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The One
23rd January 2014, 13:18
http://lh3.ggpht.com/u5K_Xp_M7NDqPKGrNP3BC9Oxd808bjXyFvygqUcFpBWqLN0_fH lpzV8Ld8eM_531v_YcR0yN9lEPTgH7XqZxywX6FmoyQWL78U0= s630

Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance.”

That's a text message that thousands of Ukrainian protesters spontaneously received on their cell phones today, as a new law prohibiting public demonstrations went into effect. It was the regime's police force, sending protesters the perfectly dystopian text message to accompany the newly minted, perfectly dystopian legislation. In fact, it's downright Orwellian (and I hate that adjective, and only use it when absolutely necessary, I swear).

But that's what this is: it's technology employed to detect noncompliance, to hone in on dissent. The NY Times reports that the "Ukrainian government used telephone technology to pinpoint the locations of cell phones in use near clashes between riot police officers and protesters early on Tuesday." Near. Using a cell phone near a clash lands you on the regime's hit list.

See, Kiev is tearing itself to shreds right now, but since we're kind of burned out on protests, riots, and revolutions at the moment, it's being treated as below-the-fold news. Somehow, the fact that over a million people are marching, camping out, and battling with Ukraine's increasingly authoritarian government is barely making a ripple behind such blockbuster news bits as bridge closures and polar vortexes. Yes, even though protesters are literally building catapaults and wearing medieval armor and manning flaming dump trucks.

Hopefully news of the nascent techno-security state will turn some heads—it's right out of 1984, or, more recently, Elysium: technology deployed to "detect" dissent. Again, this tech appears to be highly arbitrary; anyone near the protest is liable to be labeled a "participant," as if targeting protesters directly and so broadly wasn't bad enough in the first place.

It's further reminder that authoritarian regimes are exploiting the very technology once celebrated as a vehicle for liberation; last year, in Turkey, you'll recall, the state rounded up dissident Twitter users. Now, Ukraine is tracing the phone signal directly. Dictators have already proved plenty adept at pulling the plug on the internet altogether.

All of this puts lie to the lately-popular mythology that technology is inherently a liberating force—with the right hack, it can oppress just as easily.

Holy smokes! Whoever said the NSA had the Orwellian thing all sewn up never hung out in the Ukraine I guess. This IMO valuable knowledge as it makes perfect sense in that if the Ukrainian Government can do this imagine what the NSA can do!


That's beyond Orwellian... and very scary.

However, my response text:

"Dear sender, you are registered as an idiot who is outnumbered." lol

http://motherboard.vice.com/en_ca/blog/maybe-the-most-orwellian-text-message-ever-sent

Tonz
23rd January 2014, 14:17
"Dear sender, you are registered as an idiot who is outnumbered." lol


And this statement is no joke,hope the Ukrainians never forget this and conform to an insufficient change like Egypt.

Spiral
23rd January 2014, 16:55
Maybe its not in the news in the USA is because they don't want to put ideas in peoples heads, the irony of this at a time when they had to release Kokesh because it made them look like China LOL

http://jandeane81.com/threads/1787-quot-FREEDOM-quot-Adam-Kokesh-on-his-release-and-future

BabaRa
23rd January 2014, 17:54
When Team A cranks up - Team B also cranks up.

Will be interesting to watch and hopefully results will be better than the "Arab Spring".

jimmer
23rd January 2014, 18:22
Maybe its not in the news in the USA is because they don't want to put ideas in peoples heads]

that is right on, spiral.

our new agencies are freaked out to see massive demonstrations against
an oppressive/uber gov't.
they're fearful that we, like them, will grow to no longer take it.

we are pulling for kiev.

Spiral
23rd January 2014, 18:31
that is right on, spiral.

our new agencies are freaked out to see massive demonstrations against
an oppressive/uber gov't.
they're fearful that we, like them, will grow to no longer take it.

we are pulling for kiev.

As for the situation in the Ukraine I'm not sure that these demos & riots aren't orchestrated & funded by the West, what advantage they will have ditching Russia (& cut price Russian fuel) in favour of EU / Bilderberg tyranny is anyones guess.

BabaRa
23rd January 2014, 18:42
As for the situation in the Ukraine I'm not sure that these demos & riots aren't orchestrated & funded by the West, what advantage they will have ditching Russia (& cut price Russian fuel) in favour of EU / Bilderberg tyranny is anyones guess.

Exactly! Perhaps us punishing Russia for Snowden, or just our usual: keep the fighting going all over the world. More places to sell arms and more disruption, bloodshed, etc., for them to feed off of.