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Ottawa Guy Trashed 2 Laptops; Thinks He's Being Spied On

by thunderbird
13 replies
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An acquaintance of mine in Ottawa thinks he's being spied on, so he trashed two laptops and did major work on his home. He said his computers suddenly functioned in bizarre ways soon after making communications with a foreign government. One night it seemed that people had been in his home -- furniture positions had shifted, he says. A year ago, I would have thought he was nuts, but not any more, after all that was exposed via Edward Snowden.

I, myself, have passed on lucrative gigs because I didn't want to seem affiliated with certain parties that I really have nothing to do with at least in ideological terms. There are entities that I don't necessarily endorse or believe in but would never criticize in emails, online, conversations, or any form. Way before Edward Snowden, I'd surmised that a person could pay a heavy price for that. I admit that I thought that maybe I was being paranoid. Now I see that I was actually quite conservative in my concerns.
  • Profile picture of the author David Braybrooke
    Sounds scary. I never really worry about people spying on me, my files etc, as I don't really do anything worth looking too closely at. Communicating with foreign governments is not something I really do either. And I criticise and comment on anyone and everybody online but try and keep it legal and pretty lightweight. Live and let live?
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    • Profile picture of the author goindeep
      Originally Posted by David Braybrooke View Post

      Sounds scary. I never really worry about people spying on me, my files etc, as I don't really do anything worth looking too closely at. Communicating with foreign governments is not something I really do either. And I criticise and comment on anyone and everybody online but try and keep it legal and pretty lightweight. Live and let live?
      Im pretty much like you bloke. Nothing except for a little porn (we're all adults right) here and there and the odd rant online, lol and certainly no communication with foreign governments unless Im applying for a visa, lol.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    TB, whatever you do, don't tell him the wiring in his house is giant antenna and the government is listening to him no matter which room he is in.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      Then again, maybe he IS nuts. If someone is that concerned I'd wonder what it is he's doing. Maybe what's he into is interesting to "others"

      I don't want to be spied on - but if someone did they would end up with a severe case of boredom.
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      • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        Then again, maybe he IS nuts. If someone is that concerned I'd wonder what it is he's doing. Maybe what's he into is interesting to "others"

        I don't want to be spied on - but if someone did they would end up with a severe case of boredom.
        Isn't that pretty much how celebrities have to live? I, for one, recognize what a luxury anonymity is (not to mention a big money saver).
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    You can never tell when a government is going to decide something you are doing is NOT okay - even when it's really benign stuff. It pisses me off to not know when someone might be watching me. I want to know that I can take a bath, go potty, or make love without some pervert ogling me while I'm doing it.

    As far as things like online and email - I've always figured that it was best to proceed as if everything is watched and read. I'll go further than most with what I'll talk about but I don't talk about everything. There I things I just won't say unless I'm out somewhere that it's just really insanely unlikely what I say can be overheard.

    I have a few expressions I use that I'm guessing has already torked a few perverts (NSA) - which is what I think of people who just HAVE to know everything someone is doing or talking about. It's just dead perverted. I am prone to call anything I think is really kewl - The Bomb. Now I'm sure that echelon is gunked up with hella emails I've sent just because I told someone something was the bomb.

    Oh well - If we bore the perverts, then they need to just grow some morals and quit working for the head pervs.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
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    Originally Posted by thunderbird View Post

    An acquaintance of mine in Ottawa thinks he's being spied on, so he trashed two laptops and did major work on his home. He said his computers suddenly functioned in bizarre ways soon after making communications with a foreign government. One night it seemed that people had been in his home -- furniture positions had shifted, he says. A year ago, I would have thought he was nuts, but not any more, after all that was exposed via Edward Snowden.
    ... and he may have paranoid schizophrenia. I had a friend who talked to God and the Beatles in conversations with them in public places in front of numerous people. She was/is a paranoid schizophrenic, now doing much better on medication.
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    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      ... and he may have paranoid schizophrenia. I had a friend who talked to God and the Beatles in conversations with them in public places in front of numerous people. She was/is a paranoid schizophrenic, now doing much better on medication.
      I had a friend with paranoid schizphrenia who also had similar such conversations with famous people in his head. His mind even weaved me into his paranoid delusions, making me out to be a spy, with maps of my movements to different cities and countries, carefully placed together with news clippings. It was actually very detailed and convincing, lol.

      In this case, I'm pretty sure it is real. There is actual physical evidence of weird tampering, deliberately left on his devices as a warning. Certain entities have such access, and even common hobbyist hackers often gain such access.
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
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  • Profile picture of the author Christopher Fox
    Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get ya ...

    This headline is on the front page of my local newspaper today:

    NSA tracks phone data: The agency collects 5 billion cellphone records each day.

    We are all being spied on ...
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  • Profile picture of the author Christopher Fox
    I can remember getting into an argument with an ex-pat in Costa Rica probably 15 years ago. He kept comparing the trends and comparing the US Intelligence system to the Stassi.

    Balderdash, I claimed. He was nuts, dramatic, making inaccurate comparisons, etc.

    I realize now he was much, much more correct than I was. Plenty of people expressing the sentiment, "I'm not doing anything wrong; therefore I have nothing to worry about."

    Problem with this shortsighted, albeit well intentioned sentiment, is that it ain't yourself you have to worry about doing wrong things - it is the harvesters of this information you need to worry about. Even if everything is done with good intentions today (which I do not think it is - I am one of those Conspiracy Nuts), you always have to be wary of who comes into control of that information tomorrow ...

    It is not just acts of criminality they are collecting. They are collecting and storing YOU. Your personality, your relationships, your character flaws, etc. Knowledge is power, and the amount of knowledge they have on all of our personalities, thoughts, feelings, relationships, etc., is frightening.

    And an incredibly perilous position for us, regardless if you are doing anything 'wrong', or not.
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    • Profile picture of the author HeySal
      Originally Posted by Christopher Fox View Post

      I can remember getting into an argument with an ex-pat in Costa Rica probably 15 years ago. He kept comparing the trends and comparing the US Intelligence system to the Stassi.

      Balderdash, I claimed. He was nuts, dramatic, making inaccurate comparisons, etc.

      I realize now he was much, much more correct than I was. Plenty of people expressing the sentiment, "I'm not doing anything wrong; therefore I have nothing to worry about."

      Problem with this shortsighted, albeit well intentioned sentiment, is that it ain't yourself you have to worry about doing wrong things - it is the harvesters of this information you need to worry about. Even if everything is done with good intentions today (which I do not think it is - I am one of those Conspiracy Nuts), you always have to be wary of who comes into control of that information tomorrow ...

      It is not just acts of criminality they are collecting. They are collecting and storing YOU. Your personality, your relationships, your character flaws, etc. Knowledge is power, and the amount of knowledge they have on all of our personalities, thoughts, feelings, relationships, etc., is frightening.

      And an incredibly perilous position for us, regardless if you are doing anything 'wrong', or not.
      You would not believe the profile that someone can have of your life just recording emails and phone calls. First there's lists of who your friends are - who you do business with. They get info on times you are on your computer. Where you are (and now that's at any given moment) - where you go (most people have patterns that are very distinct). They know what you buy, where you buy it. What you watch on TV (that one can lead to some disturbing consequences in things like subliminal advertising). They know WHO you vote for.....and that is extremely disturbing. Especially when we're looking at a health care system run by a financial institution. (IRS has first and final say in your treatment under the ACA).

      Now get down to READING your emails. You tell more about your life than you realize. Do a socio-linguistic analysis of what you write.........and they know every damned thing about the way you think - how to control what you think. They can experiment with mind control and all they have to do is pull up the data to see if it's working. You wouldn't believe what a socio-linguist can tell about you just from a simple update to a family member about going to the park on a nice day or baking that old pie recipe of grandma's.

      Now if this seems to be funny or over the top to you..............stop and think about it. Why would ANY entity want or need to know every damned detail about you? Why would any entity spend billions of dollars building warehouses and training personnel to record every damned transaction you make with anyone - corporations, friends, family, business associates. Why would they want this info and why are they willing to pay that kind of money, and break laws including the Bill of Rights - the highest law of the land, risk mass resistance and revolution, and prosecution to get it if there is not a very extreme purpose for them to have it?
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      Sal
      When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
      Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
    This is why I only run BeOS on all of my computers. Government distributed malware is never made for the BeOS operating system.
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