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General Category => Discover Seattle! => Topic started by: Good Times on Feb 14 06 07:10

Title: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Good Times on Feb 14 06 07:10
There's a relatively unknown feature in DV software that can potentially allow any  group of individuals for any purpose to communicate with each other in  total anonymity.

This feature is camouflaged enough from the public eye that no one, not even the admins or mods would be aware of the existence of an ongoing communication. [/DIV]

None of the individuals involved would need to know each other's names, email addresses, or cell phone numbers... So if any one of them is caught, they wouldn't lead the authorities to the capture of their co-conspirators.  This feature is activated with such a simple trick that a person doesn't need to  possess any knowledge of computers or the Internet for that matter, other than know how to type and access the DV site.  In my next message when I return later tonight, I shall explain this feature further and illustrate it with a real life example. Stay tuned...  [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/midi/figuren/d030.gif" border=0]
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 14 06 07:21
Sounds freaky, I'm on the edge of my seat.
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: P.C. on Feb 14 06 07:33
I fell OFF my seat !!!!!![img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/verschiedene/c010.gif" border=0]
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 14 06 07:53
Hold on to your seat folks!
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: kingy on Feb 14 06 07:59
i hope i dont cause a riot by posting this...

(http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/muslim_man.gif)
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Witch on Feb 14 06 10:49
So.... has anyone actually seen any terrorists since 9-11?

"But they must be all around us.... the Guv'mint says so!!"

And we pay the bills to make war on these so-called terrorists, that we never see, who are always thwarted, that the government always manages to outsmart but never manages to catch..... Terrorists using DV? No... I don't think so. But I'm sure the Shrub wants us all to be vigilant, so his puppet masters can keep their jobs.
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 14 06 11:00
...and you notice how Bush has yet to prosecute one single terrorist. All these privacy invasions ought to garner something.[/DIV]Yet Clinton's team caught and prosecuted the first WTC bombers and others. They were hot on the trail of the USS Cole Bombers but shrub (I can't give him the honor of capitalizing) pulled everyone out, saying they were "tired of swatting at flies"
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Good Times on Feb 15 06 01:13
I'm back, and here is the moment you've been waiting for.  [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/midi/figuren/d022.gif" border=0]

The feature I'm referring to involves the way threads are specified on DV. In Snitz (the bulletin board software used on DV) threads are assigned separate  "topic_id number"s.

Hence, a sample link to a DV thread would have the following format: [A href="http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12345"]http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12345[/A]

Note the "12345" in the end. It can be any number. (And it doesn't have to be 5 digits long.) They all point to a web space containing either a real or possible thread regardless of their identifying number.


Now go ahead and modify that number in the end, and surf to the page to see what's there: Some will point to existing threads, some will be blank, and some will be leftovers of deleted threads...  So any group of individuals wishing to communicate on any topic (be it terrorism, hacking, or poetry) in a totally anonymous manner, would only need a common number. That's it.  That number can be anything: 911, the birth date of Mohammed, or whatever... so long as everyone knows it, and it points to a blank page that area can be used to plot any activity the group chooses to discuss. [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/midi/figuren/b095.gif" border=0] In my next message I'll explain some of the unique characteristics of such threads and wrap up with the example I promised. [DIV align=right]  [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/midi/figuren/d026.gif" border=0]
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Witch on Feb 15 06 06:37
How about "don't bother".

Nothing you've said is anything but common knowledge. Nothing you've said is new. Nothing you've said is going to protect us from these fictitious terrorists.

Some of us are getting a little tired of morons who buy into the shrub fecal matter and want to see terrorists behind every bush (yes it is an interesting turn of a phrase...) The only terrorists we should be afraid of, are the ones in the White House.
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Good Times on Feb 16 06 12:23
Threads created the way I described appear to possess unique characteristics...

Invisibility is one interesting feature they have: They don't show up on the list of topics. This way neither the mods nor the admins can see them unless they know the exact thread id number.

These threads don't get spidered by search engines either. So there's no record of their existence - and no risk of accidental discovery.

And I haven't tested this yet, but since they don't officially exist, it may not even be possible to delete them in one shot even when they're discovered. (They'd have to delete the messages contained in the thread one by one.)

In the beginning of 2006 I was thinking of exploring the notion of "secret gardens" - so I created one public thread, and one hidden thread.

Both threads had contained pictures of gardens - photographs and paintings of gardens, that's it.   Yet all my public threads were deleted by the retarded mods in the aftermath of UK Basketball fan's borrowing my nickname and wreaking havoc on DV.  The idiots were simply too enraged to distinguish between the artistic or joke threads originally written by myself, and those written by UBF.  Anyhow, none of those threads survived, except the "private" one... So until the DV mods reading about it on here discover and delete the few messages contained in that thread you can see it at [A href="http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2006"]http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2006[/A] Yup you guessed it, this thread has nothing to do with terrorism. It's just an angle to consider for those who're not too caught up in their own ideological blindness.  Once someone relaxes their thinking and stops refraining from imposing their own political agenda on everything they see, it's amazing how many secret gardens one ends up discovering...   (http://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Teasing/5.gif)  A word to the wise.  
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: tenkani on Feb 16 06 12:46
Shit. The secret's out!
It's an interesting feature, but the whole terrorist angle IMO is overblown.
I give you a thumbs up for exposing a neat trick, a thumbs down for the scare mongering.
Meh.
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: kits on Feb 16 06 12:49
OMFGITSTENK!!!11

errr... morning?
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: tenkani on Feb 16 06 01:04
This thread is booby-trapped, for your pleasure.
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: kits on Feb 16 06 01:10
you had me with your eyes....

you lost me in the glare!
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Good Times on Feb 16 06 01:23
Ha! Someone's given me bad karma immediately after I posted my message. Must've been tenkani!

(http://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/5.gif)

> It's an interesting feature, but the whole terrorist angle IMO is overblown.
I give you a thumbs up for exposing a neat trick, a thumbs down for the scare mongering.
[/DIV]Not trying to scare anyone... I don't know the prevailing atmosphere where you live (meaning, how terrorism is mentioned and portrayed in your local media) but up here most Canucks tend to be fairly non-chalant about it. So it's acceptable to crack a harmless joke or two once in a while and people don't get upset (or scared) hearing them.

Within the context of this thread, I'm not saying that terrorists are actually using DV right at this moment, but when you come to think of it, how can you be 100% sure that they're not?

And of course what I'm speculating extends way beyond DV. Terrorists may not have heard of DV, but any Snitz board set up the same way can be used for the same purpose.  The point is if my secret gardens thread survived the mad slaughter by simply remaining invisible, any other thread on any other topic stands a similar chance as well.  Then why not consider the possibility (without getting scared) purely as a mental exercise?   (Besides, it also makes a good attention grabber title.) [DIV align=right][img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/midi/konfus/a050.gif[/img]
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: tenkani on Feb 16 06 01:29
Dude, it would take a lot for me to smite someone.
Like obvious trolling.
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: kits on Feb 16 06 01:37
simmer down now tenk......

some people are pretty much retarded!
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Sportsdude on Feb 16 06 01:38
I have no qualms over who spited me.
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: tenkani on Feb 16 06 01:39
If I simmered down any more I'd be unconsho.
Sleeeeepy...
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: TehBorken on Feb 16 06 05:18
I've heard of a method for semi-secure communication that uses any public email service like Hotmail, Yaoo, etc.

Basically, person "A" gets an account and writes his message, then saves it as a 'draft' copy.

Person "B" logs in and reads the 'draft', then adds a reply and re-saves it as a 'draft'.

The message is never sent so it doesn't appear in normal email message traffic, but both parties can read and reply as much as they like.
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Schadenfreude on Feb 16 06 09:11
(http://www.crazyoldlady.com/2003journal/images/boymechanic/cuspidor.JPG).
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Witch on Feb 16 06 09:25
[BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"]Besides, it also makes a good attention grabber title.[/DIV] [/DIV][/BLOCKQUOTE][DIV dir=ltr]And attention getting is really what you're all about, right?[/DIV][DIV dir=ltr] [DIV dir=ltr]I wonder how many other people whining about being moderated will show up here?
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Good Times on Feb 16 06 12:53
> I've heard of a method for semi-secure communication that uses any public email service like Hotmail, Yaoo, etc.

That's an equally effective method as well.

As I read your description I remembered a service like mailinator which automatically creates temp email accounts when a message arrives for them.

So then for me the bottom line is, people with malicious intentions wishing to remain anonymous don't need to rely on conventional methods to exchange information through the Net.  What does that say about the value of all the time, money and energy devoted to electronic surveillance?
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: tenkani on Feb 16 06 12:56
Good point, GT. Well, I'd say that we're spending millions of dollars to catch the really stupid terrorists who don't know any better than to fill their email communications with easily identifiable red-flag keywords    :P
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Witch on Feb 17 06 07:35
Or more likely, we're spending millions of dollars to convince ourselves that there are terrorists behind every bush, so that we can continue to employ the fat cats making millions from the "War on Terrorism" fantasy.
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: former s.consumer on Feb 18 06 12:23
Quote from: Future Canadian on Feb 14 06 11:00...and you notice how Bush has yet to prosecute one single terrorist. All these privacy invasions ought to garner something.[/DIV]Yet Clinton's team caught and prosecuted the first WTC bombers and others. They were hot on the trail of the USS Cole Bombers but shrub (I can't give him the honor of capitalizing) pulled everyone out, saying they were "tired of swatting at flies"[/DIV]
you obviously don't follow international and american cases in which hundreds of operatives have been arrested and charged. these "privacy invasions" are used on specific high risk individuals.do you think that the CIA or the FBI has the time and resources to waste tracking just anybody and everybody? clintons team had a response plan to bin laden and his ideological followers when bush took office the plan was ignored and revamped.then 9/11 happened prompting bush to act,and act incorrectly in iraq.  
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 18 06 12:32
these "privacy invasions" are used on specific high risk individuals.do you think that the CIA or the FBI has the time and resources to waste tracking just anybody and everybody?

Good point, since the CIA and FBI can't seem to get out of their own way. I still don't trust the current administration to only go after terrorism. They are definitely not above dirty tricks against political enemies.
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Witch on Feb 18 06 09:40
It appears that the CIA and other "War on Terror" agencies get pretty much all the money and resources they say they need. Apparently someone understands the principle of supply and demand. If you can convince people they need a bigger and more powerful CIA because there are enemies everywhere, and nukes hidden in every foreigners basement, then they will hand you power and money on a platter.

And the platter just keeps getting bigger... and bigger... and bigger....
Title: Re: Terrorists could well use DV, but not DS!
Post by: Good Times on Feb 23 06 03:55
One interesting scenario to employ with the DV feature is to create "tunnels" - so one hidden message leads to another which leads to another and so on, that way they become very hard to trace and in the end you end up with a whole network of underground messages totally invisible to the outside world.

When I come to think of it, sometime in early 2005 I had created a mini network of such messages, consisting of 4-6 interconnected threads.

But later I lost the entry point. [A onclick="addImg('icon/icon_smile_shy.gif')" href="jvascript:void(0)"](http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/icon_smile_shy.gif)[/A]  (http://www.wpbnet.com/images/clients/nishimatsu/tunnel-pic.jpg)