Mobile users told to 'chase Bush'

BBC ^ | November 18, 2003 | BBC

[BillF]

Mobile users told to 'chase Bush'

Protesters angry about the "security bubble" around President George Bush on his UK visit are being asked to use gadgets to be heard and seen.

The Chasing Bush campaign is asking people to "disrupt the PR" of the visit by spoiling stage-managed photos.

They are being encouraged to send location reports and images by mobile to be posted on the Chasing Bush site.

"We want to give people a chance to be a visible voice of dissatisfaction," said campaign organiser Tim Ireland.

Not smiling

Technologies like text messaging and weblogs have been successfully used in the past to co-ordinate routes and meet-up points for mass protests.

But the gadgets are now being used more proactively to make protests more visible and disrupt any potential stage-managing of the President's visit.

"We have been described as a second generation smart mob. We are encouraging people to use camera phones and send us e-mails with photos," campaign co-organiser Richard Wild explained to BBC News Online.

"We are trying to spoil the PR, so we are not doing anything directly, but encouraging people to protest by turning their backs in press photos so they can't be used."

The campaign organisers have also asked people to go into protest "exclusion zones" to send SMS updates and on-location reports about his appearances, and events at protests.

"We want to show everyone in the world we are doing this and we using the web channels to influence mainstream channels as much as possible," said Mr Ireland.

All the messages and pictures will be posted on the website as soon as they are received.

The site has been designed to be low bandwidth so it can be updated in real time via appropriate mobile phones using GRPS or laptops from anywhere, said Mr Wild.

Bush's 'bubble'

The massive security measures for the President's visit are unprecedented. A huge £5m police operation has been mounted with 14,000 officers covering the visit.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected at an anti-war march on Thursday.

The security measures have been put in place in response to fears about public disorder, but also a heightened terrorist threat from al-Qaeda.

A ring of 700 of the President's own secret service agents and security advisers will surround him in a mobile "bubble" amid fears of terror attacks.

Some newspapers and websites were reporting mobile phone signals could be blocked for fear they could remote-control a bomb.

But Scotland Yard has denied reports that police were considering shutting mobile phone masts during protests.

A spokesperson told BBC News Online they were "not prepared to discuss matters of security".

Although it "would be extremely unusual to do that, and authority would have to be cleared with all the appropriate regulators."

[finnman69]

That website is getting freeped good in the comments area.

[finnman69]

http://volokh.com/2003_11_16_volokh_archive.html#106925453088204637


We are living in the heart of things -- in Trafalgar Square -- and, for what it's worth, can report that there is nothing of any substance going on at all. It's quite quiet -- people are going about their business, but the usual buzz of tourist activity has slackened a bit. The first round of scheduled protest events involved a big talk by prominent left-leaning activists, and drew about 2,000 people. Then, about 1,000 marched through Oxford Street to protest the Bush Administration's environmental policies. The thousands who were supposed to greet him at Buckingham did not materialize -- there were maybe 100. Right now (Wednesday afternoon), just after the President's big talk, there are a few hundred people milling around Trafalgar Square, a women's prayer circle, and some people congratulating themselves for putting red-dye in the fountains (get it?). The crowd is a little bigger than the crowd two days ago, who were protesting the ban on feeding the pigeons, but certainly smaller than the crowd last month, who were protesting tuition hikes at universities. The cops were cracking up. There was supposed to be a big "alternative state parade" of cyclists and other folks, but it seems to have fizzled.

Hmm. What if they had an anti-war and nobody showed up?

[longtermmemmory]

They may protest in the streets but we vote in recall elections.

[CyberAnt]

I have a theory .. after 2004 .. when the dems/libs loooooose so badly all over the country .. I believe it will take the fire and the starch right out of these MoveOn type people. Why ..?? Because they will no longer have a major voice in the govt (by dems) and no voice in the media. They will not go away .. but their impact will be lessened a great deal.

[Prime Choice]

Now why would you want to go and tell them that ..??

Just seemed like the decent thing to do, considering all the publicly-available exploit code and reported vulnerabilities. If they're not careful, they could wind up on some sort of defacement archive or something...   *nudge*

[lorrainer]

How ironic, socialists using capitalist technology.

The phones were probably issued as a benefit for being on the dole....

[little jeremiah]

These leftwing anarchist anti-American EuroVermin make me sick.

Mind if I use that phrase? Very descriptive as well as poetic!

It almost sounds as though they are not having enough protestors and are trying to drum them up, and maximize the low turnout (so far). I sincerely hope the turn out remains small!

[Snowy]

bttt

[Snowy]

Let's just ping them to death. :)

[BillF]

Please do not attack, hack, encourage or justify those or similar illegal or questionable actions against the web site.

Such activity just poisons the whole internet and could lead to similar attacks against FR. On the other hand, if someone wanted to email them at bush@interwebnet.org with an opposing opinion or post an appropriate dissent on their message board, there is nothing wrong with that.

I didn't start the thread to encourage misbehavior. FReepers should behave as almost all almost always do.

[Pagey]

Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected at an anti-war march on Thursday.

I highly doubt that. Don't these people have jobs and families to take care of?

[evad]

"Hmm. What if they had an anti-war and nobody showed up? "

We can only hope.

Maybe the same for tomorrow's planned activities.

CODE NAME: Target Rich

[yevgenie]

If they had a web-based form, just fill in junk info that sounds legit. They will need to read through it all to figure out what's real and what's not. If email is the way, utilize multiple addresses or spoof a few to poison the dataset.
Whatever you do, don't do the ping to death or other "moron"-style attacks.

[weegee]

Wonder what the leftists would say if we had used the same tactics to protest DIRT-XXX-POTUS

The press would have just used closeups of XXXlinton and the union thugs would have knee-capped the protestors.

[BillF]

Consider the leftists' web site dedicated to chasing Bush (click here).

Leftists' web site has message board that one can post to, but apparently only true "comrades" can start a thread.

Interesting use of technology. Wonder what the leftists would say if we had used the same tactics to protest DIRT-XXX-POTUS, his blushing bride or other libs.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Just for the record, I was NOT endorsing the hacking or disruption of the site in question. I was not lamenting the fact, however, that their site was down. Thanks.
rd.

[SuzanneWeeks]

Site permanently down.

Sorry guys, we've been informed by our hosting company that they're pulling the plug due to the DoS attacks.

Its really unfortunate that a group claiming to represent the right to freedom of speech would do this.

We live in sad times.

Well It's down now.... Score one for the good guys

[BillF]

Sorry if I implied that you endorsed any misbehavior. I didn't mean to imply any endorsement by you.

[BillF]

Score one for the good guys

It's back up now.

I'm not sure that I understand your post. It incorporates portions from their web site without a clear indication of the portion added by you.

I'm probably just FReeping past my "go to bed" time and misunderstanding your post, but I must strongly disagree with any implication that "good guys" can launch DoS attacks.

I hope that no FReepers were the bad guys involved in DoS or similar attacks. (BTW, the first notice on their web site of IP spoofing attacks was just before I started this thread.) OK to send them dissenting emails or post on their message board, but good guys do not launch DoS or similar attacks, regardless of motive.

Beyond the immorality and likely illegality of such attacks, practicality dictates against this. Conduct like that can generate retaliation and justify further action by them.

All FReepers should be moral enough and wise enough to avoid improper/illegal cyberattacks.