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Tor Developer Jacob Appelbaum Allegedly Intimidated Victims Into Silence and Anonymity (dailydot.com)
blottsie quotes a report from The Daily Dot: In the wake of programmer Jacob Appelbaum's abrupt departure from the Tor Project, rumors and accusations about both sexual misconduct and bullying have surfaced that extend back years. Now, four witnesses -- including a current senior Tor employee -- are stepping forward into the public eye, adding valuable insight into how Appelbaum allegedly intimidated those around him to keep accusations of sexual misconduct secret and pressure those who are speaking out to remain anonymous. [Late last week, a website was launched in which alleged victims of Appelbaum's sexual misconduct joined together to post their stories in an effort to publicize them without a much-feared wave of personalized and professional backlash. The stories are graphic and describe the ways Appelbaum allegedly assaulted people in public and in private. Three current Tor employees -- two of which agreed to be named on the record -- have confirmed that they personally know the authors of the alleged victim statements on the site, JacobAppelbaum.net. Although they continue to maintain anonymity for the authors of the stories, these Tor employees are now publicly vouching for the site's authenticity, which Appelbaum has called into question. Appelbaum broke his silence on Monday, deriding the accounts of his former colleagues as "vague rumors." It was an "attack," he said, on his reputation, led by character-assassins spreading "vicious and spurious" allegations against him.] In May, one of Tor's core software developers dodged the FBI and left the U.S. for Germany to avoid testifying in a criminal hacking investigation.
Just a reminder that the Tor Project itself dismissed Appelbaum based on complaints against him. If this were a conspiracy against Tor, wouldn't Tor have stood behind their own?
Who needs the FBI/NSA to conduct a smear operation when you've got smear merchants in residence?
How leading Tor developers and advocates tried to smear me after I reported their US Government ties
Take Tor developer Andrea Shepard. As soon as my story went live, Shepard responded with a torrent of childish insults, calling me “Pandofilth” and “Yasha the Foul,” a “statist propagandist," a "fucktard's fucktard." Shepard accused me of being funded by spooks, and ranted on and on about the various ways in which she said I had performed sexual favors for a male colleague. She hurled similar childish abuse at anyone she caught commenting positively about my article. When readers suggested to Shepard that she should instead offer a point-by-point rebuttal of my article, rather that swearing and insulting at anyone who mentioned it, she responded that my article wasn't worth the effort of rebutting (only insulting), and that I don't deserve to live:
— Andre (@puellavulnerata) July 18, 2014
Andrea seems easily able to launch into baseless smears against people who've gone up against her.
Jacob Appelbaum has already shown himself to be a massive dick by launching smear campaigns against critics, so he starts out with one strike against his credibility.
"I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
I think you're confusing Vigilante Justice with Free Speech. Vigilante Justice involves breaking the law. If Appelbaum's accusers beat him senseless or killed him, or detained him, or key'd his car, or even _touched_ him they would be vigilantes.
Instead they shared their stories in a public forum.
That's Free Speech in a Free Society.
You only get to share those kind of stories if they're true. Otherwise it's libel, which it is not protected free speech.