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Man Attacked In Ohio For Providing Iran Proxies
David Hume writes "electronicmaji is reporting on the Daily Kos that the individual known as ProtesterHelp (also to be found on twitter) was attacked in Ohio for providing network security for Twitterers in Iran, setting up private networks to provide secure proxies, calling for media networks to remove the Iranians Twitterers' information from their broadcast, and providing counter-intelligence services (including Basiji and Army Locations) within the Twitter community. ProtesterHelp was allegedly attacked by a group of men while walking to class in Ohio. The men, who appeared to ProtesterHelp to be either Iranian or Lebanese, drove up beside him and threw rocks at him while shouting, 'Mousavi Fraud.' ProtesterHelp further reported that his personal information has been leaked, and is currently being spread both online and inside of Iran amongst the government." Relatedly, Wired is also reporting that Google and Facebook have rushed out support for Persian. This move has allowed many pro-democracy groups to connect and translate their message to a broader audience.
he's making a difference.
But then I realized the cable was blue, so I only gave it one star. I hate blue.
Read about this on Huffpo after seeing it first posted on dkos. Nico Pitney, the guy doing the excellent live blog there apparently tried to confirm this story and was unable to. I'm thinking that this is very likely a hoax.
He's not alone (In the assault part he probably is). The concern is universal. A lot of us Tor Network admins who do not provide exit nodes have opened ports for twitter, IM, and IRC...
There's a lot of silent backing out here by us geeks. I normally do not open ports because of DCMA risks and the fact that my Tor routers run on boxes that do other things. But this is special.
If people want to help a little, throw up a Tor Network relay and open exit ports for IM and Twitter- they will get used. Even better, open up a bridge relay so those blocked in Iran can access the network. If you are not a fan of running Tor long term- no problem. Just bring it down when the crisis is over.
If you do not know networking, or cannot quickly absorb the Tor docs- take a pass on this.
Sorry for the anonymous coward status...
I advise caution in believing this story. ProtesterHelp, earlier today, was spreading false information that Mousavi had been arrested on Twitter. The combination makes me suspect attention whoring in lieu of truth.
Philip Sandifer's academic website