Do You Like Online Privacy? You May Be a Terrorist

[Eugen Leitl]

http://publicintelligence.net/do-you-like-online-privacy-you-may-be-a-terrorist/

Do You Like Online Privacy? You May Be a Terrorist

February 1, 2012 in Featured

Public Intelligence

A flyer designed by the FBI and the Department of Justice to promote
suspicious activity reporting in internet cafes lists basic tools used for
online privacy as potential signs of terrorist activity.  The document, part
of a program called bCommunities Against Terrorismb, lists the use of
banonymizers, portals, or other means to shield IP addressb as a sign that a
person could be engaged in or supporting terrorist activity.  The use of
encryption is also listed as a suspicious activity along with steganography,
the practice of using bsoftware to hide encrypted data in digital photosb or
other media.  In fact, the flyer recommends that anyone boverly concerned
about privacyb or attempting to bshield the screen from view of othersb
should be considered suspicious and potentially engaged in terrorist
activities.

Logging into an account associated with a residential internet service
provider (such as Comcast or AOL), an activity that could simply indicate
that you are on a trip, is also considered a suspicious activity.  Viewing
any content related to bmilitary tacticsb including manuals or brevolutionary
literatureb is also considered a potential indicator of terrorist activity.
This would mean that viewing a number of websites, including the one you are
on right now, could be construed by a hapless employee as an highly
suspicious activity potentially linking you to terrorism.

The bPotential Indicators of Terrorist Activitiesb contained in the flyer are
not to be construed alone as a sign of terrorist activity and the document
notes that bjust because someonebs speech, actions, beliefs, appearance, or
way of life is different; it does not mean that he or she is suspicious.b
However, many of the activities described in the document are basic practices
of any individual concerned with security or privacy online.  The use of PGP,
VPNs, Tor or any of the many other technologies for anonymity and privacy
online are directly targeted by the flyer, which is distributed to businesses
in an effort to promote the reporting of these activities.