Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

December 24, 2011

Twitter and the menacing hashtag subpoenas


Twitter and the menacing hashtag subpoena

Anonymous to Boston Police Department: 'You are chasing a ghost'

By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

The big joke at Twitter is: “Are you a hashtag?” Those of us who are low-tech are now relieved that we were too computer-challenged to grasp the full meaning of the hashtag #. But, according to Anonymous, the Boston Police Department didn’t fully understand the hashtag either when it began issuing the now infamous: Hashtag subpoenas.

Unfortunately, either because I’m in Twitter’s doghouse now, or Twitter is frozen to honor Christmas, I can’t access the Boston hashtag subpoena, or the Harry Potter cartoon: “Are you a hashtag?” or the message from Anonymous explaining how the Boston Police Department was subpoenaing the wrong hashtag. I can however, give you the Night Before Hashtag Christmas.

The Twitter hashtag subpoena was issued after Anonymous allegedly published personal information on Boston police officers. This was in reaction to the brutalizing of members of the Occupy movement.

On the lighter side, we have this:

THE NIGHT BEFORE HASHTAG CHRISTMAS

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Twitter
Not a tweeter was stirring, not even a troll mister;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that Anonymous Tweeters would soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-tweets danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the Boston Police Department helicopter with a basket of hashtag subpoenas and little plastic handcuffs,
With little old drivers, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be the Boston Police Department
More rapid than eagles their coursers they came,
And they whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now hashtag away! hashtag away! hashtag away all!"
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney the Boston Police Department SWAT Team came with a bound.
They were dressed all in SWATgear from their heads to their feet,
And their armor was all tarnished with pepper spray and soot;
A bundle of hashtag subpoenas they had flung on their backs,
And they looked like peddlers just opening their teargas packs.
Their eyes -- how they twinkled! their dimples how merry!
Their cheeks were like roses, their noses like cherries!
Their droll little mouths were drawn up like bows,
And the rim of their gas masks were as white as the snow;
The stumps of their hashtag pipes they held tight in their teeth,
And the smoke it encircled their heads like a wreath;
They had broad faces and little round bellies,
That shook, when they laughed like a bowlful of doughnut jelly.
They were chubby and plump, right jolly old elves,
And I laughed when I saw them, in spite of myself;
They spoke not a word, but went straight to their work,
And filled all the stockings with hashtag subpoenas;
And laying their fingers aside of their noses,
And giving a nod, up the chimney they rose;
They sprang to their SWAT helicopter and gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard them exclaim, ere they drove out of sight,
"Happy hashtag subpoenas to all, and to all a good night!"
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Twitter Hashtag #
1. Definition: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet.
Ok, if that message looks Sci-Fi to you, and you haven’t been on Twitter, a Tweet is just a short message posted on Twitter. The hashtag is meant to make it easier for you to find things.
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Anonymous responds to hashtag subppoenas
Posted on Christmas eve on Twitter

i would like to respond to the recent subpoenas on multiple people. My first and most important point is that this subpoena is illegal do to the fact that the acts leading up to it were not illegal, plain and simple.

lawyers have confirmed that it is legal to compile and release publicly available information on people. This "doxing" is in fact legal and we will undoubtedly protect till the bitter end.
second, since you spelled d0xcak3 wrong, it makes your subpoena a legally void; a spelling error is enough to dismiss it in court.
third you subpoena the word “guidofawkes: which is Italian for guy fawkes who is a historical figure. It is not specificied whether the historical figure or the hashtag is being subpoenaed.
fourth is the fact that you cannot subpoena a hash tag because it invades the privacy of tens of thousands of people without just cause
fifth the occupyboston account you are have subpoenaed is not affiliated with anything and hasn't tweeted since 2010.
if you try to subpoena tens of thousands of people based of a subject you may be liable for a class action lawsuit (in which you will lose)
many people are outraged for the following reasons,your subpoena on a subject,your illegal subpoena on law abiding citizens and lack of consideration for the "law" in which is your field of practice "allegedly"
also take note that on top of massive work and effort you will not obtain useful information
besides vpn and tor exit node ip's so the "bounty" of your investigation will be unfruitful.
as besides taking illegal measures of investigating legal acts and invading privacy of thousands and getting nothing but ips which will do you no good you are investigating nothing
you are chasing a ghost,which if you did manage to summon anyone for court is MASS. it would not be a federal issue so you could not even extradite anyone to your state.
many people are outraged and seek retaliation but we do not support their actions, for we abide by the law
please stop these actions and this colossal embarrassment on yourselves and minimize the fallout.
yours truly, anonymous and our 9000 lawyers
....ps
come at me bro
you state you are investigating a a ongoing criminal investigation,my lawyers would like to know what you are deeming a criminal act due to the fact no laws where broken.Which is slanderous to accuse my organization and defamation under the certain pretenses.As we are big supporters of the law and are very aware of our rights,as you may not have yet noticed.
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Update: Copy of subpoena: Boston to Twitter: Don't tell anyone:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/76393350/Subpoena-on-p0isAn0n-OccupyBoston-BostonPD-d0xcak3
.
Update Dec. 30, 2011: Could this getting any weirder:
ACLU: Judge seals hashtag subpoena documents:
http://www.aclum.org/news_12.29.11

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