous or otherwise. Anyone remember e-gold? How's Liberty Dollar doing these days?

But how am I going to shop on sketchymeds.com now? They don't take my Visa card.

And just for that I now want some bitcoins. Ending the government's monopoly on money sounds like a great thing for humanity in the long run to me.

tgregory: I think the federal government wants to maintain its monopoly on currency and the ability to manipulate it and print as much as it wants.

Currency is government. So is wealth and even Capitalism / economic output.

People really haven't thought these systems through if they think otherwise. It's all systems we changed too during and after the enlightenment, where we went from monarchy and caste systems systems, to systems based more on merit, productivity and progress.

You money and property is only yours because government acknowledges that. That is to say we all agree it is, through a system we designed to keep everyone from raping, killing, and enslaving each other.

So I always laugh at the yahoos biatching about the government taking their money. They really don't get it.

mrlewish: So how is this not anonymous?[theapplepeeled.com image 400x300]

That can be confenscated at airports and traffic stops as possible drug money. Unless you can document where it came from and where it was going beyond a shadow of a doubt, Your money is not innocent until proven guilty.

TyrantII: tgregory: I think the federal government wants to maintain its monopoly on currency and the ability to manipulate it and print as much as it wants.

Currency is government. So is wealth and even Capitalism / economic output.

People really haven't thought these systems through if they think otherwise. It's all systems we changed too during and after the enlightenment, where we went from monarchy and caste systems systems, to systems based more on merit, productivity and progress.

You money and property is only yours because government acknowledges that. That is to say we all agree it is, through a system we designed to keep everyone from raping, killing, and enslaving each other.

So I always laugh at the yahoos biatching about the government taking their money. They really don't get it.

For the record, I agree with you. Playing devil's advocate, here.

Once you have earned your money, it is yours, and the government has no right to take it away by force. You have been paid for your goods or services, and at that point it is morally *yours*. The democracy is *wrong* to take it away from you, in the same way it would be wrong were a robber to come up and steal it from you at the barrel of a gun.

/ I hate libertarians.
// A lot.

illegal.tender:

Once you have earned your money, it is yours, and the government has no right to take it away by force. You have been paid for your goods or services, and at that point it is morally *yours*. The democracy is *wrong* to take it away from you, in the same way it would be wrong were a robber to come up and steal it from you at the barrel of a gun.

/ I hate libertarians.
// A lot.

Somewhat true.

But taxation and monetary policy take and give by their very nature. They adjust worth, to manage economic problems, and create stable wealth.

It's why you get libertarians screaming about gold standards, fiat currency and basically everything anyone came up with post enlightenment. They hate the things that the systems do via the purpose of the systems.

I just find it funny. They're effectively arguing to return to the caste system, and they sure as hell wouldn't be running it. They think they retain wealth and prosperity, and capitalism will survive, by totally undercutting the entire foundation of it since the 1600's. And the gold diggers are the worst of the worse.

downstairs: mongbiohazard: And just for that I now want some bitcoins. Ending the government's monopoly on money sounds like a great thing for humanity in the long run to me.

That's most likely impossible. Even bitcoins are tied to the value of government-controlled money.

Huh? Every currency has a value relative to the others. This is no different than Swiss Francs, the Euro, the Renmimbi, etc. The bitcoins have their own value which fluctuates relative to the other currencies - just like all those other ones. There's nothing intrinsically impossible about it.


I mean... you can buy gold ya know. It can essentially be used as an international currency. But its value is still tied to governments around the world.


We aren't on the gold standard any more. Nixon finally killed it by ending the Bretton Woods Agreements in the 70's. Gold's value is calculated relative to those currencies as a commodity, subject to demand and supply (sorta... gold has an intrinsic weirdness which - for now - makes it more valuable than it really should be, as abundant as it is). We now use fiat currency, not currency tied to gold.

Assassination Politics relied on anonymous currency and strong crypto to make it work.

Not often people go to prison for an idea.

Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible.[2] Totalitarian regimes stay in political power through an all-encompassing propaganda campaign, which is disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, a single party that is often marked by political repression, personality cultism, control over the economy, regulation and restriction of speech, mass surveillance, and widespread use of terror.

Let your police determine policy, and they will have policies that create a Police State. It's the natural thing to do when you've been told your ultimate job is to make sure nobody ever breaks any of the rules, ever.

mrlewish: So how is this not anonymous?[theapplepeeled.com image 400x300]

It is, but it's fairly hard to transmit electronically anonymously.

omnibus_necanda_sunt: One Latin motto is fine.

But four?

"by the power/voice of the people"
"Freedom from false accusations"
"Strength/bravery in many" (For some reason fortitudo is in the accusative...)
"All are ruled by chains," or something... catena is in the wrong gender here.

You could have at least poked around the internet a bit, guys. Jesus

You should write in to the bitcoin guys and tell them their errors. Since it's a digital image, they could easily edit it. It would give their image some more credibility, and as a thanks they might give you a few bitcoins.

/You could then convert your new bitcoins into denarii, sisterces, talents, drachmas, or whatever suits your fancy

//You might as well put your cool Latin knowledge into use :)

The only way to trade without taxation or government snooping these days is direct barter and face to face meetings. How does the government get tax from or snoop on me swapping 6 eggs for a loaf of bread and having a chat?

fluffy2097: I'd be enraged, but it's Bitcoin.

Bitcoin is an internet tax on stupid geeks.

"I spent $50 in real electricity to get $5 in bitcoins that could be worth $1 in as little as... shiat it's already down to 50 cents."

/Canadian Tire Money is a more legitimate currency
//Or CVS extra care dollars.

Switch power companies. Yours is gouging you ludicrously.