Re: [tor-talk] CULT OF THE DEAD COW Statement on Jacob Appelbaum / ioerror

[carlo von lynX <lynX@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Jun 07, 2016 at 10:08:57PM +0300, ja.talk wrote:
> https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2853643-Jacob-Appelbaum-CULT-of-the-DEAD-COW-Statement.html
> https://www.facebook.com/cultdeadcow/posts/10157076402890360

Facebook? Ouch.

> CULT OF THE DEAD COW Statement on Jacob Appelbaum / ioerror
> 
> Like much of the hacker community, we were troubled to hear the allegations of sexual abuse, manipulation, and bullying leveled against one of our members, Jacob Appelbaum, A.K.A. ioerror. Weâre also aware that the Tor Project is conducting an internal investigation, and encourage anyone with relevant testimony to come forward. For some, it wonât be easy. There can be shaming or humiliation, or the fear of not being believed.

To come forward where to? If there is a legitimate internal committee
to turn to, that is good.

> It is also our responsibility to create an environment where people feel safe to come forward.

So what have you done. Have you elected a court of arbitration?
It is *not* safe for either victims nor suspects of crime to
go public in front of the entire Internet, and just declaring
the Internet an "environment where people feel safe" doesn't
make it so. So where is that environment?

> We have always stood for freedom of speech and expression, which sometimes necessitates the right to anonymity.

See my previous post on the false understanding of freedom of
expression. It is completely false to apply in this case.

> This is something that victims of abuse often require.

That is a fair way to think, but has proven to be socially and
legally wrong. You don't produce justice by fostering more crime.

> We stand by their right to be anonymous. Others, like our friend Nick Farr, who decided to go public with his own difficulties, deserve our respect and support. Everyone will do this in their own way.

No, that is a different form of abuse. If you handle things like
this, then there is no way to distinguish a true cry for justice
from an actual smear campaign. You are playing by the rules of
JTRIG. You are enabling manipulation.

> We know that it may be scary, but we also encourage victims to contact their appropriate local authorities. We understand the complicated relationship we all have with law enforcement, but there is a time and place for government intervention. If the most extreme of these allegations are true, they should be addressed in a court of law, and dealt with appropriately.

The problem is, if the victims have committed crimes themselves
by making their stories public, then going before a judge may
backfire on them. Not just fake victims, also real victims.
They may get prosecuted for defamation on top of having suffered
a crime. We know that the justice system may not be able to
punish even a true offender if no legal proof can be produced.
So if you want victims to feel safe to talk to the authorities,
you must keep them from committing a counter-crime.

> CULT OF THE DEAD COW is known for a lot of things, but treating people horribly is not one of them. If communities are to thrive and remain relevant we have to do some housecleaning from time to time. As we have become aware of the anonymous accusations of sexual assault, as well as the stories told by individuals we know and trust, we've decided to remove Jake from the herd effective immediately.

Yeah yeah, we all think we are "the good" and our community isn't
as bad as other Internet communities. Truth is, these problems are
systemic and apply to all digital communities since decades. If
you don't provide for justice, then injustice will happen, and
you will never know for sure if you punished the culprit or the
victim.

That's why I am in favor of pre-emptive management of social
issues (aka "vibes watching") and a more fine-grained justice
system internal to the hacktivist movement. A court made of
people we trust that victims can turn to safely, without 
engaging in further crimes, yet enabling that court to take 
measures to protect future people from becoming victims.

If you don't do it through such a court, you end up enabling 
and even legitimizing a lynch mob. That may not be as bad as
the purported crimes, or maybe it actually is, since it becomes
impossible to figure out the truth, so as a side effect the
entire community reaches a condition ideal for manipulation:
Anyone can be character-assassinated anytime.

I know everyone including the CULT of COW is operating in
their best intentions, but you also know the way to hell.


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