FBI posts fake hyperlinks to snare child porn suspects (Junpei got caught)

[Phoenix Dark]

Apparently Junpei fell for this, according to one of his friends on facebook

The FBI has recently adopted a novel investigative technique: posting hyperlinks that purport to be illegal videos of minors having sex, and then raiding the homes of anyone willing to click on them.

Undercover FBI agents used this hyperlink-enticement technique, which directed Internet users to a clandestine government server, to stage armed raids of homes in Pennsylvania, New York, and Nevada last year. The supposed video files actually were gibberish and contained no illegal images.

A CNET News.com review of legal documents shows that courts have approved of this technique, even though it raises questions about entrapment, the problems of identifying who's using an open wireless connection--and whether anyone who clicks on a FBI link that contains no child pornography should be automatically subject to a dawn raid by federal police.

The implications of the FBI's hyperlink-enticement technique are sweeping. Using the same logic and legal arguments, federal agents could send unsolicited e-mail messages to millions of Americans advertising illegal narcotics or child pornography--and raid people who click on the links embedded in the spam messages. The bureau could register the "unlawfulimages.com" domain name and prosecute intentional visitors. And so on.

In a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Durbin added: "I thought it was scary that they could do this. This whole idea that the FBI can put a honeypot out there to attract people is kind of sad. It seems to me that they've brought a lot of cases without having to stoop to this."

Durbin did not want to be interviewed more extensively about the case because it is still pending; she's waiting for U.S. District Judge Timothy Savage to rule on her motion. Unless he agrees with her and overturns the jury verdict, Vosburgh--who has no prior criminal record--will be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years and will be effectively barred from continuing his work as a college instructor after his prison sentence ends.

The government's hyperlink sting operation worked like this: FBI Special Agent Wade Luders disseminated links to the supposedly illicit porn on an online discussion forum called Ranchi, which Luders believed was frequented by people who traded underage images. One server allegedly associated with the Ranchi forum was rangate.da.ru, which is now offline with a message attributing the closure to "non-ethical" activity.

In October 2006, Luders posted a number of links purporting to point to videos of child pornography, and then followed up with a second, supposedly correct link 40 minutes later. All the links pointed to, according to a bureau affidavit, a "covert FBI computer in San Jose, California, and the file located therein was encrypted and non-pornographic."

When anyone visited the upload.sytes.net site, the FBI recorded the Internet Protocol address of the remote computer. There's no evidence the referring site was recorded as well, meaning the FBI couldn't tell if the visitor found the links through Ranchi or another source such as an e-mail message.

With the logs revealing those allegedly incriminating IP addresses in hand, the FBI sent administrative subpoenas to the relevant Internet service provider to learn the identity of the person whose name was on the account--and then obtained search warrants for dawn raids

http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9899151-38.html?tag=blog.2

Much more at link

Junpei  :'(

[FlameOfCallandor]

Isnt that illegal. Entrapment or some shit.

[Phoenix Dark]

Isnt that illegal. Entrapment or some shit.

Entrapment: Not a defense
So far, at least, attorneys defending the hyperlink-sting cases do not appear to have raised unlawful entrapment as a defense.

"Claims of entrapment have been made in similar cases, but usually do not get very far," said Stephen Saltzburg, a professor at George Washington University's law school. "The individuals who chose to log into the FBI sites appear to have had no pressure put upon them by the government...It is doubtful that the individuals could claim the government made them do something they weren't predisposed to doing or that the government overreached."

The outcome may be different, Saltzburg said, if the FBI had tried to encourage people to click on the link by including misleading statements suggesting the videos were legal or approved.

In the case of Vosburgh, the college instructor who lived in Media, Penn., his attorney has been left to argue that "no reasonable jury could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Vosburgh himself attempted to download child pornography."

Vosburgh faced four charges: clicking on an illegal hyperlink; knowingly destroying a hard drive and a thumb drive by physically damaging them when the FBI agents were outside his home; obstructing an FBI investigation by destroying the devices; and possessing a hard drive with two grainy thumbnail images of naked female minors (the youths weren't having sex, but their genitalia were visible).

The judge threw out the third count and the jury found him not guilty of the second. But Vosburgh was convicted of the first and last counts, which included clicking on the FBI's illicit hyperlink.

In a legal brief filed on March 6, his attorney argued that the two thumbnails were in a hidden "thumbs.db" file automatically created by the Windows operating system. The brief said that there was no evidence that Vosburgh ever viewed the full-size images--which were not found on his hard drive--and the thumbnails could have been created by receiving an e-mail message, copying files, or innocently visiting a Web page.

From the FBI's perspective, clicking on the illicit hyperlink and having a thumbs.db file with illicit images are both serious crimes. Federal prosecutors wrote: "The jury found that defendant knew exactly what he was trying to obtain when he downloaded the hyperlinks on Agent Luder's Ranchi post. At trial, defendant suggested unrealistic, unlikely explanations as to how his computer was linked to the post. The jury saw through the smokes (sic) and mirrors, as should the court."

And, as for the two thumbnail images, prosecutors argued (note that under federal child pornography law, the definition of "sexually explicit conduct" does not require that sex acts take place):


The first image depicted a pre-pubescent girl, fully naked, standing on one leg while the other leg was fully extended leaning on a desk, exposing her genitalia... The other image depicted four pre-pubescent fully naked girls sitting on a couch, with their legs spread apart, exposing their genitalia. Viewing this image, the jury could reasonably conclude that the four girls were posed in unnatural positions and the focal point of this picture was on their genitalia.... And, based on all this evidence, the jury found that the images were of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and certainly did not require a crystal clear resolution that defendant now claims was necessary, yet lacking.

Prosecutors also highlighted the fact that Vosburgh visited the "loli-chan" site, which has in the past featured a teenage Webcam girl holding up provocative signs (but without any nudity).

Civil libertarians warn that anyone who clicks on a hyperlink advertising something illegal--perhaps found while Web browsing or received through e-mail--could face the same fate.

When asked what would stop the FBI from expanding its hyperlink sting operation, Harvey Silverglate, a longtime criminal defense lawyer in Cambridge, Mass. and author of a forthcoming book on the Justice Department, replied: "Because the courts have been so narrow in their definition of 'entrapment,' and so expansive in their definition of 'probable cause,' there is nothing to stop the Feds from acting as you posit."

[FlameOfCallandor]

So these people are going to jail because they clicked a URL. Thats fucked up.

[Phoenix Dark]

Apparently the link is being hidden with Tinyurl and used to essentially rickroll people with. ADVICE: don't go to 4chan

[FlameOfCallandor]

Fucking shit. And you think I over react about my libertarian stances. Fuck me.

Step 1: Click URL

Step 2: Go to jail

Step 3: Profit??

[T234]

Where does that tinyurl go?

[Candyflip]

Holy shitcakes. That sounds like it's really toeing the line. What happens when people click it on accident? Oh, that's right, they can't differentiate between intent and mistake. So how do they prevent some cock mongler from randomly emailing it to people? Posting it in MySpace comments? IMing it to people?

[Vizzys]

pretty fucked up stuff right here

[Candyflip]

Where does that tinyurl go?

When in doubt just put preview in front of the hyperlink.
preview.tinyurl.com/2c7n2h
"This TinyURL redirects to:

    http://www.evilbore.com/forum/index.php"

[FlameOfCallandor]

Where does that tinyurl go?

Click it

My mouse hovered over the URL for a second and now my door is being kicked in by armed guards!

[MrAngryFace]

who the fuk cares if they trap pedos

[Ichirou]

.

[FlameOfCallandor]

You dont see anything wrong for people getting arrested for only clicking on a URL??

[MrAngryFace]

just play wow, thats safe

[Ichirou]

.

[Candyflip]

WoW was the first thing I thought of when talking about some distinguished mentally-challenged fellow distributing the link.

[2. Trade] [Douchebag]: hay guise chek it out, new tier 7 pics zomg http://urgettinv&.com
*hundreds of people click*

[MrAngryFace]

in 3 years of wow ive never seen a url

[Flannel Boy]

who the fuk cares if they trap pedos

The problem is there's a real risk they won't just trap pedos, since people are being rickrolled with the link.

Yeah, the FBI recorded all IP addresses and not just those that came straight from the forum where members traded child porn. They should have recorded where the visitors came from.

I don't think those who visited the FBI’s sting site after clicking on the link at the forum could claim entrapment because the members on that site already traded child porn. It would be difficult to argue that they committed acts that they would not have, or were unlikely to have, otherwise committed which is necessary to prove entrapment.

[Phoenix Dark]

I like You Know's simple yet effective view on world events. What do you think about the Iraq war You Know, which has killed thousands as you know.

[FlameOfCallandor]

I like You Know's simple yet effective view on world events. What do you think about the Iraq war You Know, which has killed thousands as you know.

He's is probably going to vote for a very charismatic leader that promises no real solutions and has claimed to be against the war the whole time while never actually voting to suspend funding or introducing any resolutions to end the war.

[Phoenix Dark]

I like You Know's simple yet effective view on world events. What do you think about the Iraq war You Know, which has killed thousands as you know.

He's is probably going to vote for a very charismatic leader that promises no real solutions and has claimed to be against the war the whole time while never actually voting to suspend funding or introducing any resolutions to end the war.

You Know thinks for himself. Unlike you, You Know has experience

[Candyflip]

in 3 years of wow ive never seen a url

Gold sellers?

[FlameOfCallandor]

I like You Know's simple yet effective view on world events. What do you think about the Iraq war You Know, which has killed thousands as you know.

He's is probably going to vote for a very charismatic leader that promises no real solutions and has claimed to be against the war the whole time while never actually voting to suspend funding or introducing any resolutions to end the war.

You Know thinks for himself. Unlike you, You Know has experience

Yes it makes so much sense to vote for someone who is not against the war in any meaningful way, when you are against it!

[Candyflip]

This is the reason you're still lepered.

No offense.

[Phoenix Dark]

I like You Know's simple yet effective view on world events. What do you think about the Iraq war You Know, which has killed thousands as you know.

He's is probably going to vote for a very charismatic leader that promises no real solutions and has claimed to be against the war the whole time while never actually voting to suspend funding or introducing any resolutions to end the war.

You Know thinks for himself. Unlike you, You Know has experience

Yes it makes so much sense to vote for someone who is not against the war in any meaningful way, when you are against it!

you don't know anything do you

[FlameOfCallandor]

I like You Know's simple yet effective view on world events. What do you think about the Iraq war You Know, which has killed thousands as you know.

He's is probably going to vote for a very charismatic leader that promises no real solutions and has claimed to be against the war the whole time while never actually voting to suspend funding or introducing any resolutions to end the war.

You Know thinks for himself. Unlike you, You Know has experience

Yes it makes so much sense to vote for someone who is not against the war in any meaningful way, when you are against it!

you don't know anything do you

Yes im such an idiot that I am so against the war that I *gasp* voted for someone who voted against the war.

[Van Cruncheon]

because "the war" is everyone's sekret #1 priority when voting

[Tauntaun]

in 3 years of wow ive never seen a url

 

[Van Cruncheon]

anyway, as a dad of a 3 yr old and also as someone not prone to click links that don't come from trusted friends, OH TEH WELL. i don't like the tactics as they are prone to abuse, but on the other hand, the one person i won't shed a tear for is the pedophile
pervies!

[MrAngryFace]

in 3 years of wow ive never seen a url

Gold sellers?

yeah but you cant click on those so wtf morans

[Rman]

I have no sympathy for pervs, but I any good lawyer worth his salt will find a way to get these charges dismissed.

[Raban]

What the fuck is the sympathy for? Did EvilBore turn into pussies overnight? First the bye-bye box and now tears shed for child rapists? They don't arrest folks who don't have kiddie porn on their computer, obviously. I'll admit that busting down someone's door for clicking on link is pretty stupid, but in the end if the feds don't find the child porn, they're left to go scot-free, no harm done 'cept for your front door.

Fucking pedos deserve it. Can't wait until we start working on the furries.

[Joe Molotov]

I have no sympathy for pervs, but I any good lawyer worth his salt will find a way to get these charges dismissed.

Not if they find real kiddie porn on the computers after they seize them.

[Candyflip]

in 3 years of wow ive never seen a url

Gold sellers?

yeah but you cant click on those so wtf morans

Ohh. I see what you mean.

What the fuck is the sympathy for? Did EvilBore turn into pussies overnight? First the bye-bye box and now tears shed for child rapists? They don't arrest folks who don't have kiddie porn on their computer, obviously. I'll admit that busting down someone's door for clicking on link is pretty stupid, but in the end if the feds don't find the child porn, they're left to go scot-free, no harm done 'cept for your front door.

Fucking pedos deserve it. Can't wait until we start working on the furries.

lolwut

And it does say in the article that the person they used as an example didn't even have any full sized images on their computer. They pressed charges based on two thumbnail images that could have come from a plethora of sources.

Of course, it also says that the guy had been browsing loli-chan, so it's not hard to say that something was up there. But it seems like they're really grasping for straws here.

[Ichirou]

.

[Raban]

What the fuck is the sympathy for? Did EvilBore turn into pussies overnight? First the bye-bye box and now tears shed for child rapists? They don't arrest folks who don't have kiddie porn on their computer, obviously. I'll admit that busting down someone's door for clicking on link is pretty stupid, but in the end if the feds don't find the child porn, they're left to go scot-free, no harm done 'cept for your front door.

Fucking pedos deserve it. Can't wait until we start working on the furries.

The thing is, you can get tricked into clicking on it.  Once you do that, whatever was in that link can get stored in your temp files or wherever and you'll get busted for something you didn't try doing.

I'm all for getting rid of pedos, but this is kind of a slippery slope. 

There's...nothing at the end of the link. That's extremely illegal. Government can't provide actual child porn. Nothing is at the end of the link except trash.

lolwut

gateway, bitches. Starts with loli manga, goes on to loli videos of people, and then doing it.

[Ichirou]

.

[Candyflip]

Don't worry Ichi, he has no CP so it's all good.

[Raban]

Glossu "Beast" Raban, are you distinguished mentally-challenged?  The fact that I could PM you the link saying it was pics of some hot latino/brown woman (lol), have you click it, and have the feds fucking bust down your door would not bother you AT ALL?

I never said it's all cool breeze sexiness to get your door busted down for clicking on a link, yeah I'd be fucking pissed, but I wouldn't be in jail, and that's the goddamn point. Plus, I don't click on hotlinks to anything without checking the properties and such unless I recognize the address. Use your fucking brain.

Don't worry Ichi, he has no CP so it's all good.

LOLOLOL HAY WHY DONCHA CLIK ON DIS LINK LOLOL ITZ SO COOL! http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b288/Gearharaden/lololol.jpg

[Ichirou]

.

[Raban]

Raban is a good example of why America sucks nowadays.

Oh, shut your fucking mouth. Just stop it.

[Ichirou]

.

[Raban]

"HEY WHO CARES IF THEY BREAK DOWN UR DOORS CIVIL LIBERTIES SUX U KNOW LET ME JUST PLAY MY VIDEO GAMES AND HATE ON RACES I FIND UNATTRACTIVE NOM NOM NOM"

/clap

[Ichirou]

.

[Raban]

Racist.

Keep going, really.

[Ichirou]

.

[Raban]

I'm done for now, Synbios.  I'll be watching you like a fucking hawk, tho.

take a nap and come back when you've cooled down

[Rman]

Raban, it is a slippery slope. 

[Ichirou]

.

[Phoenix Dark]

I've got little cousins, and even if I didn't I'd still be in favor of getting rid of pervs. But I don't like the idea of simply clinking on a link and BAM the feds are at your door. Sure if you're innocent the FBI will find out, but the entire thing still seems too over the top to me.

Why not change it to say a download? So you click on a link, you're asked whether you want to stream or download the content, and once you click "yes" the feds get the IP. That way it's easier to prove intent. If someone is saying yes, I want to download this child porn they're definitely guilty, and the possibility of someone accidentally being caught up in the situation drops significantly. 

[Raban]

Raban, it is a slippery slope. 

I never ever said it's completely fine that they're busting down doors. But nobody is doing backflips to get a better idea of doing things, so the way we do it now is flawed, but for the most part, works.

I'm not some blind patriot for the USA, but a link to child porn isn't just going to fall into your lap from nowhere. The government didn't provide that link anywhere but sites that contain pornographic content involving children. They didn't just slap it on the front page of any and every site they could. It's not unlikely that people browsing a child porn site probably have child porn.

He ranked the races.  It's a dead fucking giveaway.

As for you, I've been taking your shit for way too long. I'm not synbios, I'm Gearharaden from GAF, I could even give you the password to see the Permaban page. Ranking the races is something me and my friends have been doing since we hit puberty. I ain't a racist, not in the slightest bit, because people are people and that's it, and that's what I live by.

Now can we please move out of serious-mode? This is EvilBore for chrissakes.

[Joe Molotov]

Do we know that any actual "rickrolling" is going on? I would think they wouldn't monitor the URL for more than an hour or two to see who jumps on it. It certainly wouldn't make sense to keep using it after the thing has gone public and is all over the web.

[Ichirou]

.

[Raban]

I was just fucking around.  Don't get your panties in a bunch.

There's a fine line between fucking around and being a jackass, and you left that line behind a good 500 miles.

[Ichirou]

.

[xnikki118x]

Do we know that any actual "rickrolling" is going on? I would think they wouldn't monitor the URL for more than an hour or two to see who jumps on it. It certainly wouldn't make sense to keep using it after the thing has gone public and is all over the web.

Exactly.

Still though, the idea that someone could get rickrolled and then have the FBI busting down their door is fucked up.

Also, if I had a dog, and someone busted down my door so my dog barked, like it should, and my dog got shot? I'd be devastated.

[Raban]

Do we know that any actual "rickrolling" is going on? I would think they wouldn't monitor the URL for more than an hour or two to see who jumps on it. It certainly wouldn't make sense to keep using it after the thing has gone public and is all over the web.

Exactly.

Still though, the idea that someone could get rickrolled and then have the FBI busting down their door is fucked up.

Also, if I had a dog, and someone busted down my door so my dog barked, like it should, and my dog got shot? I'd be devastated.

The most likely scenario.

[lordmaji]

^^ yeah.

I understand what they are doing and I think pedo's should be shot. But... w/ this. People can say "hey guys, scope out this awesome website I found (stuff white people like)" post the link and it's one of them FBI links, next thing you know. You're doors being kicked in when it was a stupid ass joke by some douche on the inet.

Double edged sword. But either way, shoot pedos.

[Mupepe]

It's a risk I'm willing to take to fuck some pedo's up.  I'd gladly let them sift through my shit if it was a mistake to trap some pedo scum fucks.