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Slashdot Mentioned In Virginia Terrorism Report

megamerican alerted us to a leaked document (PDF) from a Virginia Fusion Center titled "2009 Virginia Terrorism Threat Assessment." The document is marked as "Law Enforcement Sensitive," not to be shown to public. Citizens for Legitimate Government has a write-up. Slashdot gets a mention on page 45 — not as a terrorist organization itself, but as one of the places that members of Anonymous may hang out: "A 'loose coalition of Internet denizens,' Anonymous consists largely of users from multiple internet sites such as 4chan, 711chan, 420chan, Something Awful, Fark, Encyclopedia Dramatica, Slashdot, IRC channels, and YouTube. Other social networking sites are also utilized to mobilize physical protests. ... Anonymous is of interest not only because of the sentiments expressed by affiliates and their potential for physical protest, but because they have innovated the use of e-protests and mobilization. Given the lack of a unifying creed, this movement has the potential to inspire lone wolf behavior in the cyber realms." According to the report, cell phones and digital music players have been used to transfer plans related to criminal activity, and therefore presumably could be grounds for suspicion. Podcasting is also suspicious.

43 of 779 comments (clear)

  1. A.C. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Lone wolf" sound MUCH better than anonymous coward!

    1. Re:A.C. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Anonymous working as a group is probably the biggest joke on the media I've heard in a while. It's like saying all unsolved murder mysteries are caused by the same terrorist group (until each murder is solved!)

      They just don't understand the joke, do they?

    2. Re:A.C. by Assmasher · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Genius. How great would it be if Slashdot changed 'Anonymous Coward' to Lone Wolf for a few weeks?

      --
      Loading...
    3. Re:A.C. by apostrophesemicolon · · Score: 5, Funny

      in related news,
      a coalition of persons of interest is growing at an exponential rate on the Internets. Members of the group, posting in various websites under the handle, Guest, often post provocative and sometimes unlawful comments. By using the handle name "Guest", they were afforded anonymity.

      Several related groups are Anonymous, Anonymous Coward, Public, Guest, and Unregistered.

    4. Re:A.C. by severoon · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Anonymous consists largely of users from multiple internet sites such as...

      How can any member of Anonymous be "from" a site like fark? Do they issue Anonymous press pass credentials or something?

      This gets the whole idea of Anonymous wrong. Anonymous isn't "from" anywhere. The moment you start thinking you know something about Anonymous, the moment you start trying to put Anonymous into a box, you're no longer talking about Anonymous...you're talking onymous.

      --
      but have you considered the following argument: shut up.
  2. Message to Virginia Fusion Center, from Anonymous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    All your base are belong to us.

  3. Me too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm Anonymous.

    1. Re:Me too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, *I* am Anonymous!!

    2. Re:Me too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      I am David

    3. Re:Me too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, not me.. I'm spartacus.

    4. Re:Me too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Dave? Dave's not here.

    5. Re:Me too by Hurricane78 · · Score: 5, Funny

      (nothing happens)

      Mr. Anonymous has learned the first lesson of not being seen: Not to stand up.

      Unfortunately, Mr. Anonymous chose a very obvious target.

      *BOOO...Euuuuuuaaahhhh...OOOM*

      --
      Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
  4. Is Slashdot a Terrorist Organization Or Not by MyLongNickName · · Score: 5, Funny

    Points in favor
    * It hijacks internet bandwidth that could be used more productively
    * It performs DDOS attacks on an hourly basis.
    * Millions of hours diverted from productive programming to non-productive uses
    * CSS that makes site look like someone vomited on your monitor.
    * The Idle section

    Points against
    * Millions of anti-social, hormone filled misfits are kept off the streets where they could do real harm.

    We report the facts. YOU decide.

    --
    See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
  5. of course! by Lord+Ender · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is well known that Commander Taco is actually a commander in the Judean Peoples' Front terrorist organization. Titles like "Cmdr" just aren't given out to anyone. He's their #2 man.

    --
    A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
    1. Re:of course! by spydum · · Score: 5, Funny

      Judean People's Front can suck it! People's Front of Judea 4 LIFE!

    2. Re:of course! by MosesJones · · Score: 5, Funny

      Judean People's Front?

      Splitter

      --
      An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
  6. Terrorism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Since when were protests "terrorism"?

    1. Re:Terrorism by Cornwallis · · Score: 5, Informative

      from the site: Seven Signs of Terrorism Certain activities, especially those at or near sensitive facilities, including government, military or other high profile sites or places where large numbers of people congregate, may indicate terrorist planning phases. Suspicious activities of interest that should be reported to law enforcement are commonly referred to as the 7 Signs of Terrorism. Surveillance: Recording or monitoring activities. May include drawing diagrams, note taking, use of cameras, binoculars or other vision-enhancing devices or possessing floor plans or blueprints of key facilities. Elicitation: Attempts to obtain operation, security and personnel-related information regarding a key facility. May be made by mail, fax, e-mail, telephone or in person. Tests of Security: Attempts to measure reaction times to security breaches or to penetrate physical security barriers or procedures in order to assess strengths and weaknesses. Acquiring Supplies: Attempts to improperly acquire items that could be used in a terrorist act. May include the acquisition of explosives, weapons, harmful chemicals, flight manuals, law enforcement or military equipment, uniforms, identification badges or the equipment to manufacture false identification. Suspicious Persons: Someone who does not appear to belong in a workplace, neighborhood or business establishment due to their behavior, including unusual questions or statements they make. Dry Runs/Trial Runs: Behavior that appears to be preparation for a terrorist act without actually committing the act. Activity could include mapping out routes and determining the timing of traffic lights and flow. Deploying Assets: Placing people, equipment and supplies into position to commit the act. This is the last opportunity to alert authorities before the terrorist act occurs.

  7. Ha! by mccalli · · Score: 5, Funny

    ""A 'loose coalition of Internet denizens,' Anonymous consists largely of users from multiple internet sites such as 4chan, 711chan, 420chan, Something Awful, Fark, Encyclopedia Dramatica, Slashdot, IRC channels, and YouTube. "

    In your face, Digg! Yeah!

  8. Re:Level Up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Xbox Live Achievement Unlocked: You are now a terrorist!

  9. That silly Constitution by WCMI92 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How DARE citizens engage in the rights to:

    Free speech
    Assembly
    Petition the government (or government institutions).

    Why those subversives who not only wrote it into law, but preceded those rights with the words "Congress shall make no law abridging..." must have been terrorists or something.

    No wonder this was marked "not to show to public". How dare we engage in such subversion of the LAW enforcement establishment.

    The way I read this is that they are setting up pretexts for "probable cause" to detain and search people who engage in normal, legal behavior. Yet more evidence that the "war on terror" and the PATRIOT act are being used to expand law enforcement power over the law abiding, when instead such energy would be better spent guarding the porous borders or monitoring the FOREIGN FUNDED (Saudi) mosques (which is where most world wide terrorism originates).

    --
    Corporatism != Free Market
  10. Re:Who is this anonymous? by sakdoctor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let's post our real names.

    I'm David.

  11. VA better watch out! by rotide · · Score: 5, Insightful
    VA better watch itself, all of us Slashdoters may assemble, protest and overthrow their state government!

    Slashdot is known for being a terrorist hotbed of activity.

    Seriously though, is it getting just so utterly bullshit that they list Slashdot as a potential terrorist hangout? I mean, really? Is the government this god damned stupid? I suppose in the back of my mind I always knew it was, but wow.

    I don't want to come off as a nutjob here, but this country is falling down hard. A new revolution in the next 100 years appears to be more than possible at this point. Laws are getting absolutely ridiculous.

    I realize VA is far from the federal government, but this "OMG EVERY1 IZ TERRORIZT!" stuff is getting really scary.

    Terrorist.. This decades Communist.. Make lists and round 'em up, boys!

    Fucking scary.

  12. Re:Level Up by Vanders · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Who paid off Virginia state to label Anonymous as a terrorist organization

    Scientology. Or Habbo.com. Either could be the culprit.

    how much of Anonymous will be loyal enough to stick around

    That's such an illogical conjecture I'm not sure where to start. "Anonymous" isn't some sort of highly organised group. It's just a bunch of people on various websites. Going to those websites doesn't make you a terrorist, or a furry, or a protester, or whatever it is someone else is doing. "Stick around"? Makes no sense.

  13. Re:Who is this anonymous? by GreatBunzinni · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nice to meet you, Dave. I'm Spartacus.

    --
    Slashdot, fix your code or at least hire someone who is competent at it to do it for you.
  14. Re:Message to Virginia Fusion Center, from Anonymo by u38cg · · Score: 5, Funny

    I seriously wonder who the hell their base belong to when they come up with idiocy like this. 4chan? Terrorists? Yeah, they terrorise people with pictures of cats with bad grammar skills. Sometimes they post foolish people's personal details. Clearly a threat to the free world as we know it. *shakes head*

    --
    [FUCK BETA]
  15. Re:Level Up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Anonymous is a microcosm of society. There is no formal method for joining. There are no membership lists or membership dues.

    There are people doing good things (for whatever you consider good), people doing bad things (for whatever you consider bad), people doing neutral things (for any other action), and people doing nothing.

    When someone says "Anonymous will do xyz", they're not charging everyone who associates themselves with the group to do xyz. They are simply invoking the protection of being lost in a crowd and the protection of free association.

    All things that, in and of themselves, are perfectly legal in the United States. However, what is done once under the cloak of these protections, on the other hand, may be illegal.

    Personally, Anonymous scares me a hell of a lot less than the far right militia groups (which, by the way, all do the same thing and are legal).

  16. Terrorism Report by CopaceticOpus · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Our report on the terrorist group is complete."
    "What did you find?"
    "Well, for one thing, we think they have been using the web to visit popular websites."
    "Okay... what else?"
    "Our findings indicate they have been eating food, possibly sourced from restaurants. Also, we think they've been engaging in verbal communication."
    "That doesn't exactly narrow it down, does it? Based on that, almost anyone could be a susp... oh! I get it. Nice work!"

  17. Re:Who is this anonymous? by Bigbutt · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

    --
    Shit better not happen!
  18. Re:Message to Virginia Fusion Center, from Anonymo by LordKaT · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Who the hell their base belong to?"

    You've just terrorized my brain.

  19. Re:Anonymous defined by snsr · · Score: 5, Informative

    Church of Scientology are a bunch of deluded d-bags.

  20. Terrorist tools proliferation by Intron · · Score: 5, Funny

    According to the report, cell phones and digital music players have been used to transfer plans related to criminal activity, and therefore presumably could be grounds for suspicion. Podcasting is also suspicious.

    I am told that terrorists now have access to a medium that can't be wiretapped, can be folded or rolled up for ease of concealment, and can be destroyed in seconds with an ordinary match. I'm hoping that the authorities don't paper over this threat. This stuff is so cheap it practically grows on trees.

    --
    Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
  21. Re:Level Up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's such an illogical conjecture I'm not sure where to start. "Anonymous" isn't some sort of highly organised group. It's just a bunch of people on various websites. Going to those websites doesn't make you a terrorist, or a furry, or a protester, or whatever it is someone else is doing. "Stick around"? Makes no sense.

    That's basically what the report actually says about Anonymous. They got a mention and a small write-up in the report because a few individuals identifying with them committed minor acts of vandalism. It says that they aren't really an organized group. The main reason they're even mentioned seems to be to give an example of people coordinating protests or actions online.

    The "phones and ipod" section just gives examples of how terrorists and organized criminals were taking advantage of technology-- examples which are already pretty well-known, really.

    This isn't alarmism on the part of the Virginia government. The summary is silly.

  22. Re:Who is this anonymous? by AnalPerfume · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm Spartacus & so is my wife.

  23. Re:Message to Virginia Fusion Center, from Anonymo by meringuoid · · Score: 5, Funny
    4chan? Terrorists? Yeah, they terrorise people with pictures of cats with bad grammar skills. Sometimes they post foolish people's personal details. Clearly a threat to the free world as we know it.

    You may say that, but I have contacts within the inner circle of Anonymous, and I'm given to understand that they have a laser. And they're charging it. And they don't afraid of anything.

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  24. Re:Who is this anonymous? by marcop · · Score: 5, Funny

    There are some who call me, "Tim".

  25. Re:Message to Virginia Fusion Center, from Anonymo by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    remeber bretheren....

    4f 6e 6c 79 20 72 65 61 6c 6c 79 20 73 74 75 70 69 64 20 70 61 72 61 6e 6f 69 64 73 20 74 68 69 6e 6b 20 74 68 61 74 20 74 68 65 72 65 20 69 73 20 61 20 73 65 63 72 65 74 20 73 6f 63 69 65 74 79 20 74 72 79 69 6e 67 20 74 6f 20 67 65 74 20 74 68 65 6d 2e 20 20 20 50 65 6f 70 6c 65 20 69 6e 20 67 65 6e 65 72 61 6c 20 61 72 65 20 74 6f 6f 20 6c 61 7a 79 20 74 6f 20 61 63 74 20 65 6e 2d 6d 61 73 73 65 27 20 74 6f 20 64 69 73 72 75 70 74 20 74 68 69 6e 67 73 20 69 66 20 74 68 65 79 20 61 72 65 20 63 6f 6d 66 6f 72 74 61 62 6c 65 2e 20 20 49 66 20 79 6f 75 20 61 72 65 20 63 72 65 61 74 69 6e 67 20 6d 69 73 65 72 79 20 61 6e 64 20 64 65 61 74 68 20 66 6f 72 20 61 20 67 72 6f 75 70 2c 20 74 68 65 6e 20 62 79 20 61 6c 6c 20 6d 65 61 6e 73 20 77 6f 72 72 79 2e 0a 0a 42 75 74 20 74 68 65 73 65 20 70 65 6f 70 6c 65 20 61 72 65 20 73 69 6d 70 6c 79 20 63 6c 75 74 63 68 69 6e 67 20 61 74 20 73 74 72 61 77 73 2e 2e 0a

    It all goes down 4/20/09 at 16:20 local time. Tell the others!

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  26. Re:Who is this anonymous? by x_IamSpartacus_x · · Score: 5, Funny

    No seriously... x_IamSpartacus_x !!!!!

  27. Re:Level Up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Tell that to GameStop.

    I'm sure the mere mention of "battletoads" will immediately put you on a watch list sometime soon.

  28. Re:Message to Virginia Fusion Center, from Anonymo by FooAtWFU · · Score: 5, Funny

    Phew. For a moment I thought you were going to say "09 f9 11 02 9d 74 e3 5b d8 41 56 c5 63 56 88 c0". We would have been doomed.

    --
    The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
  29. Re:Message to Virginia Fusion Center, from Anonymo by Stephan202 · · Score: 5, Informative
    For those too lazy to make the conversion, here's Lumpy's message:

    "Only really stupid paranoids think that there is a secret society trying to get them. People in general are too lazy to act en-masse' to disrupt things if they are comfortable. If you are creating misery and death for a group, then by all means worry.\n\nBut these people are simply clutching at straws..\n"

    (Python: ''.join(map(chr, map(lambda x: int(x, 16), s.split()))))

  30. Re:Message to Virginia Fusion Center, from Anonymo by dimeglio · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is Coward the only member of Anonymous? That's not much of a threat.

    --
    Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the author.
  31. Re:Message to Virginia Fusion Center, from Anonymo by fugue · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm betting it goes something like this:

    People who blow shit up are likely to be antisocial.

    People on slashdot, 4chan, etc., are likely to be antisocial.

    Therefore people who read slashdot are likely to blow shit up.

    Can't blame them, really, given the quality of education we as a society have decided to give our citizens. Makes me so angry I want to blow some shit up. Who's with me?

    --
    "The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."