New law will ban protesters from riding mass transit in California — RT USA
April 30, 2013
Risking arrest isn’t the only obstacle for Northern California protesters — under a new rule about to go into effect, political demonstrators could lose their right to ride public transportation.
Starting next week, law enforcement officers policing the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland and other cities can issue bus and subway bans for unruly passengers — and according to one local news report, that power could be used to prevent political protesters from getting to demonstrations or essentially going anywhere.
Under the recently passed State Assembly Bill 716, BART can issue “prohibition” orders to any passenger cited or arrested for certain offenses, essentially blacklisting some people from boarding public transit vehicles if they’ve been charged with certain crimes.
BART Board President Tom Radulovich told Bay City News the law is “an important safety initiative to keep our employees and riders safe,” adding, “We’re very concerned that for the past few years folks have been assaulting our station agents.”
”We are really wanting to send the message that if you are going to come onto our system and be unruly or violent, there are going to be consequences,” BART spokesperson Alicia Trost told local ABC affiliate KGNO News.
But while the new bill will provide BART police the authority to immediately revoke riding privileges for persons arrested or convicted of acts involving violence, threats of violence, lewd or lascivious behavior or possession or sale of drugs on area transit, those charged with minor infractions could be targeted too. “AB 716 won’t only target violent behavior,” KGNO reported. “It can be applied to protestors who have been arrested during free-speech movements.”
The law will allow for prohibition orders to be issued on-the-spot if a person is just once arrested or convicted for a misdemeanor or felony involving lewd, violent or drug-related acts in a BART zone, but passengers cited three or more times for minor infractions in just as many months are subject to the ban as well.
Under the bill, a transit district may issue a prohibition order to any person charged with violating a number of local statutes, including Section 640 of state Penal Code — the law that goes after riders accused of “Willfully disturbing others on or in a system facility or vehicle by engaging in boisterous or unruly behavior” and those “Willfully blocking the free movement of another person in a system facility or vehicle.”
Although the official statute includes a note from the state declaring that Section 640 “shall not be interpreted to affect any lawful activities permitted or First Amendment rights protected under the laws of this state or applicable federal law,” allowing BART officers to ban users even accused by law enforcement of a misdemeanor could disenfranchise a huge percentage of their rider base and has critics already warning of potential authoritarian overreach.
”Certain instances have happened over the years that have caused some tragic things to happen, but you got to be careful who your profile,” BART passenger Kadmiel McCrory told KGNO.Indeed, one doesn’t have to look too deep to divulge instances of arguable overreach in not just the Bay Area but on the BART system as well. On the morning of January 1, 2009, BART Officer Johannes Mehserle fatally shot an unarmed, 22-year-old passenger, Oscar Grant, on an Oakland train platform. The killing of Grant remains a highly contested issue among Bay Area residents, and has spawned a number of large protests impacting the BART system, including a November 2010 demonstration that led to 152 arrests. Then in July 2011, BART police shot and killed another passenger — a mentally ill homeless man name Charles Blair Hill — who is alleged to have thrown a knife at an officer. The response that occurred as a result can easily be considered a precursor to enacting AB 716.
Following the 2011 shooting death of Hill, BART passengers orchestrated a massive protest that made national headlines thanks in part to the involvement of Internet hacktivist group Anonymous. A rally for Hill days after his death began peacefully but ended in violence and at least three dozen arrests. When a second protest was planned the following month, BART officials responded by having cell phone service shut down in four separate train stations to prevent demonstrators from coordinating their actions.
”We’re going to take steps to make sure our customers are safe,” BART spokesman Jim Allison said in a statement that August. “The interruption of cell phone service was done Thursday to prevent what could have been a dangerous situation. It’s one of the tactics we have at our disposal. We may use it; we may not. And I’m not sure we would necessarily let anyone know in advance either way.”
Although that protest never materialized as planned, Anonymous responded by leaking the names, passwords and other identifying information for more than 2,000 customers of a BART-affiliated website, announcing in a statement, “we will not tolerate censorship.”
“Anonymous demands that this activity revolving around censorship cease and desist and we know you are already planning to do this again,” the hacktivists wrote. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union opposed the decision to throttle cell service as well.
Now with AB 716 going into effect, protesters may once again find they are unwelcome to ride on the fifth-busiest heavy rail rapid transit system within the United States. Accumulating only three easy-to-obtain infractions in just 90 days can cause a prohibition order to be issues, and when the law goes into effect on Monday, BART officers will actually be provided with the names and photographs of prohibited individuals in order to keep them from riding mass transit, BART police Chief Kenton Rainey told the San Francisco Appeal. According to Rainey, officers’ computers will contain information about active orders, and any persons picked up or cited on the BART system for new crimes can be matched against the database to see their status.
Rainey added that BART officers will go through training to work with special-needs riders, including the homeless and mentally ill. Even if one of those passengers is cited with a prohibition order, though, it might take a lengthy appeal process to have their ban rescinded. Prohibition orders restrict passengers from riding for anywhere from 30 days up to one year.
(via ex-ist)
Bank of America Spied on Protesters, Anarchists And Hackers According To Info Leaked By Anonymous
Anonymous hackers have released 14 gigabytes of information allegedly related to Bank of America& and a web intelligence firm it hired to spy on hackers and social activists last year.
Emails detail how employees of TEKSystems actively watched hacker forums and social media sites for any remotely relevant pieces of “intelligence.”
The leak includes a list of more than 10,000 words, phrases, and (seemingly arbitrary) Wikipedia entries — everything from “jihad” to “keg stand” to “I Wish That I Had Duck Feet” — used to find items on forums like anonops and sites including Facebook, Twitter (and Tweetdeck), pastebin, and various blogs.
A press release from Par:AnoIA (aka Anonymous Intelligence Agency) states that the data clearly shows that the research was sloppy, random and valueless.”
In the press release, Anonymous suggested that media companies Bloomberg and Reuters were involved in the surveillance:
The folder was named Bloomberg which could indicate that this data belongs to Bloomberg L.P. On the otherhand the entries are tagged with “reuterscompanycontent” which would point to Thomson Reuters. In any case: What it was doing on the Israeli server is up to anyone’s guess.
But the emails include “Daily Cyber Threat Highlights” that list events and stories from all over the world.
And the data dump adds a new element to what is known about public and private entities surveilling protestors of Occupy Wall Street.
We knew that web intelligence firm Ntrepid mapped online relationships between anarchists and the leaders of Occupy. These documents reveal that TEKSystems assembled “intelligence” reports on both Occupy and hackers for (at least) the first 11 months of 2012.
Hacktivists claim the release was not a hack “because it (14 gigabytes of data and code) was stored on a misconfigured server and basically open for grabs;” and, “the collected data was stored insecurely and could have been retrieved by anyone.”
“As a bonus,” the hackers released 4.8 gigabytes of data containing the salary information top executives around the world, including Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
(via ex-ist)
Freedom : Slavery :: Ignorance : Strength: Anonymous might actually do something here...
From ZDNET:
Hacktivist group Anonymous took control of the U.S. Sentencing Commission website Friday, January 25 in a new campaign called “Operation Last Resort.”
The first attack on the website was early Friday morning. The second - successful - attack came around 9pm PST that evening.
By 3am PST ussc.gov was down (it had been dropped from the DNS), yet as of this writing the IP address (66.153.19.162) still returned the defaced site’s contents.
Update January 26, 8pm PST: ussc.gov is restored.
It appears that via the U.S. government website, Anonymous had distributed encrypted government files and left a statement on the website that de-encryption keys would be publicly released (thus releasing the as-yet unknown information held on the stolen files) if the U.S. government did not comply with Anonymous’ ultimatum demands for legal reform.
I went to check the validity of the claims by checking the status of the site, and came up with this:
… so, I checked the ip address, and was greeted with this:
… which lead me to this:
And text that read:
Citizens of the world,
Anonymous has observed for some time now the trajectory of justice in the United States with growing concern. We have marked the departure of this system from the noble ideals in which it was born and enshrined. We have seen the erosion of due process, the dilution of constitutional rights, the usurpation of the rightful authority of courts by the “discretion” of prosecutors. We have seen how the law is wielded less and less to uphold justice, and more and more to exercise control, authority and power in the interests of oppression or personal gain.
We have been watching, and waiting.
Two weeks ago today, a line was crossed. Two weeks ago today, Aaron Swartz was killed. Killed because he faced an impossible choice. Killed because he was forced into playing a game he could not win — a twisted and distorted perversion of justice — a game where the only winning move was not to play.
Anonymous immediately convened an emergency council to discuss our response to this tragedy. After much heavy-hearted discussion, the decision was upheld to engage the United States Department of Justice and its associated executive branches in a game of a similar nature, a game in which the only winning move is not to play.
Last year the Federal Bureau of Investigation revelled in porcine glee at its successful infiltration of certain elements of Anonymous. This infiltration was achieved through the use of the *same tactics which lead to Aaron Swartz’ death. It would not have been possible were it not for the power of federal prosecutors to thoroughly destroy the lives of any hacktivists they apprehend through the very real threat of highly disproportionate sentencing.
As a result of the FBI’s infiltration and entrapment tactics, several more of our brethren now face similar disproportionate persecution, the balance of their lives hanging on the severely skewed scales of a broken justice system.
We have felt within our hearts a burning rage in reaction to these events, but we have not allowed ourselves to be drawn into a foolish and premature response. We have bidden our time, operating in the shadows, adapting our tactics and honing our abilities. We have allowed the FBI and its masters in government — both the puppet and the shadow government that controls it — to believe they had struck a crippling blow to our infrastructure, that they had demoralized us, paralyzed us with paranoia and fear. We have held our tongue and waited.
With Aaron’s death we can wait no longer. The time has come to show the United States Department of Justice and its affiliates the true meaning of infiltration. The time has come to give this system a taste of its own medicine. The time has come for them to feel the helplessness and fear that comes with being forced into a game where the odds are stacked against them.
This website was chosen due to the symbolic nature of its purpose — the federal sentencing guidelines which enable prosecutors to cheat citizens of their constitutionally-guaranteed right to a fair trial, by a jury of their peers — the federal sentencing guidelines which are in clear violation of the 8th amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishments. This website was also chosen due to the nature of its visitors. It is far from the only government asset we control, and we have exercised such control for quite some time…
There has been a lot of fuss recently in the technological media regarding such operations as Red October, the widespread use of vulnerable browsers and the availability of zero-day exploits for these browsers and their plugins. None of this comes of course as any surprise to us, but it is perhaps good that those within the information security industry are making the extent of these threats more widely understood.
Still there is nothing quite as educational as a well-conducted demonstration…
Through this websites and various others that will remain unnamed, we have been conducting our own infiltration. We did not restrict ourselves like the FBI to one high-profile compromise. We are far more ambitious, and far more capable. Over the last two weeks we have wound down this operation, removed all traces of leakware from the compromised systems, and taken down the injection apparatus used to detect and exploit vulnerable machines.
We have enough fissile material for multiple warheads. Today we are launching the first of these. Operation Last Resort has begun…
Warhead - U S - D O J - L E A - 2013 . A E E 256 is primed and armed. It has been quietly distributed to numerous mirrors over the last few days and is available for download from this website now. We encourage all Anonymous to syndicate this file as widely as possible.
The contents are various and we won’t ruin the speculation by revealing them. Suffice it to say, everyone has secrets, and some things are not meant to be public. At a regular interval commencing today, we will choose one media outlet and supply them with heavily redacted partial contents of the file. Any media outlets wishing to be eligible for this program must include within their reporting a means of secure communications.
We have not taken this action lightly, nor without consideration of the possible consequences. Should we be forced to reveal the trigger-key to this warhead, we understand that there will be collateral damage. We appreciate that many who work within the justice system believe in those principles that it has lost, corrupted, or abandoned, that they do not bear the full responsibility for the damages caused by their occupation.
It is our hope that this warhead need never be detonated.
However, in order for there to be a peaceful resolution to this crisis, certain things need to happen. There must be reform of outdated and poorly-envisioned legislation, written to be so broadly applied as to make a felony crime out of violation of terms of service, creating in effect vast swathes of crimes, and allowing for selective punishment. There must be reform of mandatory minimum sentencing. There must be a return to proportionality of punishment with respect to actual harm caused, and consideration of motive and mens rea. The inalienable right to a presumption of innocence and the recourse to trial and possibility of exoneration must be returned to its sacred status, and not gambled away by pre-trial bargaining in the face of overwhelming sentences, unaffordable justice and disfavourable odds. Laws must be upheld unselectively, and not used as a weapon of government to make examples of those it deems threatening to its power.
For good reason the statue of lady justice is blindfolded. No more should her innocence be besmirked, her scales tipped, nor her swordhand guided. Furthermore there must be a solemn commitment to freedom of the internet, this last great common space of humanity, and to the common ownership of information to further the common good.
We make this statement do not expect to be negotiated with; we do not desire to be negotiated with. We understand that due to the actions we take we exclude ourselves from the system within which solutions are found. There are others who serve that purpose, people far more respectable than us, people whose voices emerge from the light, and not the shadows. These voices are already making clear the reforms that have been necessary for some time, and are outright required now.
It is these people that the justice system, the government, and law enforcement must engage with. Their voices are already ringing strong with a chorus of determined resolution. We demand only that this chorus is not ignored. We demand the government does not make the mistake of hoping that time will dampen its ringing, that they can ride out this wave of determination, that business as usual can continue after a sufficient period of lip-service and back-patting.
Not this time. This time there will be change, or there will be chaos…
-Anonymous
——STOP PRESS—-
So, looks like anonymous is getting serious. What do these documents hold? Is anonymous bluffing? What could be so damning that the U.S. Government would let it’s arms get twisted? I know one thing —I look forward to seeing the next phase of this project.
In Liberty,
IIF
Anonymous Claims It Hacked Fed, Releases Confidential Banker Information
Via ZeroHedge:
Recall that a week ago in retribution for the suicide of Aaron Swartz, Anonymous launched yet another “operation” this time titled “Last Resort”, as a result of which it hacked the Department of Justice and released a 1.3 GB folder of still encrypted “warhead” data containing files each named for Supreme Court Justices. And while there has been no additional disclosure on this latest operation, Anonymous may have reverted to the mothballed OpESR, by hacking none other than the Fed.
As ZD reports, last night Anonymous once again hacked a .gov site, this time the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC). But it was not the site hacked that was material, but rather what was posted on it. What was posted is an extended data dump sheet, titled “oops we did it again” which lists some 4,606 rows of confidential credential data including titles, names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, logins, password hashes, and much more. The spreadsheet can be found at this link.
And while the data contains primarily B-grade information, with no New York bank disclosure at least on a cursory check, a more important question is where was this data sources.
Anonymous hacks Argentina data agency
Hacker group Anonymous blocked the official website of Argentina’s National Institute of Statistics and Census amid an international stand-off over claims the country has lied about its economy.
“They lie to the people, but the people are true to their word,” the hacker collective’s Argentina branch wrote on its Twitter account.
“You think they are going to continue lying to people? Something has to be done to change this.”
At 6:30 pm (2130 GMT), INDEC’s website was still out of service.
Last year, INDEC reported that Argentina’s inflation reached 10.8 percent — less than half the 25.6 percent estimated by consultants and critics.
Anonymous has attacked INDEC’s site before, amid questions over its data, including during an incident in August.
Directors of the International Monetary Fund will meet on February 1 to decide if and how to punish Argentina for not supplying accurate economic data.
In September, IMF chief Christine Lagarde warned that the fund could censure Argentina with a “red card” after nearly two years of pressing Buenos Aires to abide by IMF rules and provide accurate data on economic growth and inflation.
The executive board received a formal report on Argentina’s non-compliance with the Fund’s data rules in December, but the report’s recommendations have not been divulged.
The stand-off has worsened relations between Argentina and the IMF, already at odds over the country’s financial crisis a decade ago.
Anonymous asked: “The reason I side with capitalism is because it’s, in my view, far more efficient and more innovative as well.” Typical fucking capitalist. Efficiency and entrepreneurship is what you desire most out of society? You know what’s really efficient? Slavery. Where do we draw the line? Lolbertarians.
Actually, slavery is pretty inefficient. You would realize this if you would take the time to understand free-markets. The line is drawn at the intrusion of every individual’s negative liberties. Because, empirically, that is where inefficiency has begun.
You should really learn to do some research, Anon. You know why I respect your world view? Because I realize I need to show humility in the face of a debate over it. I realize that geniuses have come up with these ideas and truly truly had the best interests of the world at heart. I think you can take a lesson from me. How about, instead of walking into a discussion guns blazing and cursing, you engage in an intellectual discussion.
Who knows? You might learn something! And that would be good, because it seems you have learned very little.
FBI director Robert Mueller Tries to make Public Fear Anonymous..
quoates include “we need to take lessons learned from terrorism and apply them to cybercrime”
“Once isolated hackers have joined forces to form criminal syndicates”
so anonymous is as bad as al-qaeda and the mafia?? orly??
smh… the american people knowing the truth is such a horrible crime i guess…
In America the FBI is fear mongering and talking about cyber ‘terrorism’. Are comparisons to terrorists relevant? The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur on document leaks and how our corrupt government is protecting the interests of private corporations over the interests of the American people.
My Favorite Movies: V for Vendetta (2005) #V #Vendetta #Anonymous #Government #Cinema #Films #Movies #Terrorist (Taken with instagram)
Q:When you have articles like this one "The List OF 75 US Senators Who Voted To Let 30,000 Drones Shoot Americans In The Streets", why don't you cite the bill number? Kind of makes it hard to send a message to a senator with some vague title to a bill. Thanks.
Anonymous
It is tumblr who shortens re-posts. You would have to complain to them. It is in relation to the NDAA.
Obama Isreali Background and Bloodline
1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 10
here is a video that claims to expose obama’s bloodline to elites and royality, with the anonymous and antisec logo attached at the beginning of the video… i have no had time to watch this video, it is an hour long. i do not know how much truth is in this video, i wish someone would fact check it….
things are starting to get crazy with people throwing the anonymous title around and attaching it to anything and everything….so be aware…you never know when ITS A TRAP..
the feds could be trolling…moar…or even worse…again…take things for what they are worth…most of you are fairly intelligent and wise to anonymous, at least if you follow me you know a little…as well as others who i follow, and i know some of you follow…just be careful…and realize anonymous is an idea…it can transform into anything…and that is not always good…so yea…proceed with caution…i has need for sleep…rambling. confused about this one. OpV perhaps?
What is funny in a sad way. I am a distant cousin to Obama.
