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News of Note: Justice Dept, FBI Say Interest in Online Privacy an ‘Indicator’ of Terrorism
A new flyer released by the Department of Justice and the FBI, emblazoned with the logos of each agency and being circulated to Internet cafes and other businesses, warns of “potential indicators of terrorist activities.”
In particular, the flyer cautions businesses to be on the lookout for “content of extreme/radical nature” as well as people who visit an Internet cafe even though there is evidence they have Internet access at home. It also urges people to watch for anyone using “anonymizers, portals, or other means to shield IP address,” or who seems “overly concerned about privacy.”
With an endless stream of bills coming forth that would criminalize what we know of today as the internet, here comes the FBI with a warning that use of anonymizers and other shielding tools are signs of terrorism. The internet is under attack and now they’re calling any form of defense terrorism, isn’t this tactic frighteningly obvious?
I hope no one has forgotten about the National Defense Authorization Act that allows for the indefinite detention of US citizens who are suspected of terrorism.
What’s more, the flyer urges people to be suspicious of those who “always pay cash” and to “identify license plates, vehicle description, names used, languages spoken, ethnicity, etc.”
This goes to show how absolutely subjective and malleable the definition of terrorism has become. Do you prefer to pay with cash? Maybe you’d prefer your online activity remain anonymous? I would call that playing it smart. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.