A Warning...
Hello again loyal readers. I will skip right to the chase in this post as I believe that it is very important to get to the message with a minimum of bullshit.
This is a warning to all AOL Instant Messanger users living in Millersburg or Upper Paxton Township Pennsylvania.
It has recently come to my attention that the Millersburg Municipal Police Department is currently monitoring AOL IM conversations. The Police Department currently has a list of AOL IM users residing in Millersburg and Upper Paxton Twp. The list consists primarily of persons under the age of 18, but may include adults. The Millersburg Police compiled the list from parents who sent the police department their children's buddy lists.
The police originally started the monitoring to protect kids from sexual predators and other perverts on the internet at the behest of several parents who were "fed up". Apparently knowing a good thing when they saw it, the Millersburg Police Department began compiling lists of users with the help of several parents. The lists are currently used to not only monitor the conversations that the users have while within chat rooms, but also to monitor whether the person is online or not. They also use the monitoring to gather evidence of criminal activity outside of the original intentions. In other words, they are using the monitoring to gather evidence of crimes other than that of perverts soliciting minors!
Now I am no legal scholar, but I am pretty sure that this type of monitoring violates several federal wiretapping statutes and at least one federal internet privacy act. Furthermore, if the Millersburg Police Department does have a warrant to monitor the conversations that go on in an AOL IM chatroom, that warrant is being violated. What I mean is that the warrant would have been issued to gather evidence relating to sexual predators soliciting minors. By gathering evidence of other crimes, the police department is violating the scope of the original warrant and therefore conducting an illegal wiretap, if indeed they ever had a warrant in the first place!!
So, what can I do you ask. Well, you can take the following actions:
First, make sure that you do not use AOL IM. I have nothing against this messenger, and use it myself, but given the nature of the threat to you or your child, I would get rid of it.
Second, if you insist on using AOL IM, change your user name IMMEDIATELY! Get your friends and others to do so also. Then, "dope" the info you enter into your profile. In other words, enter only false info into your new profile, such as "Name: John Smith" "Age:1001" "Location: Io (a moon of Jupiter)", etc. Tell them nothing that can be remotely traced to you.
Third, learn how to use a proxy server. Instruction on the use of proxy servers along with lists of free proxies can be obtained by doing a Google search for them. Using a proxy server will make it harder (but not impossible) for the police to track your actual location (thus protecting to a degree your identity).
Fourth, I would suggest getting a secure messenger client. You want one that not only obscures your personal information, but also encrypts the messages that are sent. Once you have a secure messenger client, make copies and give it to your friends (that way you can talk to them).
Fifth, never invite someone you do not know to chat. The Mbg PD likes to use the following intro: "Hi, you don't know me but I am a friend of Joe Schmoe's" (Joe being your friend)"Joe told me that you and I might hit it off. I'd like to find out more about you and talk a bit. How about it?" Now that isn't word-for-word what they use, but you get the gist. If someone approaches you with that type of intro/come on, check with the friend named to see if your friend knows the person and did actually tell them to contact you. If your friend doesn't know them or didn't tell them to contact you, might I suggest replying with "Nice try 5-0. Now we know why you're a cop and not a brain surgeon!" While it is nice and cocky, it also let's them know that you are onto their little (illegal) game. Be sure to remember the guy's user name so that you can tell everyone about it (thus blowing that user name for the cop).
Lastly, never admit to anything online, especially to someone you don't know (or know well). Unless you've met the person face to face, you have no clue who is actually behind that user name. Off line you have been cautioned about talking to strangers, remember that when you are online also. Hell, I wouldn't even admit to being alive online!
To reiterate, if you or someone you know uses AOL Instant Messenger and lives in Millersburg or Upper Paxton Township Pennsylvania, the Millersburg Police Department is monitoring your online conversations. If you read this and know of someone living in that area, I urge you to pass along this warning. You can do so by directing them to this blog (http://lobstercigs.blogspot.com), or by emailing them this article. (To email this article, just click on the little envelope at the bottom of this post and fill in the require info).
As always, I am Chuck and this has been a public service announcement (Not to mention a good way to "stick it to the man"!!)
(Note: This post was edited on 26 Sep 05 to change the wording a bit, improve the "readability", and to fix those nasty typos.)
This is a warning to all AOL Instant Messanger users living in Millersburg or Upper Paxton Township Pennsylvania.
It has recently come to my attention that the Millersburg Municipal Police Department is currently monitoring AOL IM conversations. The Police Department currently has a list of AOL IM users residing in Millersburg and Upper Paxton Twp. The list consists primarily of persons under the age of 18, but may include adults. The Millersburg Police compiled the list from parents who sent the police department their children's buddy lists.
The police originally started the monitoring to protect kids from sexual predators and other perverts on the internet at the behest of several parents who were "fed up". Apparently knowing a good thing when they saw it, the Millersburg Police Department began compiling lists of users with the help of several parents. The lists are currently used to not only monitor the conversations that the users have while within chat rooms, but also to monitor whether the person is online or not. They also use the monitoring to gather evidence of criminal activity outside of the original intentions. In other words, they are using the monitoring to gather evidence of crimes other than that of perverts soliciting minors!
Now I am no legal scholar, but I am pretty sure that this type of monitoring violates several federal wiretapping statutes and at least one federal internet privacy act. Furthermore, if the Millersburg Police Department does have a warrant to monitor the conversations that go on in an AOL IM chatroom, that warrant is being violated. What I mean is that the warrant would have been issued to gather evidence relating to sexual predators soliciting minors. By gathering evidence of other crimes, the police department is violating the scope of the original warrant and therefore conducting an illegal wiretap, if indeed they ever had a warrant in the first place!!
So, what can I do you ask. Well, you can take the following actions:
First, make sure that you do not use AOL IM. I have nothing against this messenger, and use it myself, but given the nature of the threat to you or your child, I would get rid of it.
Second, if you insist on using AOL IM, change your user name IMMEDIATELY! Get your friends and others to do so also. Then, "dope" the info you enter into your profile. In other words, enter only false info into your new profile, such as "Name: John Smith" "Age:1001" "Location: Io (a moon of Jupiter)", etc. Tell them nothing that can be remotely traced to you.
Third, learn how to use a proxy server. Instruction on the use of proxy servers along with lists of free proxies can be obtained by doing a Google search for them. Using a proxy server will make it harder (but not impossible) for the police to track your actual location (thus protecting to a degree your identity).
Fourth, I would suggest getting a secure messenger client. You want one that not only obscures your personal information, but also encrypts the messages that are sent. Once you have a secure messenger client, make copies and give it to your friends (that way you can talk to them).
Fifth, never invite someone you do not know to chat. The Mbg PD likes to use the following intro: "Hi, you don't know me but I am a friend of Joe Schmoe's" (Joe being your friend)"Joe told me that you and I might hit it off. I'd like to find out more about you and talk a bit. How about it?" Now that isn't word-for-word what they use, but you get the gist. If someone approaches you with that type of intro/come on, check with the friend named to see if your friend knows the person and did actually tell them to contact you. If your friend doesn't know them or didn't tell them to contact you, might I suggest replying with "Nice try 5-0. Now we know why you're a cop and not a brain surgeon!" While it is nice and cocky, it also let's them know that you are onto their little (illegal) game. Be sure to remember the guy's user name so that you can tell everyone about it (thus blowing that user name for the cop).
Lastly, never admit to anything online, especially to someone you don't know (or know well). Unless you've met the person face to face, you have no clue who is actually behind that user name. Off line you have been cautioned about talking to strangers, remember that when you are online also. Hell, I wouldn't even admit to being alive online!
To reiterate, if you or someone you know uses AOL Instant Messenger and lives in Millersburg or Upper Paxton Township Pennsylvania, the Millersburg Police Department is monitoring your online conversations. If you read this and know of someone living in that area, I urge you to pass along this warning. You can do so by directing them to this blog (http://lobstercigs.blogspot.com), or by emailing them this article. (To email this article, just click on the little envelope at the bottom of this post and fill in the require info).
As always, I am Chuck and this has been a public service announcement (Not to mention a good way to "stick it to the man"!!)
(Note: This post was edited on 26 Sep 05 to change the wording a bit, improve the "readability", and to fix those nasty typos.)
posted by Chuck | 00:46
4 Comments:
Hey I really like your blog I came across it randomly one day and luckily I bookmarked it so I've come back many times since. If you have time please stop by my site. (gotta get a plug in right? lol) You can find isp providers at www.DSL-Experts.com. See? That was painless eh? lol
Anonymous,
I am glad that you like my blog! Thank you for the nice comment.
I visited your site, and while I didn't explore too much, it looks very professional. I will probably check it out further when I have the time.
I must caution other readers and commentors (and this isn't necessarily directed at you anonymous), while I will tolerate a bit of what I term "soft spam" (things like a plug or a return url for your blog), DO NOT ABUSE IT. Should abuse occur, I will scrub out the urls in these comments. I am not trying to be a dickhead, just asking that the commentors use a bit of good sense. (Really, the comment above is the type of thing I will tolerate.)
Once again, thanks for the nice comment and I am glad you enjoy the blog.
--Chuck
Dear Blaze and Gastips,
Thank you for your comments.
As you may have noticed the comment by Blaze has been deleted, while the comment by Gastips has been left intact. This was done because Blaze's comment was pure spam that linked to a program clearly designed to defraud AdSense. While I may not like AdSense, I will not be a party to promoting software designed to defraud anyone. Blaze, this is your one and only warning, do NOT post your link on my blog again or I will talk to admin at Blogger about banning you from my blog (and possibly Blogger itself).
Gastips' comment has been left intact due to the fact, that while it is somewhat "spammy" (is that a word?), it is for a product that I cannot comment on as I have never used it. Also, the website that Gastips linked to does not (at least on its homepage) make outrageous claims such as those on the linked page in Blaze's post.
I would also caution you, and all commentors, to keep your comments on topic. You commented about AdSense and saving gas under a post that concerns possible police misconduct. That is NOT on topic. Since this is a new rule, I will not delete off topic comments for a short while, but after two weeks have elapsed from the time of this post, any and all new off topic posts will be deleted (unless it is a general comment on the blog itself, then I may let it pass depending upon the nature and type of comment).
Once again, I thank you Blaze and Gastips for taking the time to comment on my blog.
--Chuck.
Doer's comment has been removed because it was spam, off topic, and linked to a Chinese (Hong Kong) website offering questionable software.
-Chuck.
Post a Comment
<< Home