Bonum Certa Men Certa

The War on Free Software Reporters - Part III - Doxing and LARPing

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jun 01, 2024,
updated Jun 02, 2024

Lonely bus at midnight on street under lamp post

OMG Corrupt Microsoft

In Part I and Part II we talked about DDoS attacks (denial of service at large scale; overwhelming the target with bunk requests) and online lynch mobs that thrive in social control media, respectively (and without any respect to truth, laws and so on). We've had to cope with those repeatedly over the years. Today, in Part III, we'd like to talk about another way we've seen GNU/Linux and/or Free software journalists targeted. And no, we're not talking about ourselves. These attack patterns seem widespread and universal.

LARPing is an issue I've had to deal with for nearly 20 years, even as a Ph.D. student at the Victoria University of Manchester (the old one, the original one, the home of the first GNU/Linux distro, whose creator was my colleague). Wikipedia defines that as: "live action role-playing game (LARP) is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically portray their characters. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by real-world environments while interacting with each other in character."

In British slang it has another meaning and the FBI (US) is distinguishing the term as follows: "This article will outline definitive ways to distinguish between LARP and criminal or malicious activity, which may be helpful to both law enforcement and prosecutors if suspects of targeted violence claim they were playacting."

The FBI gives this recent example: "Violent and criminal actors, particularly those involved in a conspiracy, could potentially make false claims, explaining that they were merely LARPing and not intending to follow through with an attack. For example, after Kaleb Franks was arrested in October 2020 for plotting to abduct Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, he told the FBI he and his compatriots were only LARPing. Franks later pled guilty and testified that this was a lie."

The Web site of the FBI goes further to note: "The foremost distinction between LARPers and violent extremists is that genuine role players will not care whether others are watching. They may even embrace third-party observation, such as nonplayer characters or a general audience. After all, LARP is a performance. Conversely, violent extremists or terrorists want secrecy. This desire may contribute to the sense of clandestine excitement that surrounds them and their preparation on a pathway to actual violence."

I've received physical threats, false accusations (attempts at "swatting") quite a lot over the years. Sometimes I mention those in public, but sometimes I prefer not to. Sometimes I report these to the police. Some time this year or next year I'll tell a kind of "swatting" story from 2024.

LARPing is practised or exercised by mentally-ill people some of the time if not a lot of the time or most of the time. They use that as an excuse ("I was only kidding", "I didn't understand", "it was just for fun") and when combined with doxing that aims to intimidate - something that my wife was subjected to very recently - they rush to deny it was intentional and come up with creative excuses for it.

I will never tolerate LARPers and doxers. Some of them had the sheer audacity of inverting the narrative, falsely accusing me of what they themselves had systematically done.

The definition of doxing varies a lot (some spell it "doxxing" with two Xs, so both forms are now considered "acceptable"), so I don't want to elaborate on that today. Some people want you to believe that merely quoting something you tweeted (and is still publicly available and freely accessible to all) is "doxing". By that definition, almost every modern act of journalism would be deemed "doxing".

Other Recent Techrights' Posts

Sounds Like IBM is Preparing for Mass Layoffs/Redundancies in Red Hat, Albeit in "PIP" (Performance Improvement Plan) or "Relocation" Clothing
This isn't the "old" IBM; they're applying pressure by confusion and humiliation
Gemini Links 17/04/2025: Role of Language and Back to Mutt for E-mail
Links for the day
Microsoft's Attack Dogs Have Failed. Now What?
It would be utterly foolish to assume that Microsoft has any intention of changing
All Your "Github Projects" Will be Gone One Day (Just Like Skype)
If you have code you wish to share and keep, then start learning how to do so on your own
Fedora Already Lost Its Soul Under IBM
Fedora used to be very strict compared to many other distros and it had attracted very bright volunteers
 
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 18, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, April 18, 2025
Links 18/04/2025: "Fentanylware (TikTok) Exodus Continues", Chinese Weapons Allegedly in Russia Already
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Price of Games and State of Tinylog
Links for the day
"Sayonara" (さよなら), Microsoft
Windows had fallen below iOS in some countries
Links 18/04/2025: Layoffs at Microsoft Infosys and Qt Becoming Increasingly Proprietary (Plus Slop)
Links for the day
Google News is Dying
treating MElon's algorithmic/biased site as a source of verified news
To Understand Who's Truly Controlling You Follow the Trail of Censorship (or Self-Censorship)
Do not let media steal and steer the narrative; CoCs are not about "social justice", they're about corporate domination
Microsoft is Still Attacking GNU/Linux and the Net
Microsoft bribed the government using money that did not even exist
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 17, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, April 17, 2025
Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Pinephone Pro and Linux is too Easy
Links for the day
Links 17/04/2025: Calling Whistleblowers at Microsoft, Slop Doing More Harm Everywhere
Links for the day
Links 17/04/2025: Russian Bot Farms Infect TikTok (Which US Government and SCOTUS Decided to Block January 19), US Hardware Stocks Crash Due to Tariffs
Links for the day
Gemini Links 17/04/2025: Sticking to Free Software, Smolnet, and Counting the Reals
Links for the day
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: In Conclusion and Enforcement Action Proceeds Against OSI at the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA)
There's too much to cover in one single part
When You Fail to Filter Your Clients You End Up SLAPPing Reporters on Behalf of Bad People From Microsoft in Another Continent
“American Psycho”
Links 17/04/2025: LayoffBot and Tesla Cheats Buyers
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, April 16, 2025