There are probably fediverse instances being run by governments for surveillance purposes
The downside of everything being federated is that it's really easy to listen in. Make sure to keep yourself anonymous online!
Dear NSA, I'm the CEO of antifa. Please direct all questions and inquiries below. Thanks.
Dear CEO of antifa, I'm the CEO of the NSA. How do you pronounce "antifa"? We've been really struggling in our meetings. Best regards.
Dear CEO of NSA,
it’s pronounced Elon Musk is a domestic terrorist.
Best regards, Founding members of Antifa
Its shorthand for “antifascism”. You pronounce it the same without the “scism”. As head of NSA you should know how to say fascism pretty well I think.
hahaha thanks
Auntie far. HTH.
If you are doing anything that's publicly visible, you're not anonymous.
That's not quite true, although technically in this case you would be pseudononymous.
You can use Lemmy at opsec level 4-5:
http://blog.nowherejezfoltodf4jiyl6r56jnzintap5vyjlia7fkirfsnfizflqd.onion/opsec/index.html
Register an email over tor browser, use that to verify a Lemmy account over tor browser, only ever access over tor browser. Be mindful of what you say and post.
On graphene you can also install always-on orbot/invizible in a seperate profile or private space and use apps like Voyager
Note: some instances like.world block tor users.
dbzer0, Lem.ee, and mander.xyz I know are cool with it
Here are some other options for anonymous email:
https://onionmail.org/ https://tuta.com/ https://mailfence.com/ https://www.guerrillamail.com/ https://yopmail.com/en/email-generator (Generate Randomly an Anonymous Email for Free) https://nbox.notif.me/ (Free Anonymous and Private Disposable Address Provider) https://addy.io/ (Open-source Anonymous Email Forwarding) https://www.secure-email.org/ https://maildrop.cc/ https://www.mailinator.com/ https://www.secure-email.org/ https://librem.one/ https://flashbox.5july.org/ (Flashbox - Anonymous Disposable Email) https://user.disroot.org/pwm/public/newuser (Disroot) https://www.throwawaymail.com/ https://nbox.notif.me/ (Anonymous, Private, Free) http://csmail3thcskmzvjicww3qdkvrhb6pb5s7zjqtb3gdst6guby2stsiqd.onion/ (cs.email - Disposable Temporary E-Mail Address) http://torbox36ijlcevujx7mjb4oiusvwgvmue7jfn2cvutwa6kl6to3uyqad.onion/ (TorBox) http://6n5nbusxgyw46juqo3nt5v4zuivdbc7mzm74wlhg7arggetaui4yp4id.onion/src/register.php (Morke) http://mail2torjgmxgexntbrmhvgluavhj7ouul5yar6ylbvjkxwqf6ixkwyd.onion/ (Mail2Tor) http://2nxpboa3ya52j5au4gxwkdt4nxoh5g4y4f3tuqedlza46y35jmv6doid.onion/ (SecretMail) http://ovhcd6qhuz22bid42pw7unwfqf7i55rghb5x62q4kxchjnk2gz2ot6id.onion/ (Hobe Onion Mail) http://5nm4mdhzyfbif6i5qv3kh4i7j2trlbuvujsencsqn55opaa3d6qhfcqd.onion/ (Hidden Mail Onion Server) https://onionmail.org/ (Clearnet) http://pflujznptk5lmuf6xwadfqy6nffykdvahfbljh7liljailjbxrgvhfid.onion/ (Onion Mail) http://en.vzoc4aylgsqwexe6okjbz2ix5atgdv5xyibnkcekmtg4u23syz6a7rid.onion/ (OnionMail) http://j3bv7g27oramhbxxuv6gl3dcyfmf44qnvju3offdyrap7hurfprq74qd.onion/ (adunanza Onion Mail) http://eot3almpracnkz7gz3r5yr3qaymngqsrmvbica2shw5zuc52az2gxoqd.onion/ (Dozaru Onion Mail) http://2nxpboa3ya52j5au4gxwkdt4nxoh5g4y4f3tuqedlza46y35jmv6doid.onion/ (Systemli) https://www.systemli.org/en/ (Systemli Clearnet) http://fozdean5ayswi6jtseg2fgyysqt3dskoosmoc6gnqia4dxwxiuvg3oad.onion/ | Underworld.dog Onion Email"
I don’t think they really need to run an instance to conduct surveillance on the Fediverse. Maybe it makes things easier, but a lot of this is public anyway. Just because Google isn’t putting a lot of this in search results yet doesn’t mean it can’t be scraped by people who are interested in scraping it.
Yeah but the traffic from scraping other instances is going to get noticed real quickly, whereas a small instance federating with everyone else isn't really suspicious.
Doesn't even have to be an instance.
Custom code that runs the pubsub protocol... Without publishing anything.
Everything is open.
Unless instance admins find the pubsub instance suspicious and defederate it, at which point it won't be able to receive posts/comments
Running free instances is a) way easier if you're a government, and b) gives you important moderation control.
Also, a government running an instance that allows and promotes material that is very critical of said government could very well happen. It might sound contradictory, but allows for future control over "problematic" movements, if the need ever occurs.
I bet the Kremlin is sponsoring one at least
I consider Lemmy to be more pseudonymous. Which is to say, I am practically anonymous to most users, but it wouldn’t take much for someone with resources to pester my instance into giving up my IP.
The content of my posts, comments, and votes is intentionally public information.
Yeah that's true; real anonymity would be something like 4chan where users aren't distinguishable. Here you can tell who people are, but not necessarily find out their real life identity.
A better example would be the dark web forums
It's Nicole, isn't it?
As is tradition.
Will do, Francis Bacon Tumminowson III of Wilburville, Kentucky!
I use NoScript and uBlock. For this page, there are eighteen different scripts that want to run, but I only allow the two that seem necessary for basic functionality.
Apart from using Tor and allowing zero scripts to run, we have little hope of even pseudo-anonymity on the internet, and increasingly in our every-day lives.
We, as a people, tolerate the surveillance state as long as they increase the surveillance incrementally over generations, distract us with shiny toys, and keep us fighting amongst ourselves over irrelevant subjects.
Just know that various governments have been confirmed to be running their own Tor nodes and monitoring traffic. To the point where they can de-anonymize some stuff in the right conditions.
Then you have the whole KAX17 thing.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2021/12/was-threat-actor-kax17-de-anonymizing-the-tor-network
All this to say, take extra precautions and don't get complacent just 'cause you're using Tor. It's kinda like how most car accidents happen within a mile of your home, because you've driven it so many times you some times check out and go into auto-pilot. Some people assume Tor is the end-all, and it is not unfortunately.
That attack type is mitigated both through protocol updates and network management.
It hasn't been a problem for several years.
That isn't to say that you should trust TOR completely, just that you don't have to worry about sybil attacks on the network.
What else are you going to use? Also Tor is highly resistant to attacks and it is very hard to trace traffic even if you control a sizable amount of the network. I think using Tor for random stuff once and a while is good as it mixes in junk with sensitive stuff.
I think the actual risk for a single low priority individual is low. However, run a node of you can. Also install the snowflake extension
Dear Feds, My name is Walter Hartwell White. I live at 308 Negra Arroyo Lane, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87104. This is my confession. If you're reading this comment, I'm probably dead- murdered by my brother-in-law, Hank Schrader. Hank has been building a meth empire for over a year now, and using me as his chemist. Shortly after my 50th birthday, he asked that I use my chemistry knowledge to cook methamphetamine, which he would then sell using connections that he made through his career with the DEA. I was… astounded. I… I always thought Hank was a very moral man, and I was particularly vulnerable at the time – something he knew and took advantage of. I was reeling from a cancer diagnosis that was poised to bankrupt my family. Hank took me in on a ride-along and showed me just how much money even a small meth operation could make. And I was weak. I didn't want my family to go into financial ruin, so I agreed. Hank had a partner, a businessman named Gustavo Fring. Hank sold me into servitude to this man. And when I tried to quit, Fring threatened my family. I didn't know where to turn. Eventually, Hank and Fring had a falling out. Things escalated. Fring was able to arrange – uh, I guess… I guess you call it a "hit" – on Hank, and failed, but Hank was seriously injured. And I wound up paying his medical bills, which amounted to a little over $177,000. Upon recovery, Hank was bent on revenge. Working with a man named Hector Salamanca, he plotted to kill Fring. The bomb that he used was built by me, and he gave me no option in it. I have often contemplated s-icide, but I'm a coward. I wanted to go to the police, but I was frightened. Hank had risen to become the head of the Albuquerque DEA. To keep me in line, he took my children. For three months, he kept them. My wife had no idea of my criminal activities, and was horrified to learn what I had done. I was in hell. I hated myself for what I had brought upon my family. Recently, I tried once again to quit, and in response, he gave me this. [Walt points to the bruise on his face left by Hank in "Blood Money."] I can't take this anymore. I live in fear every day that Hank will kill me, or worse, hurt my family. All I could think to do was to make this video and hope that the world will finally see this man for what he really is.
Probably, there are also bots on lemmy already bcz it's grown quite a bit. They are definitely trying to direct the conversation as well.
If you’re going to start spreading conspiracies about government bots astroturfing our small corner of the internet you’re gonna need to present at least some kind of evidence.
That reminds me of the time I bought a CyberTruck, my other IRL Lemmy friends thought I was super cool for buying a CyberTruck. Basically everyone on Lemmy owns a CyberTruck. Really great financing rates for CyberTruck, am I right guys?
I’m in the US and joined a leftist instance. I hide in plain sight lol
Thats why you make an account with no info attached to you. And run a vpn. Not fool proof, but better than nothing
How does a vpn help with anonymity?
IP address won’t report back to your home country, reputable VPN providers will fight to protect your anonymity because they know once they accommodate law enforcement their business will tank.
Remember to avoid the ask lemmy posts like:
Whats your favorite pets name, what street did you grow up on, do you like cut or uncut, etc...
Depends on my mood. Ive never had uncut but am curious. I’m half cut (shaft-wise direction)
Something like Tor, and a proper education in keeping identities compartmentalized would be more appropriate for a use-case where someone is trying to maintain anonymity. VPN is mostly only good for a bit of wifi security and piracy.
Sounds like someone who was big into monitoring would say.
There are some fedi scrapers.
At least some people on Mastodon really noticed it after they managed to look up their name on chatGPT
At least for a while (dont know the current case) some people bragged about being able to scrape fedi content or something
Dont know it some of the scrapers are gov spies tho
Gonna edit this after finding the saved messages that support my comment, needs probably a while ;.;
Edit: did not find it but searching for "Fediverse Scraper" has at the top two fediverse scraper tools hosted on GitHub, so yea, its easy
thank you for the reminder, Robert Paulson.
Pretty sure hexbear was one, the original admin bailed as soon as Trump got elected and they were really big on the don't vote trend.
Im not scared. Ill lay it all out. im Hubert Manne. Thats H-U-B-E-R-T and I live at 1397 Prince Ave, Athens, GA 30606. My ssn is 123-45-6789. Are you bro enough, to come at me?
There are also instances that most likely exist just to suck up data for AI/LLM training. People were up in arms about it happening on Reddit and trying to torch their comments when here they’re giving it away for free and there are less bots because it’s a newer platform.
I honestly don't care as long as the bots don't cause a denial of service
His name is Robert Paulson
All together now