FBI’s List of Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities Related to Internet Café
- Are overly concerned about privacy, attempts to shield the screen from view of others
- Always pay cash or use credit card(s) in different name(s)
- Act nervous or suspicious behavior inconsistent with activities
- Are observed switching SIM cards in cell phone or use of multiple cell phones
- Travel illogical distance to use Internet Café
- Evidence of a residential based internet provider (signs on to Comcast, AOL, etc.)
- Use of anonymizers, portals, or other means to shield IP address
- Suspicious communications using VOIP or communicating through a PC game
http://info.publicintelligence.net/FBI-SuspiciousActivity/Internet_Cafe.pdf
In other words, they want to track everyone who’s trying to remain private online. Whodathunkit?
Now, granted, people who are up to no good would also try to remain private online, but how many actual terrorists are there compared to people who are just concerned about privacy?
After looking at the entire pamphlet, one realizes there are many qualifiers sprinkled around the page:
" Each indictor listed above, is by itself, lawful conduct or behavior and may also constitute the exercise of rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. In addition, there may be a wholly innocent explanation for conduct or behavior that appears suspicious in nature. For this reason, no single indicator should be the sole basis for law enforcement action. The totality of behavioral indicators and other relevant circumstances should be evaluated when considering any law enforcement response or action…
Some of the activities, taken individually,
could be innocent and must be examined by
law enforcement professionals in a larger
context to determine whether there is a basis
to investigate. The activities outlined on this
handout are by no means
all-inclusive but have been compiled from a
review of terrorist events over several years…
It is important to remember that just because someone’s speech,
actions, beliefs, appearance, or way of life is different; it does not
mean that he or she is suspicious."
I haven’t actually looked at the pamphlet yet, so I’m not sure how the different textual elements are laid out w.r.t. one another. But in fairness, many people overlook such qualifiers and jump to inaccurate conclusions (such as, “You’ll be branded a terrorist if you care about internet privacy!”).
Hey, I’m not saying I never do that. 
The government is redefining everything these days, yet they keep the lawful consequences the same. Eventually, just like Big Brother, everybody will be considered a threat to the state merely by thinking individualistically or considering themselves to be independent from the collective. Dealing with statists is exactly like dealing with the Borg…except our statists don’t have electronic equipment surgically implanted in their bodies as far as we know. I think it’d be more likely that they would be reptilians.
I posted the link to the infowars article here, but it seems like it may be helpful to embed this video. I don’t care what kind of “concessions” or “qualifiers” you might find in some fine print of a pamphlet. You watch this and tell me the conclusions about the aire surrounding this issue are inaccurate.
Ok I watched it.
The video doesn’t say that any of these behaviors are necessarily criminal in nature. They simply say that these sorts of behaviors are things to look out for. They also don’t tell civilians to try to stop or apprehend people they might find suspicious.
They’re merely asking them to report any suspicious activity to this hotline.
Police will then be called on to determine whether or not there is probable cause to believe that potentially illegal activity is being committed. The police could then theoretically detain someone but that doesn’t mean that they will necessarily detain someone without probable cause.
I mean really I don’t see the problem at all. No one is necessarily guilty of anything for doing any of these things mentioned in the video. There is no presumption of guilt and there is no call to violate rights of due process.
What’s the issue here?
Oh well in that case. No trouble there. Can’t see how that could become a problem for anyone (or useful for a tyrannical state looking to gain more control over a populace).
Ah yes. Great use of public money and resources. Investigating people who seem to want privacy when on their computer and then use cash when they go to the counter to buy their coffee. Also no potential abuse issues here either. This is just for bad guys. It’ll make us all safer.
That’s too bad.
According to what…
God, the law, the courts, or the cop tazing you into submission?
Are you really this naive?
You really don’t see any parallel?
Where in the video does it say: if you see people doing x they are automatically guilty of y?
It simply says that if you see someone doing x they may be guilty of y, you can’t be sure, call this hotline and we’ll check it out for you. That’s it.
You’re being paranoid.
Also this particular video makes no mention of anyone seeking privacy on a computer or trying to buy coffee with cash that was in the OP’s pamphlet. The pamphlet also clearly states that none of the behaviors mentioned are automatically illegal, they’re just stuff to look out for. That’s it.
Where in the government promotion of the NDAA does it say “the military can act as a domestic police force, apprehending American citizens charged with no crime, whisking them off to undisclosed locations, holding them indefinitely, without attorney, or trial, and the President can order assassination of American citizens with virtually no oversight, no involvement of a judge or presentation of any evidence of wrongdoing”?
Just because certain things aren’t said outright in a propaganda video, it doesn’t mean they don’t/won’t happen.
I honestly can’t believe you’re this naive.
Great. Big brother is my friend and is only there to help me and protect me. S’all good. I actually feel safer knowing everyone is spying for my safety.
You’re being naive.
Yes. Multiple times. It was just an example. As was the mention of privacy and cash.
No one’s being told to spy on anyone in private places. They’re just being told to keep an eye out for possible suspicious behavior in public places. Frankly these are things that people can already do, they’re just being instructed about a process here.
They’re being explicitly told that even if they see something that they might find suspicious to just call it in, not to take justice into their own hands, not to follow people and survey them.
They’re also being told very explicitly that none of these behaviors are automatically illegal. They’re being told to try to consider the totality of the circumstances, the context of behavior in the pamphlet before even considering reporting anything. They’re being asked to be slightly more aware in the video but the video is still very clear that none of the examples given are automatically illegal. No one is talking about ignoring due process rights.
You’re merely speculating that a police investigation pursuant to an anonymous tip about suspicious behavior could lead to an indefinite detention or an executive order assassination. Ofcourse I suppose that’s theoretically possible but that doesn’t mean it will happen. Neither the video nor the pamphlet state that the purpose of these resources is to provide potential targets for indefinite detention or executive order assassination. It’s tenuous at best.
I don’t think I’m being naive, I think I’m being logical. I’m investigating the resources and being careful about drawing too many conclusions. You’re being irrational and paranoid, you’re letting your fear of the government override your critical thinking skills.
EDIT: Now I’m not saying that there isn’t potential for abuse here. Ofcourse there is. But just based on what’s being presented here I’d say that the government is making a real effort to avoid abuse. If someone watches one of these videos or reads one of these pamphlets and interprets them to mean that the government wants them to actively spy on people then that’s on them, I didn’t interpret the message that way at all.
Also, a list of 24 other flyers produced by the FBI aimed at various other types of businesses such as farm supply stores, hobby shops, hotels/motels, martial arts, tattoo shops, etc:
http://publicintelligence.net/fbi-suspicious-activity-reporting-flyers/
In New York every single subway line already repeats this same line over and over “If you see a suspicious package or activity, do not keep it to yourself. Tell the Police or an MTA employee. Remain alert and have a safe day”, and of course its repeated so much that everyone just ignores it now. As if it was possible for anyone to prevent anything at all by telling an MTA employee or somehow trying to get the police to arrive. Its an absolute dumb waste of resources- kind of like how the NYPD checks peoples bags for “explosives” in rush hour before they head into the subway train. How about fighting crime in bad neighborhoods or something- the biggest police force ever is unbelievably wasteful.
All this stuff is in a similar vein- a waste of money and time to even print flyers like this.
You think cops have any interest in actually fighting actual crime? Especially when they can hang out and get their power trip by playing authoritarian with a bunch of harmless yuppies who pose no threat to them whatsoever?
And I wouldn’t underestimate the power of repitition, either.
You are a terrorist if you are against the state. If you are on the side of the state then you are a freedom fighter.
If a firefighter fights fire, and a crimefighter fights crime…what does a freedomfighter fight?
I thought we’d gone over this…
If you are politically acitve and non a Dem or Rep, then you are either a terrorist or an anarchist.
Exhange in silver? Don’t care about football? Your are a terrorist.
Converse with people outside of normal social confort zones? You are a terrorist.
Think war isn’t the answer? Read? You are an anarchist.
Think political leadership is not always benevolent? You are a terrorist.
Want to live your own life? You are both.
**
How are they going to monitor PC game communication?
