Good morning In another life, I was a Signals Intelligence Operator/analyst. I've talked about this a little before, but it's time for a thread about what that means If you went to, or go to, protests, this article is about you:https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/homeland-security-portland/ …
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What do we do with this information? The Nation article nailed it: use of this technology means they think Antifa is hierarchical terrorist network, probably organized in cells like Al Qaeda They're not just claiming this to win an election. They believe their own bullshit
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Somewhere in a DHS basement, people like me are creating network diagrams They're mapping who talks to who and trying to figure out who the leaders are. Where are the orders coming from? Who's running the show? Obviously the answer is "no one," but they'll find someone anyway
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Here's what they're looking for: *People who talk to a shitload of activists *People who talk to people in multiple affinity groups *People who talk to activists in multiple states Is that you? Congrats, you're almost certainly under suspicion
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OK, so what should you do? Acceptance is a good first step. Your shit is being monitored. Be aware of that at all times. Decide whether your need to communicate outweighs that risk For me, it usually does. But don't be stupid. Don't send extended violence fanfic over DM
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Like BC4L said in that thread, we think encrypted comms are safe. But they might not be. Accept that if it's digital, it's not 100% safe unless you REALLY know what the fuck you're doing (which I don't, honestly)
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Use old technology. In 2001 the Army had to literary raid the dump to find SIGINT tech capable of monitoring Afghani comms because that country was 20 years behind. It seems counterintuitive to use older devices to avoid detection but the US focuses on the future, not the past
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Get to know people in real life. This is important for any number of reasons, but for God's sake recognize how fragile the online world is. It's monitored, anyone can pretend to be anyone, and it can also stop existing
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Ok this thread is already too long so I'll wrap it up. If you have questions, I'll do my best to answer This is scary stuff. The US government is using weapons of war against the people it's supposed to protect and serve With vigilance and knowledge, we can get through this
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A lot of people are asking what old tech is good and I wish I could tell you. I can tell you what old tech was 10 years ago: encrypted radio I don't know for sure if flip phones or bricks are actually better than smart phones, but I'd bet money that they are
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Something else I should mention, which seems obvious but might not be Unless you're actively under investigation no one is listening to you in real time. What they ARE doing is vacuuming up all your calls/texts/location/metadata and storing it
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If you become a target or of interest, THAT'S when they'll sift through your communications So it's not a panopticon situation--maybe they're looking and maybe they're not. Once your number goes in the machine and the machine turns on, your shit is recorded and it's forever
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Based on some private communications it seems that encrypted radio is probably the way to go, not flip phones Again though, it's not practical to trade your phone for radio 24/7. For most of us there's just gotta be some acceptance in here somewhere
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End of conversation
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