On June 20th, board members of the „Zwiebelfreunde" association in multiple German cities had their homes searched under the dubious pretence that they were „witnesses" while their computers and storage media were confiscated. The Augsburger CCC offshoot „OpenLab" also had to contend with a search of their premises.
[...] Just to recap: The mere presence of an e-mail address at a large free provider on a website has caused law enforcement authorities to deduce that a German association that helps raise funds for this provider must be connected to this website somehow. Although Zwiebelfreunde clearly has nothing to do with the operation of this provider, they were suspected anyway. That these searches and seizures were ordered by the Bavarian police shows either forensic incompetence at a very advanced stage, malicious intent or both.
Zwiebelfreunde provides "Managed Tor hosting solutions. Exit node sponsorship, private Tor bridges, hidden services hosting."
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 10 2018, @04:50AM (2 children)
What other kind of service can you expect from a monopoly, especially one that arose through violent imposition rather than voluntary exchange?
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 10 2018, @05:21AM (1 child)
What a fine day it was. It was neither too hot nor too cold, the birds were singing, and nature was presenting its full splendor. Perhaps this was why Jordonham, who was walking down the sidewalk, became distracted and bumped directly into a woman.
"Ops!" the man exclaimed, as he fell on top of her. It took several seconds for Jordonham to realize just what had happened. Once he figured it out, he knew exactly what the most sensible, natural course of action he needed to undertake was. "It can't be helped," Jordonham muttered to himself. Since he was already on top of the woman, he figured he may as well beat and rape her. Thus, the man began his splendid adventure.
The woman screamed as Jordonham ripped off all of her clothing and began violating her. This confused the man; if she didn't want this to happen, why did she exist in this location at this time? The confusion only caused Jordonham to become more violent, which eventually resulted in a sickening snapping sound. The woman was gone, and so too was Jordonham's interest in her. The man slowly stood up, his fat rolls jiggling as he did so.
Jordonham walked away and once again became enamored by the beauty of nature. Ah, what a fine day it was...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 10 2018, @07:47AM
For people who don't remember, this was an author on ass/assm back in the 90s who wrote some seriously sick shit, ranging from fantasy to sci-fi, to contemporary settings. Most of their work disappeared in the late 90s/early 00s after a request for it to be taken down, but a few items still exist or existed online until recently.
Go look it up and tell me if that is who this person is.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 10 2018, @06:08AM
What other kind of service can you expect from a monopoly, especially one that arose through violent imposition rather than voluntary exchange?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by FatPhil on Tuesday July 10 2018, @07:49AM (2 children)
One of the problems is that there's never any making good for any of the mistakes that get made. They mistakes are owned up to, but the most you'll get is a "sorry, it won't happen again (until next time)". Heads should roll. Criminal procedings should be persued in many cases. There is no reason why any branch of the government should be permitted to be less law-abiding than the citizens it supposedly serves.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday July 10 2018, @12:31PM (1 child)
I agree, but who watches the watchers?
Law enforcement will never enforce the laws on itself. Until we close the loop in future systems such that regular citizens can (and are the only ones who can) arrest those at top and charge them with crimes, we will always have the people at the top taking liberties and stacking everything in their own favor.
The First American Republic supposedly addressed that loophole with elections, whereby elected politicians are supposed to perform that oversight or get voted out, but we have all seen how poorly that has worked. So we need to put teeth into future iterations of democracy whereby the regular people, who are supposed to retain ultimate authority over the state, have the right and duty to arrest and prosecute those at the top who commit crimes.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 10 2018, @03:05PM
Great, I look forward to hearing your proposed solution.
Otherwise it all sounds a bit Brexity...
A: The EU is so bad, we need to be free, free I say from their oppression.
B: What would you like changed?
A: The whole thing! Let's build a better Britain.
B: OK I'm in.
A: Great! Now I quit. Run with it - don't fuck up.
(Score: 4, Informative) by inertnet on Tuesday July 10 2018, @09:03AM (6 children)
For you non German speakers: Zwiebelfreunde means "onion friends".
(Score: 3, Funny) by Bot on Tuesday July 10 2018, @10:08AM (5 children)
clearly neo nazi as the onion is obviously aryan. 1. it is white, 2. makes you cry
Account abandoned.
(Score: 3, Touché) by c0lo on Tuesday July 10 2018, @10:33AM (3 children)
Some aren't [wikipedia.org]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 4, Funny) by Bot on Tuesday July 10 2018, @12:22PM
That's their war paint.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Tuesday July 10 2018, @03:34PM (1 child)
And some don't make you cry. [wikipedia.org]
Or at least they didn't until overfarming fucked them up and now the ones that make it to the northeast are either fake Vidalias or have just as much sulfur as regular onions.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 10 2018, @05:02PM
(Score: 2, Informative) by Gaaark on Tuesday July 10 2018, @04:39PM
3. tastes great fried.
Wait, that was the Jews.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 10 2018, @09:27AM (1 child)
Just by reading the summary I have no idea what this story is about. What is "Zwiebelfreunde"? Why is something related to them being raided? What is the backstory? What is Augsburger and "OpenLab"?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by canopic jug on Tuesday July 10 2018, @09:58AM
It looks like the excuse used was that they are considered witnessses with the tenative connection of having shared an e-mail hosting provider with the suspect. Some interests are still apparently out to get OpenPGP and Tor, so expect more against them and even tangental groups like CCC this year. It is Tor which is affected in this raid.
It got little press coverage at the time it seems.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 10 2018, @12:17PM
What other kind of service could you expect from a monopoly, especially one that arose through violent imposition rather than voluntary exchange?
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 10 2018, @01:15PM
What other kind of service could you expect from a monopoly, especially one that arose through violent imposition rather than voluntary exchange?
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 10 2018, @06:07PM
What other kind of service could you expect from a monopoly, especially one that arose through violent imposition rather than voluntary exchange?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 12 2018, @12:07AM
The Bavarian police isn't likely to be that incompetent and taken together with all other events going on in Germany. It is very much a advanced stage, malicious intent.
They get to freely without the basis of any real offenses to disrupt or destroy organizations and people not to their liking. And disable means to counter the surveillance machinery and suppression. This is about money and power. And to game everyone else for it without any consideration.