The search engine manipulation effect (SEME) and its possible impact on the outcomes of elections by Robert Epstein and Ronald E. Robertson

The search engine manipulation effect (SEME) and its possible impact on the outcomes of elections by Robert Epstein and Ronald E. Robertson (American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, Vista, CA 92084 Edited by Jacob N. Shapiro, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ) Here the authors report "the results of five relevant double-blind, randomized controlled experiments, using a total of 4,556 undecided voters representing diverse demographic characteristics of the voting populations of the United States and India. The results of these experiments demonstrate that (i) biased search rankings can shift the voting preferences of undecided voters by 20% or more, (ii) the shift can be much higher in some demographic groups, and (iii) search ranking bias can be masked so that people show no awareness of the manipulation. We call this type of influence, which might be applicable to a variety of attitudes and beliefs, the search engine manipulation effect. Given that many elections are won by small margins, our results suggest that a search engine company has the power to influence the results of a substantial number of elections with impunity. The impact of such manipulations would be especially large in countries dominated by a single search engine company."

The video published on Facebook on the cooperation of the NGO Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting (OCCRP) with hackers at its seat in Sarajevo

The People's NSA #OCCRP At an undisclosed location in Sarajevo, a group of sophisticated hackers are working with investigative journalists to expose organized crime and corruption by some of the world’s most sinister governments https://www.facebook.com/freethinkcoded/videos/1444878742274622 The donors of this organization as listed on its page: https://www.occrp.org/en/aboutus/who-supports-our-work# NED https://www.ned.org/ SIDA https://www.sida.se/English/ Foreign and Commonwealth Office https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-office USAID https://www.usaid.gov/ US Department of State https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-civilian-security-democracy-and-human-rights/bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor/ Google News Initiative Fund https://newsinitiative.withgoogle.com/dnifund/ Open Society Foundations https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/ Rockefeller Brother's Fund https://www.rbf.org/ MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF DENMARK https://um.dk/en/ European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights International Center for Journalists Catherine Hawkins Foundation The Bay and Paul Foundations https://www.bayandpaulfoundations.org/index.html Luminate https://www.omidyargroup.com/the-omidyar-group/ Sigfrid Ruasing Trust The Skoll Foundation https://skoll.org/ Vital Strategies https://www.vitalstrategies.org/

Da li je Šolak utajio porez u Srbiji?/ Has Šolak evaded taxes in Serbia? (Ekspres, 19.07.2017.)

 https://www.ekspres.net/brejking/da-li-je-solak-utajio-porez-u-srbiji

Za razliku od 2012, kada je SBB platio 1,9 miliona evra poreza, 2014. su, obračunavši 32,7 miliona rashoda iz odnosa s povezanim pravnim licima, dobili poreski gubitak od 1,5 miliona evra. Grubom procenom, to što je SBB platio povezanim licima, odnosno svojim vlasnicima u inostranstvu, potencijalno je stvorilo minus u državnoj kasi od oko šest miliona evra na ime poreza na dobit

Lepota je u oku posmatrača, kažu ljudi. Slično je i sa obračunavanjem poreza. Zavisi od ukusa. Ono što je za jedne izvlačenje para i gruba obmana poreskih organa, za druge je poslovanje po zakonu. Bar u Srbiji.
Mnoge filigranske pojedinosti o aktivnostima kablovskog operatera SBB u Srbiji nisu poznate široj javnosti, ali ono što zna svaki čitalac tabloida i upućeniji poznavalac ovdašnjih biznis prilika jeste da ga je pre skoro četiri godine kupio američki investicioni fond KKR („Kolberg Kravis Roberts”), kojim rukovodi nekadašnji šef CIA Dejvid Petreus.
Kompanija KKR saopštila je 16. oktobra 2013. da od kompanije „Mid Europa Partners” preuzima „SBB Telemah grupu”, u čijem sastavu je i srpska kablovska mreža SBB. Na čelu SBB-a ostao je tim predvođen osnivačem kompanije Draganom Šolakom, koji je zadržao znatan udeo u „SBB Telemah grupi”.
Devojka od sto milijardi dolara
Zvanično nije otkriveno koliko je tačno vredelo ovo preuzimanje, ali se u javnosti spekulisalo da je reč o sumi od milijardu evra, što je relativno značajna svota čak i za KKR, koji raspolaže imovinom vrednom skoro sto milijardi dolara. Posao decenije zvanično je završen u proleće 2014. godine i smatra se jednom od najvećih kupovina na području telekomunikacija u istočnoj Evropi. Kao što to obično biva u ovakvim transakcijama, SBB je kupljen delom kroz kapital, delom kroz „dug koji će nastati u budućnosti”. Ako se pitate zašto se sada time bavimo, odgovor leži upravo u periodu koji se dešava posle kupovine.
Krenimo od početka. „SBB – Srpske kablovske mreže” najveći su operater digitalne i analogne kablovske televizije i širokopojasnog interneta u Srbiji. Osnovane su 1. septembra 2000. godine u Kragujevcu. Investicioni fond „Mid Europa Partners” iz Londona kupio ih je 2007. godine, istovremeno kada i slovenački „Telemah” (koji je nešto ranije preuzeo „Telemah Bosne i Hercegovine”). Posle toga, verovatno da bi na jednom mestu okupio svoje investicije u bivšoj Jugoslaviji, fond MEP, zajedno sa Evropskom bankom za obnovu i razvoj (EBRD), takođe sa sedištem u Londonu, osniva „United Group”, gde ulaze sva tri pomenuta kablovska operatera s Balkana. Zvanični vlasnik SBB-a ispred „Mid Europa Partners” bilo je preduzeće „Adria Cable BV” iz Amsterdama u Holandiji.
Podsetimo, list „Delo” iz Ljubljane prošle godine objavio je tekst u kojem se navodi da je prodaja udela „Mid Europa Partnersa” u kompaniji „United Group” američkom KKR-u izvršena u inostranstvu, i to od privrednog društva registrovanog u inostranstvu, i da, navodno, za ovu transakciju u Srbiji nije plaćen ni dinar poreza. Ti podaci mogu da se nađu u Agenciji za privredne registre, gde se ne navodi ko stoji iza kapitala koji su „Mid Europa Partners” i KKR investirali u kupovinu. Istovremeno s preuzimanjem od KKR-a, promenio se i formalni neposredni vlasnik SBB-a ispred „United Group”, i to je sada „Adria Serbia Holdco B. V.”, takođe sa sedištem u holandskom Amsterdamu. Upisan nenovčani kaptal, koji je prenet od prethodnog vlasnika, iznosi 25.537.578.444,35 dinara. SBB trenutno ima devet ćerki firmi i 22 ljudi u menadžmentu.
U okviru istraživačkog novinarskog projekta „Ko je vlasnik interneta?” ljubljanskog dnevnika „Delo”, detaljno je proučena vlasnička struktura pojedinih kompanija koje pružaju internet usluge, poput slovenačkog „Telemaha”. Njegovo vlasništvo je, u poređenju s drugim akterima na istom tržištu, nedvosmisleno najmanje transparentno. Petinu u svom vlasništvu ima predsednik uprave „United Group” i prokurista „Telemaha” Dragan Šolak, ali to je do tada bilo sakriveno od očiju javnosti. Naime, „United Group” u svom okrilju ima čitav niz preduzeća čiji nazivi sadrže reč „Adria” i koja se pojavljuju u veoma komplikovanoj mreži različitih firmi koje su jedna drugoj vlasnik. Isprepletana vlasnička struktura omogućava lakše izvlačenje para iz preduzeća, što se upravo i dešava sa SBB-om. Konstantno praveći gubitke, SBB je skoro potpuno potrošio svoj kapital, odnosno njegove akumulirane obaveze do kraja 2014. dosegle su preko 95 odsto ukupne vrednosti imovine. Prikazujući da iz godine u godinu ostvaruje gubitke, SBB takođe izbegava da plati porez na dobit, objavilo je „Delo” i tek poneki opskurni mediji u Srbiji.

Poreski stručnjaci s kojima smo se konsultovali kažu da poslovanje s povezanim licima ne znači automatski kršenje zakona i da je, pošto su svi ovi podaci u zvaničnim izveštajima, država imala uvid u njih i verovatno procenila da je sve u skladu s propisima

Zavisi kako se uzme…
U prethodnom broju „Ekspresa” objavili smo priču zagrebačkog „Nacionala” u kojoj se navodi da je malteška firma Dragana Šolaka „iz Hrvatske izvukla oko 6,7 miliona evra od TV prava bez plaćanja poreza”. Opravdano, zapitali smo se da li tako posluju i u Srbiji, međutim, dobili smo odgovor od Šolakovih saradnika da „uredno izmiruju obaveze u svim jurisdikcijama u kojima posluju”. Da li je baš tako?
Tragom ove informacije, istraživali smo izveštaje dostupne na sajtu Boniteti.rs i došli do podatka da je 2012. godine (pre nego što ih je KKR preuzeo) udeo kapitala u finansiranju SBB-a bio približno 30 odsto, dok je dve godine kasnije taj udeo pao na svega dva procenta. Istovremeno, udeo obaveza iz 2012. godine sa 65 odsto dolazi na čak 95 procenata u 2014. godini. Šta se time dobija? Firma koja je u 2012. godini platila porez na dobit od 1,9 miliona evra, nakon što ju je preuzeo KKR, tokom 2014. registruje poreski gubitak od skoro 1,5 miliona evra (tačnije 1.469.813,99 evra). Taj poreski gubitak je posebno interesantan ako se analiziraju prihodi firme. Tokom 2012, ukupni prihodi SBB-a bili su 114,7 miliona evra, dok su dve godine kasnije porasli na 153 miliona. Napredak u poslovanju primetan je i ako se analizira dobit pre amortizacije (EBITDA) – ona je 2012. iznosila 45 miliona evra, a 2014. čak 51 milion. Međutim, za razliku od 2012, kada su platili pomenutih 1,9 miliona evra poreza, 2014. zabeležili su ne samo tri puta veće troškove redovnog poslovanja (oni su sa 7,7 narasli na 22,2 miliona evra) već su obračunali i 32,7 miliona rashoda iz odnosa s povezanim pravnim licima i tako je uspešna firma upala u poreski minus od 1.469.813 evra. To im je omogućilo da ne plate akontativni porez na početku godine. I taj minus ne treba shvatiti kao neplaćeni porez, već kao dažbine koje su prethodno plaćene kroz PDV. Da budemo jasni, država nije na gubitku. Ipak, prema jednom tumačenju, to što je SBB platio povezanim licima, odnosno svojim vlasnicima u inostranstvu, predstavlja izvlačenje para i grubom procenom stvara minus u državnoj kasi od oko šest miliona evra po osnovu poreza na dobit od oko 20 odsto. Međutim, važno je napomenuti da država ima mehanizam da spreči takve zloupotrebe. Ukoliko poslujete s povezanim licima iz inostranstva, morate u skladu s propisima angažovati nezavisnu revizorsku kuću da uradi elaborat o transfernim cenama. Drugo, da bi se izbegla mogućnost da s povezanom firmom u ofšor zemljama sklopite ugovor o kreditiranju po visokim kamatnim stopama i tako izvučete pare, zakonodavac je propisao da kamatna stopa mora da se uskladi s referentnom stopom Narodne banke Srbije, a da se sve preko toga oporezuje. Da li je SBB sve to uradio, do zaključenja ovog broja nismo saznali.
Međutim, poreski stručnjaci s kojima smo se konsultovali kažu da poslovanje s povezanim licima ne znači automatski kršenje zakona i da je, pošto su svi ovi podaci u zvaničnim izveštajima, država imala uvida u njih i verovatno procenila da je sve u skladu s propisima.

ĆERKE FIRME SBB-a
* Knight Developement Support
* SBB fondacija
* IKOM Beograd
* Fondacija Registar nacionalnog internet domena Srbije
* CAS Media d.o.o.
* Beogrid
* Telegrad
* EUnet
* Atomski zdesna d.o.o. – u likvidaciji

Comandante de CHILFOR 32 recibe medalla de excelencia de la misión (ejercito de chile 17/08/2020)

https://www.ejercito.cl/prensa/visor/comandante-de-chilfor-32-recibe-medalla-de-excelencia-de-la-mision?fbclid=IwAR3VOU44pZ-VU17FXZrglM6UVJsshPlxFT6zpIAaIhay9gWTtykuToEhok8

Noticias

Comandante de CHILFOR 32 recibe medalla de excelencia de la misión

En mérito al destacado trabajo desempeñado en la misión de operaciones de paz en Bosnia y Herzegovina, el Comandante de las fuerzas chilenas CHILFOR 32, Teniente Coronel Alejandro Pliscoff C., fue distinguido por el Comandante de las Fuerzas de la Unión Europea EUFOR Althea.

En la mañana del 14 de agosto, el Comandante de la EUFOR Althea, Mayor General Reinhard Trischack, otorgó la medalla de excelencia de la misión al Oficial chileno, destacando de esta manera su labor al interior del Estado Mayor.

La distinción fue entregada al Teniente Coronel Pliscoff en reconocimiento por implementar una reingeniería en el ámbito de la inteligencia como Jefe de Departamento del Cuartel General Multinacional, siendo de esta manera el primer oficial chileno en obtener la más alta distinción de EUFOR.

En este sentido, el oficial destaca el valor de este reconocimiento y manifiesta que “en el año 2008 ya había obtenido la Commendation y Evaluation Outstanding por mi desempeño como Oficial de Inteligencia y Operaciones y segundo comandante del Regional Coordination 1, en la ciudad de Banja Luka, y poder regresar 12 años después al Cuartel General de EUFOR como Asesor de Estado Mayor es un salto profesional considerable, en donde he podido demostrar todos los conocimientos y competencias obtenidas, tanto en Chile como en el extranjero y poder medirme con profesionales y colegas de otros ejércitos, principalmente europeos, en excelente forma”.

Sobre la labor efectuada desde que comenzó la misión de la Fuerza chilena CHILFOR 32, el 1 de diciembre de 2019 y que culmina el 20 de agosto, siendo reemplazados por el despliegue de CHILFOR 33 en la zona, el Teniente Coronel Pliscoff manifiesta que durante este tiempo se realizó con éxito una reingeniería a los procesos de inteligencia tendientes a un modelo productivo, ante lo cual enfatiza que “CHILFOR 33 tendrá la tarea, no menor, de consolidar este proceso denominado “J2 review” en cuanto a procesos y correcciones de detalle, siendo esta consolidación, una de las fases más complejas a liderar, de todo un cambio organizacional”.

Este nuevo desafió será asumido por el Teniente Coronel Cristian Villarroel R., al mando de CHILFOR 33 y quien participó de esta actividad de reconocimiento, donde se entrevistó con el Comandante de EUFOR Althea.

El Teniente Coronel Villarroel, ante el inició de esta misión de paz recalca que uno de los objetivos es mantener el estándar alcanzado por sus antecesores y que “mientras que CHILFOR 32 tuvo que abordar un proceso de optimización que permitiese lograr inteligencia predictiva, nosotros tendremos que implementar el rediseño y ponerlo en práctica”.

Ejército de Chile

The Global Disinformation Order: 2019 Global Inventory of Organised Social Media Manipulation (COMPUTATIONAL PROPAGANDA RESEARCH PROJECT, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD)

Take back the Tech (2011.)

10. decembar 2011.

Završava kampanja Vratimo kontrolu nad tehnologijom 2011, aktivnosti se nastavljaju


Danas završava kampanja Vratimo kontrolu nad tehnologijom! (Take back the Tech!) koja se održava svake godine tokom 16 dana aktivizma protiv rodno uslovljenog nasilja (od 25. novembra do 10. decembra).


Pozivamo Vas da nam se danas pridružite, u periodu od 17h 00 do 18h 00, u prostorima Art Kina Kriterion na prezentaciji platoforme „Mapirajte nasilje! Zaustavite ga!

Svi su dobrodošli!


Fondacija jedan svijet – platforma za jugoistočnu Evropu (OneWorldSEE) učestvovala je u kampanji već četvrtu godinu zaredom, ove godine uz podršku nekoliko drugih bh. organizacija: Media centar Abrašević, Antifašistička akcija (ANTIFA), Oštra nula, Okvir, Forum žena Bratunac, Žene ženama, Infoteka, Udruženje mladih Ilovača, Akcija građana i Viktorija 99.



Kampanja je i ove godine uključila dnevne akcije, kako u fizičkim, tako i u online prostorima. Kao najznačajniju aktivnost izdvajamo i prevođenje i adaptiranje globalne mape nasilja nad ženama za naše govorno područje. Desetine izvještaja iz Bosne i Hercegovine, kao i stotine izvještaja iz cijelog svijeta, mogu se naći na slijedećoj internet adresi: www.apc.org/ushahidi/?l=bs_BA Ovi izvještaji uključuju priče o kulturološki „opravdanom” nasilju, online uznemiravanju i cyberstalkingu, nasilju u partnerskim vezama, seksualnom uznemiravanju i silovanju, o zajednicama nad kojima se vrši nasilje zbig njihovom seksualnog opredjeljenja, itd.



Kako bi osigurali kontinuitet u dokumentovanju lokalnih slučajeva nasilja nad ženama, Fondacija jedan svijet – platforma za jugoistočnu Evropu organizovala je i jednodnevni program edukacije za mlade aktivistkinje i aktivistkinje s ciljm boljeg upoznavanja sa komunikacijskim pravima i platformama za online kativizam usmjeren ka zaustavljanju nasilja nad ženama. Ovaj trening održan je uz podršku Association for Progresive Communications, Programa Volontera Ujedinjenih naroda u BiH i ureda UN Women u BiH.



Vjerujemo da je moguće stati u kraj nasilju nad ženama ako svaka djevojka, žena, muškarac i osoba pristupi IKT-u s ciljem da promjeni nejednake odnose moći, poduzme akciju i posveti se transformisanju načina na koje su svi naši prostori definisani i razvijeni, bilo online ili ne.



Više informacija o kampanji možete pročitati ovdje: http://www.oneworldsee.org/node/22761, a tu je i priručnik sa praktičnim savjetima kako sigurno koristiti IKT alatke: http://www.oneworldsee.org/js/budi-sigurna

THE GUCCIFER PHENOMENANON W/ COMMANDER X >> Truth Frequency Radio (Episode 271, 26/03/2017)

https://tfrlive.com/the-covert-report-with-susan-lindauer-71166/

EPISODE #271

AIRED: 03-26-2017

A fascinating show! Commander X talks about Vault 7 and the Guccifer Phenomenon that’s all the rage in the Deep State. The clarity of Commander X defies the simplistic Deep State cover story. Uh oh! For starters, it wasn’t Russians who hacked the DNC at all. It was a crew of 7 or 8 Ukrainians, Serbians and Romanians. Nor could “Anonymous Russia” be characterized as “state-sponsored,” since they’re notorious for hacking Russian government emails, then blackmailing Russian officials for $10K a pop NOT to expose their corruption. Before the November election, Putin arrested the whole crew of 6 to 8 members. Only one escaped. Not exactly the story Nancy Pelosi’s telling! No, this show explores how cyber-hacktivists contribute mightily to the defense of freedom, transparency, and rip the wings off tyrants. Good reasons to bring Edward Snowden home, and invite Julian Assange to the White House to receive the Medal of Honor for defending Democracy in the United States. X talks a lot about FISA and the government forces aggressively mobilizing to suppress the flow of ideas. Will Trump beat the Deep State?? We’d all better hope so. In the meantime, the anti-State hackers and anarchists of the Guccifer Phenomenon have some more fight in them, too!!!
http://anonymousglobal.org/commanderx/blog/?p=284 …

website: www.commanderx.cf

IZVJEŠTAJ PARLAMENTARNE KOMISIJE ODGOVORNE ZA REVIZIJU O IZVJEŠTAJIMA REVIZIJE FINANSIJSKIH IZVJEŠTAJA JAVNIH PREDUZEĆA IZ NADLEŽNOSTI PARLAMENTA FEDERACIJE BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE ZA 2011. GODINU

IZVJEŠTAJ PARLAMENTARNE KOMISIJE ODGOVORNE ZA REVIZIJU
O IZVJEŠTAJIMA REVIZIJE FINANSIJSKIH IZVJEŠTAJA JAVNIH PREDUZEĆA IZ

NADLEŽNOSTI PARLAMENTA FEDERACIJE
BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE ZA 2011. GODINU

 Revidirani finansijski izvještaji za 2011. godinu
1) Privedno društvo Lutrija BiH d.o.o. Sarajevo (Mišljenje revizora sa rezervom)
2) JP Međunarodni aerodrom Sarajevo d.o.o. (Mišljenje revizora sa rezervom)
3) JP Ceste Federacije BiH d.o.o. Sarajevo (Mišljenje revizora sa rezervom)
4) JP Autoceste Federacije BiH d.o.o. Mostar (Mišljenje revizora sa rezervom)
5) JP Hrvatske telekomunikacije d.o.o. Mostar, razmatrano 15.03.2013. (Mišljenje
revizora sa rezervom)
6) BH Telecom d.d. Sarajevo (Mišljenje revizora sa rezervom)
7) Javno preduzeće B&H Airlines d.o.o. Sarajevo (Negativno mišljenje revizora)
8) BH Gas d.o.o. Sarajevo (Mišljenje revizora sa rezervom)
9) JP Međunarodna zračna luka - aerodrom Mostar d.o.o. (Mišljenje revizora sa
rezervom)
10) Dioničko društvo Ceste Mostar (Mišljenje revizora sa rezervom)
11) Privredno društvo Terminali Federacije d.o.o. Sarajevo (Negativno mišljenje
revizora)
12) JP "Željeznice Federacije BiH" (Negativno mišljenje revizora)
13) JP Elektroprivreda HZHB d.d. Mostar (Mišljenje revizora sa rezervom)
14) JP Elektroprivreda BiH (Mišljenje revizora sa rezervom)
15) Javni servis Radio-televizije Federacije BiH Sarajevo - nije razmatrano
(Negativno mišljenje revizora)

Commander X, a Fugitive Homeless Hacker, Has a New Book About Hacking on the Run by Patrick McGuire | Nov 1 2016

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/4xabwp/commander-x-homeless-hacker-turned-fugitive-just-published-the-definitive-boo

Commander X, a Fugitive Homeless Hacker, Has a New Book About Hacking on the Run

The legendary Anonymous member just published his first book, Behind the Mask, and it’s the first of its kind in terms of advancing the public record on Anonymous.

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Christopher Doyon. Image: FBI

Christopher Doyon—or as he's known to his 7,000+ Twitter followers, Commander X—is a homeless, fugitive hacker who has been on the run from the US government for more than four years in Canada. While there have been several high-profile cases of Anonymous members being imprisoned, Commander X is an outlier. By all accounts, he was an influential member of the hacktivist collective during its most consequential period, but he has so far escaped the fate of his former comrades.

So, as a symbol of his freedom, today X published his first book, Behind the Mask, and it's the first of its kind in terms of advancing the public record on Anonymous. While we are used to some sporadic voices from the hacktivist collective movement coming forward to the media, they are mostly heard through voice-scrambling filters in short videos announcing Anonymous operations, or from behind bars.

X's book is the antithesis of what we're used to from Anonymous; it's personal, both braggadocious and self-deprecating, and through its first-person perspective provides insight into operations of Anonymous that will be completely alien to any non-hacker reader.

It's arguably not smart to write a book like this, given the intense thirst from the FBI to capture Anonymous leaders. But when you're Commander X, who has given interviewsto major publications since escaping prosecution in the US and becoming a fugitive; and who still tweets daily and taunts government agencies by writing messages on his timeline, such as "What will the FBI Cyber Crime Division do when there's no more Internet? Is Walmart hiring any security guards?" and "...if you want pigs to respect your protest, show up armed"; then quite obviously the traditionally-guarded hacker/media relationship has gone out the window.

"For those wondering how Anonymous begins a major operation, it usually starts with righteous indignation bordering on group outrage."

Behind the Mask covers a time period between 2008-2012 wherein X joins Anonymous, quickly rises to a position of influence in the decentralized organization, gets the attention of the FBI Cyber Division, and escapes the US on an underground railroad of his own design. (Of course, this is all according to the author.)

In X's words, his initial thoughts on Anonymous were that it was a "crazy ass science fiction cult" where people wore "stupid Guy Fawkes masks." In fact, he was apparently told to join Anonymous while he was serving as a "Commander" of a small cyber-focused militia called the People's Liberation Front (PLF), run out of a "dungeon" in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where "every square inch" of the walls were "plastered with concert posters (mostly Grateful Dead), protest fliers… and hand-drawn art, mostly political in nature."

It's here that X got an order from the "Supreme Commander of the PLF," a man we know in the book only as Commander Adama, to become an Anonymous member. This is provable insofar as the People's Liberation Front certainly exists, and Christopher Doyon is a real person. Otherwise, Behind the Mask has to be read with a certain healthy skepticism about the events detailed wherein.

Commander X in 2012.

Nonetheless, Adama's intention for X joining Anonymous was allegedly twofold: 1) For the PLF to form an alliance with the group and 2) to launch an offensive against the municipal government of Santa Cruz for its treatment of the homeless—a city where public sleeping is still criminalized.

Apparently, Adama wanted revenge for a homeless friend of his living in Santa Cruz, who was found dead under a bridge.

X accepted the mission quickly, which provides insight into the mindset of hackers like him. In more than one instance, he makes it clear in Behind the Mask that he and his colleagues were often driven to action by pure and simple anger: "For those wondering how Anonymous begins a major operation, it usually starts with righteous indignation bordering on group outrage."

After accepting the order, we pick up X's Santa Cruz mission a year in, where he is living in the mountains growing weed, or as he refers to his plants: "the girls... Twenty-six of the most gorgeous sativa/indica mix plants the likes of which you could only grow in the black earth of the Santa Cruz mountains."

It's here that he is still on a roundabout quest to obtain vengeance for the homeless. And while he did eventually take down the Santa Cruz county website in 2010 as a direct protest for the city's treatment of its street population, it was a minor defacement. X describes this kind of low-impact DDOS attack as a "smashy-smashy" operation. Despite the relatively inconsequential operation, it was this protest that led to the indictment from which X is still running from today (it carries a maximum 15-year sentence due to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act).

X's relationship with Anonymous at that time led to other notable hacks, including what he describes as the takedown of Mastercard.com by his own keystrokes ("I hit the fire button"), during the infamous Anonymous attack against credit card companies and Paypal after they cut off Wikileaks' financial lifeline.

In what is perhaps the most telling anecdote of X's life as a hacker on the run, he describes his role in attacking the government of Egypt during the Arab Spring while spending his days in a San Francisco coffee shop called Coffee to the People Cafe:

"Another area where my work had an impact was in data collection… I programmed a 'spider'... to crawl servers and harvest specific data. Mine was programmed to collect the fax numbers and E-Mail addresses of every single Egyptian. My spider, which I nick-named 'Hazel' - was not only capable of doing the task - but she could then separate the civilian from the government data. This would eventually allow Anonymous to wage psychological warfare on the Egyptian government while at the same time sending valuable information and encouragement to the Egyptian people…

This led to a somewhat comical scene of me having to spend the night sleeping in an alley behind the coffee house so I could stay connected and keep Hazel running."

This intense duality of coordinating and participating in globally influential hacks while sleeping on the street, encapsulates the fascination that journalists and activists alike have had with Commander X for years.

That said, Behind the Mask has to be taken with a grain of salt, if for no other reason than the fact it is written by one of the single most prominent evangelists of one of the most divisive, but nonetheless impactful, activist movements of all time. X is never shy to state (and perhaps overstate) Anonymous's impact; and some of his past claims verge on unbelievable.

But what's verifiable about the exploits X was involved in are historical in and of themselves; many of his colleagues were punished and imprisoned, the financial industry was spooked by Anonymous's retaliation for Wikileaks, X is a cyber-fugitive, and he is personally emblematic of a new kind of anarchistic activism that can very quickly grab the attention of the world's strongest governments.

For all these reasons, X's book is a remarkable and personal account of a uniquely bizarre adventure. His account of escaping the US is, alone, worthy of a reader's attention. According to X, he designed an underground railroad—before he knew he would have to use it himself—of willing Anonymous members or sympathizers who could, at a moment's notice, deliver a "package" from (as he puts it) one "node" to another in order to transport an American activist out of harm's way and into Canada.

Designing an underground railroad and activating it are of course two different things. And for X, who at the time was living in a camp by California's San Lorenzo river, deciding to take that voyage was at times "way too 'spy thriller'" for his own taste.

The book unfortunately ends in 2012, with X's masked appearance at the Hot Docs Film Festival premiere for Brian Kloppenberg's Anonymous documentary, We Are Legion, in Toronto. As he says, "I arrived at the world premier to play my part wearing my brown Guy Fawkes hoodie, my all access pass around my neck and a real Guy Fawkes Mask on my face." So by the end of Behind the Mask, we're left wondering what X has been up to in Canada for the past four years.

Incomplete timeline notwithstanding, the book captures a first-hand account of a man who, for better or worse, was at the switchboard during some of Anonymous's most high-profile hacks, stunts, and protests. And thus, it's an essential work in framing the impact of this controversial, decentralized, and brash hacktivist network.

Exclusive Interview with Commander X By Richard -Updated on: 25 September 2018 (darkwebnews.com)

https://darkwebnews.com/hacking/interview-with-commander-x/

Exclusive Interview with Commander X

By

 Richard

 -

Updated on: 25 September 2018

Commander X speaks with Dark Web News in an exclusive interview, covering topics from his bid for political asylum in Mexico to opsec advice.

Christopher Doyon, more commonly known by the pseudonym Commander X, has been one of the hacktivist communities’ more public figures in recent years, known equally as well as the likes of Barrett Brown, Jeremy Hammond, Sabu and weev.

Affiliated with Anonymous and the People’s Liberation Front (formerly), Commander X has been on the run from the United States since 2011, facing prosecution for taking down a local government website. Following a stint in Canada, Commander X is now in Mexico and seeking political asylum.

On June 12, 2018, Commander X announced the release of his third book, “Exiled for the Mask: The Story of Anonymous Operation Golden Eagle.” The book is scheduled to be released on November 5 via Lulu and Smashwords for print and eBook, respectively.

This book is the “finale” to his first two books, “Behind the Mask: An Inside Look at Anonymous” and “Dark Ops: An Anonymous Story,” effectively forming his trilogy.

In light of Commander X’s ongoing bid to gain political asylum in Mexico and the pending release of his third book, Dark Web News has landed an exclusive interview with the renowned hacktivist.

Here’s what Commander X had to say:

Your new book is slated for release on November 5. Talk about it a little bit. What can we expect as readers? Why did you decide to write it?

It is the final installment in what is now officially known as “The X Chronicles Trilogy”. It completes a roughly ten year story of my life within the Globaxicol Collective called Anonymous.

The final book entitled “Exiled For The Mask: The Story Of Anonymous Operation Golden Eagle” is due out exactly one year after I cut a hole in the fence between the USA an Mexico with a pair of bolt cutters and entered this country in a bid to gain political asylum. It will tell the story of how that came to be, and a bit of what happened after arriving in Mexico.

Operation Golden Eagle. What’s the meaning behind the op name?

The Golden Eagle is the national bird of Mexico. Not much more complicated then that, really.

Have you ever considered stopping or taking a leave from what you do? You’ve cited health issues in recent years as well as the toll that the pressure of staying on the run has taken.

Yes, these things are true. And yes I’ve considered it, daily sometimes. And finally, no – it’s probably not going to happen any time soon.

Did you enjoy your time in Canada?

Yes. But then I have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this decade long adventure. And Mexico is an utterly delightful nation.

You’re currently seeking political asylum in Mexico. How is the process going?

Very well.

What are some of the major challenges you have faced?

Breaking into the main stream Mexican media. Something that I believe is about to change any moment. I have given an interview to the largest media outlet in Mexico.

—Read the referenced interview here. —

How is Mexico?

Exotic, and very interesting. Warm.

Did you ever imagine that things would get to this point of chaos in what you do?

From day one, yes.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions that people have about who you are, what you stand for, and what you do?

Christopher Doyon, more commonly known by the pseudonym Commander X, has been one of the hacktivist communities’ more public figures in recent years, known equally as well as the likes of Barrett Brown, Jeremy Hammond, Sabu and weev.

I am not really sure I can speak to what misconceptions people have about me, I don’t really make a point of noting them. Perhaps you can fill me in as to what people are saying about me!

You’ve worked on the side of the people, in your respective point of view. How have the people generally reacted to what you do? (i.e. Food Not Bombs condemning your online attacks)

The Op Orlando shit, well hell – Kieth McHenry is an old friend from the 80’s in the Bay Area. He was frankly delighted by the whole fiasco.

But that is just that particular example. In general people on the advantaged side of an Anonymous confrontation are grateful for the intervention.

How would you describe yourself? A hacktivist? A hacker? A leader? Just another guy with a computer?

All of the above, I suppose.

How have things changed over time with Anonymous?

Short answer, it’s gotten bigger and more global.

To what extent are you currently involved with Anonymous operations and Anonymous in general?

At the moment my time is taken up with my own case, and one particular media project in Anonymous, Anonymous Global Internet Radio.

www.AnonymousGlobalRadio.cf

And PLF?

It has been defunct since 2014. What survived now goes by the name Legion Security.

The People’s Liberation Front and Palestinian Liberation Front share the same acronym; has this caused confusion or misunderstandings?

I don’t recall this ever being an issue. But we were a pretty non-descript underground crew.

How did you get your start with hacking and Anonymous?

That’s a question it took a book to answer, my first one to be precise.

What imprint do you think that Anonymous has left in history, looking back and looking forward?

The most profound imprint in human history.

Anonymous has been accused of many things that they have not collectively admitted to doing. There have also been reported incidents of individuals supposedly from Anon claiming ops that Anon did not actually do. What’s the best way for people to keep up to date with what Anon is actually doing?

The choice of sources is as individual as the Anon recommending them. Check out those I follow on Twitter, and use your own judgment. My handle is @CommanderXanon on Twitter.

Six years ago, you stated Anonymous 2 won’t happen in a bid to fix the perceived issues within Anonymous. Have these issues been corrected since then, or are they still present?

Probably still all fucked up. Anonymous simply is what it is, there will be no great changes – just further refinement and evolution of tactics. No versions. Just one big messy global collective.

What role have script kiddies played in Anonymous thus far?

I don’t really have an answer to questions like this. And I prefer not to answer a question that pre-supposes a negative stereo-type of a fellow hacker.

What have been some of the miscellaneous challenges you’ve faced with being a notable member and arguable leader of Anonymous and PLF? Dealing with people, getting things done, time and resource management, etc.

Probably all of the above.

Throughout your time in Anonymous and related ops, have made any friends as opposed to just coworkers or associates?

LOL yeah I have maybe one or two friends in the world. But they would prefer to remain anonymous.

Is ‘Commander X’ solely a handle used by you, or have others done work under that pseudonym with your permission? I ask this because your attorney stated “Commander X isn’t a person. He’s an idea and that idea is social justice.” in a 2011 statement.

So far the acts attributed to the persona “Commander X” must be laid at my feet, for good or ill.

However, I have not ruled out passing the persona on after my death. Anything is possible, I suppose.

With the pending release of Apple’s iOS 12, what is your stance on the jailbreak scene?

My stance is that it’s healthy for the eco-system and should be legalized.

How instrumental has the dark web and Tor been in what you do?

Vital, at least to not getting caught.

It’s rather ironic that Tor was initially created by the U.S. government and has been a huge thorn in their side since its “public” adoption. What are your thoughts on that?

Bahahahahahahahahaha!!

—Related: The Government Connection to Tor—

Do you see the adoption of anonymity and privacy technologies and applications continuing to become more mainstream?

What choice does anyone really have?

What computer security and opsec tips would you give to the general public? Any recommended software or best practices?

Use a cellular modem and a reliable no-log VPN. Use a Tor browser. Use a good password manager like Key Pass and make all your passwords inside the manager, nice and hard. ALL your passwords, individual and hard using a password manager. This last part eliminates 90% of all attack vectors, just that one tip.

What’s your advice for the next generation of hacktivists, noting that many adolescents are growing up in the age of seeing WikiLeaks, Assange, Manning and others being covered by the mainstream news?

See the above answer. And add to it my personal advice. Move. A lot. Never stop moving.

————–

You can find Commander X on Twitter and at his website at CommanderX.info.

You can support Commander X’s bid for political asylum in Mexicohere.