The FBI has been spying on BM since 2010

[Elderberry]

WOW
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ology.html

[AntiM]

The article is not new, although it looks up-cycled with new pictures. Seriously, yawn. My pet theory has been FBI agents want to attend, so made up a reason to go on the government dime. We aren't in danger, they are. We'll make burners of them yet.

You can tell the article is crap:

Since money is effectively outlawed at the site, guests are urged to barter for commodities and many fans have already taken to social media offering to swap items such as crystals for festival tickets.

Oh, and it is the Daily Mail.

[lucky420]

Oh who cares...?

The government can spy on you any damn time they want. I just can't get caught up in this. Here have some

[Netty58]

The Daily Mail is a notorious British scandal rag. It's not read for news but for it's partially fabricated content and stories about sad-faced kids who have been sent home from school for wearing shoes that are not a part of their school uniforms.

[Simon of the Playa]

Freaky Bureau of Ingesting

[Leap]

2010? What took them so long?

[Canoe]

Yup. Not new. Though usually interesting.
But, the problem with spotting them on the playa, is it them or someone else doing performance art...
I've been told that they did recruit a regular percentage from the pool of those who ran the projectors in high school, hence the difficulty differentiating on the playa. Wonder what the target pool is these days.

[trilobyte]

Looks like you fell for the old 'post an old story as news' gag, I saw a lot of people parroting the piece in the last week or two.

[Elderberry]

Was news to me. You think they are still up to it?

[Savannah]

Was news to me. You think they are still up to it?

You can bet that if it is even marginally defensible to the bureau, a few good agents jockey fervently for the chance to go, surveil a few hours a day with a blended margarita in one hand (that counts!) . . . then put on the best in kirigumi suits, and rave their goddamned faces off.

(What they do after lunch, I cannot predict.)

[Simon of the Playa]

(What they do after lunch, I cannot predict.)

hookers and blow, usually.

[some seeing eye]

It has come up before on ePlaya in some of these: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid= ... .org%20FBI

I agree with Savannah. I don't agree with the size of their budget, many of their tactics, or the tremendous resources devoted to creating Hoover-era dossiers which will never have any value. I think them coming to the event has no value and is a waste of tax dollars - but it is not my decision. I have to say I'm 100% in support of their entrapment of domestic bombers having encountered that sort of thing overseas. And I think they did a good job in their role with the armed individuals who occupied a little wildlife refuge.

[trilobyte]

Speaking personally, I think that any agency that can justify some kind of activity at the event... justifies it and has some kind of activity at the event. With the big international draw, I'm sure the boys and girls at Homeland Security are out and about in some capacity too.

[some seeing eye]

That is a good point. But it illustrates what many of us have said on ePlaya. Part of noblesse oblige is to remain hidden and anonymous. That's a great privilege to be able to do so.

[Sham]

A good rule of thumb is: KEEP YOUR CELL PHONE TURNED OFF. With the "Stingray" technology, (which may or may not be on the playa) everything passing though your cell phone--texts, voice, emails etc., can be clearly seen and sorted. With the handy GPS in your phone, you can be found within inches of your exact location.

My personal thoughts are that the playa is the practice and testing grounds for all these nifty intrusive devices, with all the law enforcement agencies joining in the games.

KEEP YOUR CELL PHONES TURNED OFF to thwart these devices.

[trilobyte]

If you do want to bring and use your device (photo toy apps, for example), I highly suggest turning on 'airplane mode' (if your phone has it). That basically turns off the radio transmitters (with many manufacturers, it cuts power to the chips and saves battery power too).

[ygmir]

do you guys really think turning anything, or even the whole thing off, thwarts anyone? Probably only the hackers. maybe. Gov. has the stuff to track, phone off or on, IMHO.

[Sham]

do you guys really think turning anything, or even the whole thing off, thwarts anyone? Probably only the hackers. maybe. Gov. has the stuff to track, phone off or on, IMHO.

Yes, there are GPS breadcrumbs leaving tracks to follow. It's also been written that both the front and back cameras can be turned on without the user noticing. (useful in hostage type situations)

In my own humble thoughts, the playa is the absolute perfect scenario for testing all these spying techniques. The entire population is made up of people attending this event. All cell phone communications can be channeled through Stingray devices due to the remote location of the event and then sent to the single cell tower in Gerlach. This could never be so effective in a populated city.

[moonrise]

Heya...Sham, I thought we should ALSO, TAKE THE BATTERY OUT after we TURN OUR CELL PHONES OFF (the last time I was held hostage, we hadn't invented cell phones).

"twas good to see ya's the other day Yggy & L420 et al (we shall reunite once again)!

JK, the FBI, Home Land...all of them have been going for YEARS (shrug).

Now where's Da Bar...I'm thirsty!

do you guys really think turning anything, or even the whole thing off, thwarts anyone? Probably only the hackers. maybe. Gov. has the stuff to track, phone off or on, IMHO.

Yes, there are GPS breadcrumbs leaving tracks to follow. It's also been written that both the front and back cameras can be turned on without the user noticing. (useful in hostage type situations)

In my own humble thoughts, the playa is the absolute perfect scenario for testing all these spying techniques. The entire population is made up of people attending this event. All cell phone communications can be channeled through Stingray devices due to the remote location of the event and then sent to the single cell tower in Gerlach. This could never be so effective in a populated city.

[Skuzzy61]

do you guys really think turning anything, or even the whole thing off, thwarts anyone? Probably only the hackers. maybe. Gov. has the stuff to track, phone off or on, IMHO.

Removing the battery from the phone is the only way to insure it is really off. Otherwise you never really know for sure. Then the only thing you have to be concerned about is whether or not your phone has a passive RFID chip in it, which would require close proximity in order to pickup.

My phone lacks GPS, or camera. or even SMS capabilities. Even so,I will remove the battery from it and only use it, providing there is cell service, for about one minute a day to check for any emergency calls.

[Elderberry]

Unfortunately, you can't remove the battery from lots of new phones these days.

[trilobyte]

For those who are particularly paranoid of tracking, there's removing the SIM card... or not bringing a phone at all. Because if you're really concerned about a government agency keeping tabs on you, you're probably not snapping a lot of digital camera phone pics... aside from providing visual cues to your location and possible pictures of known associates, they typically contain location and timestamp data in the embedded EXIF data of the image file.

[media]

[Skuzzy61]

Unfortunately, you can't remove the battery from lots of new phones these days.

That, certainly, would not be a phone I would own. The first thing we do with the Wife's phone is to buy an extended usage battery so she can go longer than a day before needing to recharge the thing. Yes, she has one of *those* phones. I refuse to call them "smart" given how idiotic they can make a person look.

[Simon of the Playa]

now now now.

everybody just relax.

didn't J.Edgar prefer A Little Black Dress?

obviously, one of us.

now hush, all of you judgey mcjudgersons. They're people too.


like corporations.

what happened to radical inclusion?


fucking hippiecrits.

[moonrise]

Ah yes, don't forget to remove the SIM card.

Or leave the thing behind.

NEVER forget the ubiqitous Litlle Black Dress.

[Simon of the Playa]

here is proof.

former director hoover and his lover, clyde, in an early art car.

burning man, circa 1994 or so...

j.hoover_in_persuit-1.jpg

[Bless]

The FBI isn't spying on all of TTITD... only Simon.

[Simon of the Playa]

i know...riiiiiiiiight?


i feel like im living in an alan arkin movie sometimes.

[AntiM]

Get a few life-sized cardboard cutouts of yourself in dynamic poses, and sprinkle them around BRC in eplayan camps.

[Simon of the Playa]

[media]