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Payback Time for MasterCard in WikiLeaks Cyber-Clash

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Posted on Dec 8, 2010
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wikileaks.org

A group of hackers organized under the familiar moniker of Anonymous (remember those anti-Scientology demonstrations?) has registered its collective disapproval of MasterCard and the Swedish prosecution authority for participating in the censure of WikiLeaks and founder Julian Assange by, fittingly, compromising the functionality of their websites.  —KA

The Guardian:

The websites of the international credit card MasterCard and the Swedish prosecution authority are among the latest to be taken offline in the escalating technological battle over WikiLeaks, web censorship and perceived political pressure.

Co-ordinated attacks by online activists who support the site and its founder Julian Assange – who is in UK custody accused of raping two Swedish women – have seen the websites of the alleged victims’ Swedish lawyer disabled, while commercial and political targets have also been subject to attack by a loose coalition of global hackers.

The Swedish prosecution authority has confirmed its website was attacked last night and this morning. MasterCard was partially paralysed today in revenge for the payment network’s decision to cease taking donations to WikiLeaks.

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By DaemonNice, December 14, 2010 at 12:36 pm Link to this comment

The red pill is not for the weak of heart.

We The People, regardless of our country must take back our governments. It is not just happening in the U.S., it is going on in every western democracy but a handful of Nordic ones. And they are being besieged as we speak.

Iceland let the banks fail and their economy is improving unlike anywhere else. Destroy the Feds, reign in the banks, and take back your country.

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By Napolean DoneHisPart, December 13, 2010 at 2:04 am Link to this comment

We need to step away from the words taught us to use as our defense… for they are limiting unless we decide to speak and discuss intelligently.

The sliding scales of Democrat / Republican, liberal / conservative, left / right, etc.. needs to be readdressed and projected onto a new plain of thought and view.

Anyone here ever read “Lies My Teacher Told Me” by James Loewen?  A great correction the revisionists of U.S. history, the cowards.

For folks who ‘see’ or believe, this book adds to the paradigm shift and the AdMINI$tration’s attempt to continue as a dominant force much akin to empires of old. 

Continuity of Government was what the coup was called on Sept. 11th.

It is NOT the book for racist conservatives concerned only with wealth and position having their capital resources further subduing the immigrant labor force, both domestic and abroad.

Sins of omission this book is, an enjoyment and tough truth pill to swallow at the same time.

“You take the red pill, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

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By DaemonNice, December 12, 2010 at 1:35 pm Link to this comment

“No, the people do not see.

The question before us, however, is whether Mr. Scheer’s audience sees.”

No the real question is, are those of us that do see, are we spreading the word, making it available for those not in the know to see?

“The question is whether Mr. Scheer’s website (or Mr. Scheer himself, who has captured the attention of an an audience) is liberal or progressive”

Why is that a question at all? What does it mean to be progressive or liberal? Is that some sort of ideological label you use to put people into boxes?

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By Napolean DoneHisPart, December 10, 2010 at 4:20 pm Link to this comment

Can Mr. Scheer simply be supplementing his income as any Joe would? 

Can’t blame him for having fodder… like the cartoons, this is an online newspaper, or at least that’s what I think it is… one where the readership can respond..

How about some dialogue or response from the editors? 

Another thing is the audience.  How many folks actually live their life cut-off from the umbilical chord of the empire?  We MUST use its money, no other choice.  If no adherence… jail, and plenty of folks who’ll take the dole to put and keep you there… unbeknown to the facts and the reality of true history… just wondering who will win on Monday night.

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By mdgr, December 10, 2010 at 3:43 pm Link to this comment

Interesting link.

It too demonstrates the enormous influence emanating right about now from, um, the very same nether regions that just brought us WikiLeaks and Operation Payback.

Like both Richard Farina and Leonard Cohen once said, it’s all connected by Velcro.

I also find it interesting that WikiLeaks has not yet dropped its “doomsday bomb.” I have no doubt it’s real, but WikiLeaks’ leadership knows that our attention span is short.

It wants to ride the wave in. Not for any narcissistic reasons, but as a matter of principle, it wants to stay on the front page for a very long time.

This is high drama at its best.

Notice the importance that Mr. Scheer assigns to the Jim Morrison penis-scandal, as opposed to this.

I mean, what exactly does it tell us?

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By Napolean DoneHisPart, December 10, 2010 at 3:36 pm Link to this comment

What will be found out is if any of what we discuss herein will be understood today, tomorrow or generations from now?

Will the mass consensus of the people, either on the street or online, defy empire’s attempt: the harvesting and sifting of docile humans?

Will people see this today, tomorrow or in their grandchildren?  Or will we simply slip back into a real ‘dark age’ and call it the Muslim Conquest of the 21st Century?

But it would simply have been the concise and collusive agreements between pedigreed and those who facilitate the fraud on the masses… called for the sake of story telling…. well, whatever the victor of history writes, right?

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By Napolean DoneHisPart, December 10, 2010 at 3:18 pm Link to this comment

Very well.

Have you considered the mood of the masses today in lovely England?

Seems like the chattel have found out who their master is… and would like his head on a platter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2sl8hXJxCw&feature=player_embedded

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By mdgr, December 10, 2010 at 3:09 pm Link to this comment

No, the people do not see.

The question before us, however, is whether Mr. Scheer’s audience sees.

But that’s not even the question, is it?

The question is whether Mr. Scheer’s website (or Mr. Scheer himself, who has captured the attention of an an audience) is liberal or progressive.

To be or not to be.

THAT is the question.

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By Napolean DoneHisPart, December 10, 2010 at 3:06 pm Link to this comment

MDGR,

In response to “It has to be one of the most important events of our time, and all that the editor of Truthdig can do is relegate to the far right lower corner of his website.  Go figure.”

I say: “The People do not see.”

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By mdgr, December 10, 2010 at 3:00 pm Link to this comment

If the Internet is taken down, so, too, will monopolistic capitalism. Amazon sure will be closed, just to make a small point. This is the biggest and boldest thing in my lifetime, and I’ve been around the block.

Yes, there is a remote possibility that Obama (or Burma, or N. Korea) will pull the plug on the net.

It’s possible too that 800 mile Cascadia fault will rupture tomorrow—it’s long overdue, BTW—triggering a similar earthquake along the San Andreas (it’s recently been found that the latter has frequently been triggered by the first).

Desalinization from melting glaciers will have an effect on the thermohalene current, and who knows, it could slow or even melt. Another mini-ice age, or perhaps a replay of that sensationalized movie from a few years ago.

Global warming might occur at a MUCH faster rate if the methane deposits continue to bubble up from the tundra and the ocean floor. It could take out our species in no time at all. Think exponential.

We could worry about all of these contingencies, or we could be grateful for small favors.

Katla has not yet exploded, but it was predicted. And against all odds, there has yet been no nuclear war. WikiLeaks came at precisely the right time, with precisely the right message (transparency, and then some).

And not only that, but a lot of people are fearlessly and effectively fighting on behalf of WikiLeaks and the principles it espouses.

These people are citizens not of a country, but of a planet.

It has to be one of the most important events of our time, and all that the editor of Truthdig can do is relegate to the far right lower corner of his website.

Go figure.

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By Daemonnice, December 10, 2010 at 10:39 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

While I have waited for such things to occur, it seems that the timing is just right for the U.S. gov. to put it’s thumb on the internet for it’s citizens. Proposals have been put forth, which means there probably in place by now, which would give Obama the power to shut down the internet with one push of a button.
Let’s hope that he doesn’t get it confused with the one that starts a nuclear armegeddon.

Where is Dr. Strangelove when you need him?

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By Thom, December 10, 2010 at 10:08 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

The Swiss bank site that froze his defence fund is also down.
The Swedish Prosecutors site was down earlier but is apparently back up.
I think things are just getting started. These all seem to be simpler DDoS attacks. So far no one has actually hacked into the sites themselves, but I would imagine that will happen at some point.

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By Thom, December 10, 2010 at 10:07 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Lets see how impressed you are when the GOVT
intelligence agencies use their own Wiki Leaks cyberwar
operation as justification to take down the internet
and censor it heavily. Joe Lieberman already has that
legislation written and in committee. Wow, have you
ever seen Congress so efficient? Maybe only on the
Patriot Act- 1500 pages of which was already on their
desks, ready to go on Sept 12 ?

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By mdgr, December 10, 2010 at 4:53 am Link to this comment

https://github.com/neweracracker/loic/downloads

46,500 downloads.

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By mdgr, December 10, 2010 at 4:43 am Link to this comment

It would be too much to imagine that Mr. Scheer or Ms. Huffington would care that war was just declared.

In their collective knitting circles, it’s back to business as usual. An article from the Guardian will suffice, even if the last sentence is asinine.

I mean, the software from Anonymous is just another trojan in a country where over a 100 million computers (or is it people?) are already infected with trojans. Zombie computers are the norm, not the exception.

And hey, typing in the name http://www.amazon.com—which is what all this trojan would do, but on a distributed network basis—is not particarly illegal, at least the last time I looked at the law statutes.

But I don’t want to bore people with the obvious. There’s a exponential progression of downloads on this item, and soon it will go viral and allow a download just from visiting a website.

That would make for some pretty convincing plausible deniability when the Man comes knocking on your door. Think of tens of millions of doors in the United States alone, and you will begin to get the picture.

Do you want to fight those who would fight WikiLeaks? Well this, babies, is your chance. Now, I’m not recommending that you go that route.

That could be a problem, what with Rico Act laws regarding conspiracy and what not. I’m just comparing it, oh, to the civil rights movement in the 60’s.

Believe it or not, Fox News just did that.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/12/09/wikileaks-operation-payback-hacktivists-legal/

Notice the way it concludes.

Roger Ailes must be very annoyed right about now.

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By Napolean DoneHisPart, December 10, 2010 at 2:36 am Link to this comment

Let’s think of ways of lending to one another and making the banksters an unwanted third party.

Kiva.org as the idea…

And let’s think of how we can bring the law making ( and law eliminating ) procedures online AND voting on such things and the few facilitating offices that can come from a true government of, for and by the people via the internet.

If the dialogue is brought online and for open debate across borders, parties and ethnicity, then the ‘powers that be’ will be minimized to historical caricatures; a novel point in time when one actually trusted another of taking care of their own business and rights.

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By Napolean DoneHisPart, December 9, 2010 at 9:15 pm Link to this comment

The ‘secrets’ are about the two face lie “Amerika” is!

The ‘policy’ is one thing, when the action is another… or vice versa. 

One one face says in the news and for the history books is the fairy tale of what actually takes place-  the furthering of empire at ALL COSTS.

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By Blackspeare, December 9, 2010 at 12:45 pm Link to this comment

This article was about cyber-clash and the comments are about the sex accusation against Assange in Sweden.  So let me continue in that vein.  In Sweden having hetero-sexual sex and failing to provide the woman with multiple orgasms is judged a sexual crime!  In a more serious tone, the charges against Assange appear to be somewhat trumped-up and no doubt there was political pressure applied.  If the USA was willing to go after a 30 year warrant for Roman Polanski you can only imagine how far they will go for Assange.  USA laws do not extend around the world thought many politicians think they do!  Past law indicates that publishing state secrets is in itself not unlawful as long as the publisher was not involved in the theft.  The onus is on the state and the security-cleared staff to maintain those secrets.  Poor Bradley Manning——he will spend much time in military prison mostly as an example even though the “secrets” he copied were no more than gossipy things that were somewhat embarrassing, but nothing that will put lives at danger nor change the political landscape.  Most of the world’s political leaders knew of these “secrets”, but don’t like the rest of the world to know——and like the French say, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

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By SoTexGuy, December 9, 2010 at 11:10 am Link to this comment

The Government and their media partners responded from the first focusing on what Assange and Wikileaks were doing. Ever more clearly moving the controversy away from what the exposed documents themselves were about.. not even wanting to put responsibility for the leaks on anyone other than Assange and a PFC? Shouldn’t somebody higher up at least lose their job? .. that is if there is any substance to the leaks themselves..

The character assassination now of Assange closes the noose on him and excludes even more any real focus on what the leaks reveal. Now the inevitable retelling of the sordid details of his sexual escapades.. talk about Swedish laws regarding sex .. and the endless accusations and denials and explanations.. Real tabloid stuff.. never mind the guy behind the curtain.

As this progresses, whether Assange is incarcerated for his trysts or exonerated will matter little.. To any one looking for a reason to doubt what the leaked documents expose.. Assange and the details of his life will now discolor and discredit what he has accomplished..

Even if (and I hope so!) all these charges and accusations go away.. now there will be questions and doubts. His supporters also have to wonder.. what did he give back or promise not to do? In order for the authorities to back off.. And that’s the trap he’s in. Surely he knows now this is a serious situation he’s in. If he has some real bombshell documents.. are they insurance? Or revenge?

Either way it moves him also the into role of thinking about himself.. and not especially about what he started out to do.. to let people know the truth.

Adios!

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By LostHills, December 8, 2010 at 9:05 pm Link to this comment

Right on, Brothers!

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By Fat Freddy, December 8, 2010 at 8:34 pm Link to this comment

Peter Knopfler,

Don’t forget all of that Swedish pornography from the 70s.

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By scallywag, December 8, 2010 at 6:33 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

After all what’s the point of freedom and responsibility and opportunity if you are denied such things only to have the world figured out and sold to you in convenient episodes that so often serve to conveniently serve the indoctrinated/vested power bases and their infomercial packages?

After all is it really all about freedom as Mastercard so often boasts in its commercials? I wonder…

Shame about Visa

http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2010/12/media-transparency-mastercard-and-payback/

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By Peter Knopfler, December 8, 2010 at 6:10 pm Link to this comment

No condom, or my condom split, sue the condom company,
and in Liberal Sweden where years ago anything was
legal, sex change well known for gender benders
Lesbians etc, Sweden famous for sexual freedom,NOW rape
if condom falls off, Yes boys we are being abused once
more, One size fits all law in Sweden. Then Sweden for
a large sum of money sells Julian to American military
in Kuwait, water boarding, yes surfing with Gates and
Mullen, will slash their tears of fear onto Julian
hoping to get more information. What circus which one
is the Clown, Mullen Or Gates.

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By David Eason, December 8, 2010 at 6:00 pm Link to this comment

Lisbeth Salander lives!

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By Napolean DoneHisPart, December 8, 2010 at 5:39 pm Link to this comment

Is not the apparent collusion of international and multinational entities interesting to see to smother the truth and history’s authorship?

This is the final frontier of warfare- cyber, for the minds and attention of the people of the world. 

LIFE, in real time.

Paper went digital to ‘save the environment’ and now with the ease of keystroke, numbers and events are edited, deleted, or omitted altogether.

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By Napolean DoneHisPart, December 8, 2010 at 5:31 pm Link to this comment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsrA6AfS8UE

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9016886482738598023#

http://www.mefeedia.com/watch/30676461

These things need perusing before confronting what credit debt IS.  What ‘is’ credit debt?

Much like when Bill Clinton said “it depends on what the definition of ‘is’ is.

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