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Designer Arrested Over Anonymous Press Release

An anonymous reader writes "A Greek designer named Alex Tapanaris, whose name appeared on the PDF press release circulated by online trouble-makers Anonymous has had his web site disappeared and, according to reports, the unfortunate chap has been arrested. THINQ managed to talk to Alex on the phone, and while he wouldn't confirm his arrest, he 'certainly sounded spooked,' the web site reports. 'No comment,' he said and hung up. The press release sought to explain Anonymous's aims and lack of any formal organization. It explained that the Anonymous name is applied to a shifting roster of individuals who come together on an ad hoc basis, depending on individual concerns and practical, day-to-day matter such as who happens to be online at the time. Clicking on the document's properties revealed Tapanaris as its named author."

28 of 288 comments (clear)

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

    Attacking financial services, banks and government websites is probably the best idea in the world.

    Yes, it is when you're anonymous. Nobody can stop us, nobody can find us. We won't make the same mistake again.
    __
    A Tapanaris

  2. Is this even a story? by jandrese · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When someone is arrested, isn't there a public record of it? Why not call the local police to verify instead of calling the guy directly? In fact being able to call him directly suggest that he has not been arrested.

    Creating a press release describing how Anonymous isn't some group with centralized leadership doesn't seem like a crime to me either.

    I can't help but to think that this sounds like media whoring at its worst. Basically a big prank pulled on the public at large.

    --

    I read the internet for the articles.
  3. Focus on the Drama, not the important cables. by notque · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The news media continues to focus on the drama surrounding Wikileaks and Anonymous instead of focusing on the cables.

    How many US new organizations reported on the Cable from Tegucigalpa detailing that the Honduras Coup was illegitimate? This was a big news story, and an important situation in Honduras that has immediate impact on understanding the Obama administration.

    It also shows that the Obama administration lied, and helped support the coup government by their actions.

    So.. who is covering it? And compare that to another article on the drama surrounding it.

    And that's just one cable. How many more will come out of great importance that everyone will ignore to instead focus on what Assange is doing.

    It's not Assange or Anons fault, it's the News doing it. But this is their out.

    This allows them to totally ignore the importance of the cables. And keep repeating that "nothing significant" is coming out.

    --
    http://use.perl.org
    1. Re:Focus on the Drama, not the important cables. by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 4, Interesting

      OK, all you did was find a cable from the U.S. Embassy in Honduras that reflects the position taken by the Obama Administration at the time that the Legislature and Supreme Court of Honduras got the Honduran Army to remove the President of Honduras (who just about everybody agrees was committing a crime defined by the Honduran Constitution at the time). It does not show that the Obama Administration lied or that it supported the "coup" government, since the Obama Administration opposed the coup government, even to the point of suggesting that they would not recognize the results of the previously scheduled election.

      --
      The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
    2. Re:Focus on the Drama, not the important cables. by booyabazooka · · Score: 3, Funny

      Stop mentioning these things, damnit, I'm not allowed to read about them! I'm just here for the drama.

  4. Whoops by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Word processors that remember your name and fill in author metadata for you are sure helpful, aren't they?

  5. What could possibly be the charge? by Dr.+Spork · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Is he charged with designing graphics? With sympathizing with an unsavory group? How the heck would that arrest warrant look? How is the creation of that document even something in the vicinity of a crime?

    1. Re:What could possibly be the charge? by Minwee · · Score: 5, Funny

      How is the creation of that document even something in the vicinity of a crime?

      He used the Comic Sans font.

    2. Re:What could possibly be the charge? by forkfail · · Score: 3

      He was also guilty of facecrime; that's what put the authorities on his trail in the first place...

      --
      Check your premises.
  6. Re:And this is why... by Minwee · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's why I always register my software with an obviously fake name like "Alex Tapanaris".

  7. Oblig. XKCD by Weaselmancer · · Score: 4, Funny

    And it's even today's comic:

    XKCD 834.

    --
    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.
    1. Re:Oblig. XKCD by locallyunscene · · Score: 4, Informative

      That alt-text is win.

  8. Proof Positive by frovingslosh · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Clicking on the document's properties revealed Tapanaris as its named author

    Well that settles it then, because these computer people would never figure out that you could put the name of someone that you don't like in a document like this and cause them problems too while you are doing your original mischief.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    1. Re:Proof Positive by mark72005 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Sounds like an elite group of hackers.

    2. Re:Proof Positive by arivanov · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Especially considering the fact that Tapanaris means more or less "Thick as a Brick" in more than one language in countries neighbouring Greece to the north.

      This smacks of a rather unintentional Bulgarian or Serbian practical joke. Whoever did it did not expect that there may be a real person whose name in Bulgarian or Serbian translates more or less as "Alex The Village Idiot". The most hilarious case of mistaken identity I have heard of for a long time (for everyone but the poor greek).

      --
      Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
      http://www.sigsegv.cx/
    3. Re:Proof Positive by StikyPad · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence.

    4. Re:Proof Positive by AshtangiMan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If it was him wouldn't he have put "not A. Tapanaris" in the author property to throw the authorities off his trail?

  9. Media Doesn't Get It by cosm · · Score: 4, Informative

    Slashdotters,

    Here is a case-in-point (rather old) showing that mainstream US media just doesn't get it. Anonomous and Lulz


    U.S. Media,

    Anonymous is not a secret hacker organization. It is the literal definition of the word. It is not a proper noun. It is just individuals acting without large-scale coordination, all pissed off for their own reasons, acting in semi-cohesion, and participating in groupthink. It is people either trolling for lulz, or lulzing for lulzing.

    People downloading music are like anonymous. There is not a collective group organizing the individual downloaders. They just do it. The people "at the other end of the stick" view it as us against "them", and to have a proper OMGSCANDAL, you need a perpetrator, so they made one. And if they didn't cognitively make one for the purposes of degrading freedom on the internet, then it's more lulz for us and more idiot points for you.

    Sincererely

    The Lulz.

    --
    'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
  10. Re:Geniuses by puto · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, because the Greeks are sooooooooooo calm. They set their own ministry of finance on fire today.

    --
    The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
  11. Re:And this is why... by spun · · Score: 5, Funny

    NOBODY expects the Business Software Alliance! Our chief weapon is surprise. Surprise and fear. Fear and surprise. Our two chief weapons are fear, surprise, and unlimited duration copyrights. Our THREE weapons are fear, surprise, unlimited duration copyrights, and employees who hate their bosses. Our FOUR, no... amongst our weapons... amongst our weaponry... are such elements... as fear, surprise... can I come in again?

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  12. script kiddies should stay away from fire by peter303 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Messing around with sovereign governments is not a game. If you dont understand how you leave footprints on the web you should not get involved. More mature hackers can avoid this.

    1. Re:script kiddies should stay away from fire by dwarfsoft · · Score: 5, Insightful

      More mature hackers are avoiding it by getting the script kiddies to do the work for them...

      --
      Cheers, Chris
  13. Re:ANONYMOUS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Mod parent LOL...

    "You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.."

    What, "parent"? Sure I do. It's when a man and a woman love each other very much they kiss and cuddle in a special way and the woman tweets "oh you're so wonderful" and then when the woman finds the man loved another woman in a special way a couple of days later, the woman untweets and then together the women go to the police and the man gets locked up. That's how parents are made.

  14. Re:Geniuses by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Jealous of their cojones?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  15. Re:ANONYMOUS by spun · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ooh! This is fun! I've got one, too

    Jefe: We have many beautiful piñatas for your birthday celebration, each one filled with little surprises!
    El Guapo: How many piñatas?
    Jefe: Many piñatas, many!
    El Guapo: Jefe, would you say I have a plethora of piñatas?
    Jefe: A what?
    El Guapo: A plethora.
    Jefe: Oh yes, El Guapo. You have a plethora.
    El Guapo: Jefe, what is a plethora?
    Jefe: Why, El Guapo?
    El Guapo: Well, you just told me that I had a plethora, and I would just like to know if you know what it means to have a plethora. I would not like to think that someone would tell someone else he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has no idea what it means to have a plethora.
    Jefe: El Guapo, I know that I, Jefe, do not have your superior intellect and education, but could it be that once again, you are angry at something else, and are looking to take it out on me?

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  16. Re:Geniuses by Zapotek · · Score: 4, Funny
    FUCK YOU! WE'RE CALM! AAAAAARGH! YOU MADE ME SPILL MY DRINK! :@ /brought to you by a Greek dude that is currently ducking...

    Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.

    That's my point -.-

  17. Re:No, you've missed the point by Locke2005 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    They seem to have forgotten the real reason for noblesse oblige, which is basically that we will kill you if you push us too far.

    What do you mean by "we", peasant?

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  18. Re:And this is why... by julesh · · Score: 3, Funny

    "... and a fanatical devotion to Bill Gates?"