WWI (Great War) bringback

Heydrich · 07-16-2002, 04:30 AM

Wes, I was just referring to the occasional paranoid belief that there is a federal agent reading the public messages on the typical Internet site. The SJ Games case left the Feds loathing to pursue an investigation based on BBS or Web site postings, especially when it could be from a 16-year-old kid who uses a handle. If you guys haven’t noticed, when a person can hide behind an alias, he or she tends to spout off their mouth much more, since they can usually keep their real name hidden. To see what I mean, go to a typical political discussion message board and check out the things people post using a handle. Then imagine you’re a government agent who is looking for some kind of criminal activity there.

However, I have no doubt that some governments keep surveillance records of some people in their jurisdiction. And it would not surprise me if the FBI looked over an extreme hate group’s Web site. But I doubt they are interested in a group of guys who like to discuss things like serial numbers, production figures, and leather holsters.

Many years ago, the magazine “Wired” had a good article on this whole topic. They noticed that when it comes to computer crimes, the government has switched to mainly investigating copy write infringements (i.e. software piracy) and people sending threats via e-mail.

Cheers, [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

-Curt

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07-16-2002, 04:30 AM	#16
Heydrich Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Oregon Posts: 181 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Wes, I was just referring to the occasional paranoid belief that there is a federal agent reading the public messages on the typical Internet site. The SJ Games case left the Feds loathing to pursue an investigation based on BBS or Web site postings, especially when it could be from a 16-year-old kid who uses a handle. If you guys haven’t noticed, when a person can hide behind an alias, he or she tends to spout off their mouth much more, since they can usually keep their real name hidden. To see what I mean, go to a typical political discussion message board and check out the things people post using a handle. Then imagine you’re a government agent who is looking for some kind of criminal activity there. However, I have no doubt that some governments keep surveillance records of some people in their jurisdiction. And it would not surprise me if the FBI looked over an extreme hate group’s Web site. But I doubt they are interested in a group of guys who like to discuss things like serial numbers, production figures, and leather holsters. Many years ago, the magazine “Wired” had a good article on this whole topic. They noticed that when it comes to computer crimes, the government has switched to mainly investigating copy write infringements (i.e. software piracy) and people sending threats via e-mail. Cheers, [img]biggrin.gif[/img] -Curt