Advisory aimed at Internet Cafe owners characterizes mundane behavior as âsuspicious activityâ
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
An FBI advisory aimed at Internet Cafe owners instructs businesses to report people who regularly use cash to pay for their coffee as potential terrorists.
The flyer, issued under the FBIâs Communities Against Terrorism (CAT) program, lists examples of âsuspicious activityâ and then encourages businesses to gather information about individuals and report them to the authorities.
âEach flyer is designed for a particular kind of business,â writes Linda Lewis, a former policy analyst and planner for the U.S. government. âFor example, this list was prepared for owners of internet cafes. Unquestionably, someone planning a terrorist attack has engaged in one or more of the âsuspiciousâ activities on that list. But so, too, have most of the estimated 289 million computer users in this country.â
Indeed, the flyer aimed at Internet Cafe owners characterizes customers who âalways pay cashâ as potential terrorists.
Of course, the vast majority of people who visit Internet Cafes use cash to pay their bill. Who uses a credit card to buy a $2 dollar cup of coffee? A lot of smaller establishments donât even accept credit cards for amounts less than $10 dollars.
Other examples of suspicious behavior include using a âresidential based Internet providerâ such as AOL or Comcast, the use of âanonymizers, portals, or other means to shield IP addressâ (these are routinely used by mobile web users to bypass public Internet filters), âSuspicious communications using VOIP,â and âPreoccupation with press coverage of terrorist attackâ (this would apply to the vast majority of people who work in the news or political blogging industry).
Searching for information about âpoliceâ or âgovernmentâ is also listed as a potential indication of terrorism, as is using a computer to âobtain photos, maps or diagrams of transportation, sporting venues, or populated locations,â which would apply to virtually anyone who uses Google Maps or Google Earth.
People who may wish to keep private the contents of a personal email or an online credit card purchase by attempting toâshield the screen from view of othersâ are also characterized as potential terrorists.
Business owners who spot patrons engaging in these types of activities are encouraged to call the FBIâs Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC), after first gathering information on license plates, names, ethnicity, and languages spoken.
In total, there are 25 different CAT flyers aimed at businesses from across the spectrum â everything from hobby shops to tattoo parlors.
As we have documented on numerous occasions, the federal government routinely characterizes mundane behavior as extremist activity or a potential indicator of terrorist intent. As part of its âSee Something, Say Somethingâ campaign, the Department of Homeland Security educates the public that generic activities performed by millions of people every day, including using a video camera, talking to police officers, wearing hoodies, driving vans, writing on a piece of paper, and using a cell phone recording application,â are potential signs of terrorist activity.
The CAT program again underscores how federal authorities are empowering poorly trained citizens to become terrorist hunters, stoking fears that America is sinking deeper into a Stasi-style informant society. Last week we reported on how the DHS had trained hot dog sellers and other vendors to spot terrorists at this past weekendâs Super Bowl event.
Read the FBI flyer in full below (click for enlargement) - http://www.infowars.com/fbi-paying-...-a-potential-indicator-of-terrorist-activity/
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
An FBI advisory aimed at Internet Cafe owners instructs businesses to report people who regularly use cash to pay for their coffee as potential terrorists.
The flyer, issued under the FBIâs Communities Against Terrorism (CAT) program, lists examples of âsuspicious activityâ and then encourages businesses to gather information about individuals and report them to the authorities.
âEach flyer is designed for a particular kind of business,â writes Linda Lewis, a former policy analyst and planner for the U.S. government. âFor example, this list was prepared for owners of internet cafes. Unquestionably, someone planning a terrorist attack has engaged in one or more of the âsuspiciousâ activities on that list. But so, too, have most of the estimated 289 million computer users in this country.â
Indeed, the flyer aimed at Internet Cafe owners characterizes customers who âalways pay cashâ as potential terrorists.
Of course, the vast majority of people who visit Internet Cafes use cash to pay their bill. Who uses a credit card to buy a $2 dollar cup of coffee? A lot of smaller establishments donât even accept credit cards for amounts less than $10 dollars.
Other examples of suspicious behavior include using a âresidential based Internet providerâ such as AOL or Comcast, the use of âanonymizers, portals, or other means to shield IP addressâ (these are routinely used by mobile web users to bypass public Internet filters), âSuspicious communications using VOIP,â and âPreoccupation with press coverage of terrorist attackâ (this would apply to the vast majority of people who work in the news or political blogging industry).
Searching for information about âpoliceâ or âgovernmentâ is also listed as a potential indication of terrorism, as is using a computer to âobtain photos, maps or diagrams of transportation, sporting venues, or populated locations,â which would apply to virtually anyone who uses Google Maps or Google Earth.
People who may wish to keep private the contents of a personal email or an online credit card purchase by attempting toâshield the screen from view of othersâ are also characterized as potential terrorists.
Business owners who spot patrons engaging in these types of activities are encouraged to call the FBIâs Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC), after first gathering information on license plates, names, ethnicity, and languages spoken.
In total, there are 25 different CAT flyers aimed at businesses from across the spectrum â everything from hobby shops to tattoo parlors.
As we have documented on numerous occasions, the federal government routinely characterizes mundane behavior as extremist activity or a potential indicator of terrorist intent. As part of its âSee Something, Say Somethingâ campaign, the Department of Homeland Security educates the public that generic activities performed by millions of people every day, including using a video camera, talking to police officers, wearing hoodies, driving vans, writing on a piece of paper, and using a cell phone recording application,â are potential signs of terrorist activity.
The CAT program again underscores how federal authorities are empowering poorly trained citizens to become terrorist hunters, stoking fears that America is sinking deeper into a Stasi-style informant society. Last week we reported on how the DHS had trained hot dog sellers and other vendors to spot terrorists at this past weekendâs Super Bowl event.
Read the FBI flyer in full below (click for enlargement) - http://www.infowars.com/fbi-paying-...-a-potential-indicator-of-terrorist-activity/
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