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Ask Slashdot: How To Determine If One Is On a Watchlist?
An anonymous reader writes: On Slashdot, we joke about it all the time: 'I did a Google search for 'pressure cooker' and I connected a bunch of times to the Tor network to download some Linux distribution .torrent files... I must be on some sort of watchlist now.' There have been news articles about people being questioned in airports and given special attention for being political activists. How can one determine is one is on a watchlist of some sort? Are there any Slashdot users who are knowingly on a watchlist? What sort of suspicious special attention have you received?
Do you use the internet? You are on a watchlist. The more interesting question would be which ones, and of course most of us have no way to know.
I spend a lot of time reading and commenting on current events on another site, and I like to back up my comments with citations, so this leads me to Google all sorts of things. Offhand today I've searched for feces swastika (re: the U of Missouri stuff) and officers shot or killed (a story about one officer shooting another off-duty officer). Last night I was reading a thread about the Mazda RDX and so I Googled RDX; RDX is also the name of a military explosive. Around that time I was also searching for various terms related to the Missouri protests.
Some overzealous algorithm might see a person searching for RDX and Mizzou and officer and shooting all within close proximity, and get me on a list I really would rather not be on. That's one of the big problems with automated bulk surveillance, I imagine it's connecting a lot of dots that truly aren't connected.
See you on the list!
Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
In my particular case, I first learned I was on a terrorist watch list in 2004, when I renewed my drivers' license.
The lady at DMV informed me of it, and said there would be an additional three-week wait for my license while they did a background check on me.
Ever since, every time I've flown, I've been pulled aside for additional searches and questioning,
The fun part is that there's no way to get off the list. I've now have three Congressman and a Senator from two different States tell me this.
The really infuriating part is that I suffer from an anxiety disorder. The only danger to those around me is if I go off my meds and then fly to pieces so fast people get hit by the shrapnel.
Microsoft leads to Bluescreen; Bluescreen leads to downtime; downtime leads to suffering.
I'd be shocked if I wasn't with the way those paranoid asshats 'work' since I was in the military as a Munitions Systems Specialist (IYAAYAS!), and am an old school computer geek, and several other things that though totally legal, are things the paranoid TLAs (3 letter acronym/agency) has listed as stuff the are paranoid about. So yeah, I always assume they are reading my every posts, and by now their file must be getting full because I like to sprinkle in the occasional keyword like terrorist or explosives just to try and trigger their alert script. I figured if the creeps are spying on me without a warrant and valid suspicions, I should make their work as hard as possible! Personally I haven't met many people from any of those groups, but the few I have were uniformly egotistical, paranoid, irrational, and rather low on the intellect scales. I'm sure there must be somebody intelligent working for them, and pity that poor damned soul.
If the government didn't know about you before, they will after you get hired for a government job. My two-hour background interview lasted four hours because I had to list every I.T. contract job I did since the Great Recession. Security folks frown on the practice of having two jobs at the same time, say a weekday job and a weekend job, which I had to do after being out of work for two years and filing for chapter seven bankruptcy. Living in the same studio apartment for ten years was another flag, as that was inconsistent with being unemployed for two years and filing for chapter seven bankruptcy. We went back and forth on those two points. And then Chinese hackers stole my background file along with millions of other government employees.
I used to have this problem as well. It disappeared when I started traveling with my middle initial. And for any airline/website that doesn't have a field for the middle initial, just append it to the first name, since that's what the ticketing system does internally anyway. Problem solved.
Happened to me once... Was heading to Vermont to pick up my daughter from college. For various reasons, it was easier to split it up into two one-way flights (mostly to guarantee adjoining seats on the return flight).
Anyways, I couldn't check in online. I go to the counter to check in, and was asked a bunch of leading questions ("You're going to Logan, right?" "No, Burlington Vermont!") over and over. Eventually I checked in.
While waiting for the gate, I realized... I hit all the flags... Male, travelling alone, no bags, one way.... DING DING DING DING!!
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
My name came up as similar to a listed person when I opened a bank account. A banker friend may be able to run your name.
I also got more attention from the TSA, but that may be because I used the same bag for a carry-on that I had previously used to go to the gun range, leaving a bit of powder residue all over the bag.
I assume I'm on a few lists because I work in internet security, meaning I frequent web sites related to hacking and such, plus I (legally) work with fireworks, so I order chemicals and such that could be used to make explosives. Lastly, I'm a conservative who once checked out a Tea Party event, so the current administration is definitely notices that. The IRS started calling after I followed a tea party page on Facebook. Might be coincidence.
Sikhs are the good guys. I want to see several of them on a plane. I feel safer anywhere when they're around.
... courtesy of the Democratic Party's paranoia of the Tea Party
I'm sure my name pops up on several watchlists -
First, I am from China, that was before I ran away from there and end up in US as a refugee
After reaching US I studied, graduated with some fancy degrees and started my career in high tech fields
I have been 'invited' for 'interviews' several times by 'security people', including FBI, concerning my investments, particularly those in businesses which has direct dealings with defense projects. They are also interested in my businesses abroad, especially branches in 'sensitive regions' such as Africa, Russia and China
With all those 'interviews' getting no where, they finally, through IRS, awarded me with a thorough audit
And oh, I forgot to add, when that too came up empty they tried to frame me by linking me to Chinese triad activities
Can't fault them for trying so hard though ...
After all, a minority (Chinese) like me supposed to support the Democratic Party. The problem is I refuse to buy into their bullshit and gave my support to the Tea Party instead
I know how to play the game, after all, I survived the Culture Revolution, where even more brutal 'games' had occurred
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !