Anonymous VS. Mexican Drug cartel

[Bob]

When I saw this, it occurred to me that although everybody is making noise about the Pizza Perv and the goofy rambling speech of Rick "scary" Perry, THIS is the biggest news story of the year.

"They had kidnapped a geek with backup — a respected member of the hackers collective known as Anonymous."

“You have made a great mistake by taking one of us,” said the video’s masked figure. “Release him.”

According to the NY Times article, these guys got everything on the cartel and the governments cooperation with them. This could be as world changing as the day video cameras were made available to the public. Read the whole article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/world/americas/hackers-challenge-mexican-crime-syndicate.html?hp

I can't wait to see how this turns out.

[Nu Kua]

Great story! Are Insurgent Hackers going to save the day after all is said and done?

Gotta add the video- thanks, Bob!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJORGO1Q2VY

Quoted from the article you linked to:


...Whether Anonymous will publish what it has is unclear. The original YouTube message, uploaded on Oct. 6, said that Nov. 5 would be “a day to remember,” and the group has already provided a first strike. Last week, Anonymous defaced the Web site of a former Tabasco State prosecutor, Gustavo Rosario Torres, replacing his usual message with the image of jack-o’-lanterns and an announcement that Mr. Rosario “es Zeta.”

But on Monday, in the wake of a security firm’s report highlighting the potential loss of life from naming names, there were more mixed messages. A steady stream of posts on Twitter referring to OpCartel revealed an intense debate over the benefits and costs of moving forward. On Twitter and in private e-mails — members of Mexico’s underground online media said — there appeared to be a widening gap between supporters and opponents of Anonymous’s mission.

This may have been by design. The blog post announcing that OpCartel would continue emphasized that “anyone who is not properly protected should immediately and publicly disassociate themselves from this operation.” Several Twitter accounts that had been active on the topic fell silent. ...

[JenaS62]

This would make a great movie!

[Tired Old Man]

This would make a great movie!

That would depend on the ending. But it has a great start. Anonymous against the Mexican cartel. Can they close bank accounts ? Move the money ? That would hurt the cartel. Name's ? No big deal. Unless it is an American name.

[Lillith]

That would depend on the ending. But it has a great start. Anonymous against the Mexican cartel. Can they close bank accounts ? Move the money ? That would hurt the cartel. Name's ? No big deal. Unless it is an American name.

Gee. The POSTER BOY NEXT WEEK? Of course it would be an AMERICAN name(s). How many YEARS we been fighting this WAR on Drugs? How many DEA agents and govt agencies turn a blind eye to drugs, perhaps even aide and abet? OUR COURT SYSTEMS REQUIRE CONSTANT MOVEMENT and DISTRIBUTION OF ILLEGAL DRUGS to keep the prison and judicial systems afloat and in business. Job security. Salaries.

Which is in and of itself and enormous economic growth industry with limitless growth potential. Thousands of cops jobs, judges and prosecutors rely on drug busts....you know. protecting the American public against dope fiends? Regardless of whether its Mexico our our govt, they cannot operate one with out the other. There has to be some degree of tandem cooperation. The only other plausibe answer is that the US's DEA and FBI is absolutely impotent and incompetent.



Still, some hackers said, it was time for Netizens to fight back in a country where the news media have been cowed (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/world/americas/21mexico.html) into submission, and where the justice system is often complicit in heinous crimes that regularly go unpunished.

“We believe it is high time to say enough to the terrible situation caused by the falsehood of the government and lack of scruples of people who do not care about the welfare of their fellow human beings,” they posted.



Right now, the State of Fl is engaged in an enormous battle. The Corrections Officers Union filed suit against the state, because the State wants to privatize many of its existing prisons in So. Fl. If they sell the prisions to private CORPORATIONS, thousands of CO's stand to lose their jobs and benefits.

[Bob]

and if the Drug guys buy the majority shares of the companies who run/own the prisons. You'll have Wall St. owning/running the government, and the Drug Cartel owning/running the prison. Am I the only one who thinks this is a little Koo-Koo? This is a George Carlin routine run amok.

[Lillith]

and if the Drug guys buy the majority shares of the companies who run/own the prisons. You'll have Wall St. owning/running the government, and the Drug Cartel owning/running the prison. Am I the only one who thinks this is a little Koo-Koo? This is a George Carlin routine run amok.

As if they already dont? How many senators and congressmen have corporate board of directors seats, own stock, take campaign funds, act as adjunct chairmen / advisory committees or at the very least have had past ties and affiliations to some of the largest Corporations in America.

Think Carl Rove. The list is endless.

[Bob]

Agreed, but as with everything in the world of politics and prisons...it can always get worse.

[JenaS62]

As if they already dont? How many senators and congressmen have corporate board of directors seats, own stock, take campaign funds, act as adjunct chairmen / advisory committees or at the very least have had past ties and affiliations to some of the largest Corporations in America.

Think Carl Rove. The list is endless.


A few years ago, I saw a listing on a blog or something that shows all of the relationships of politicians to corporations and vice versa. They are all interconnected. It is no wonder that our government is corrupt beyond repair.

[Nu Kua]

A few years ago, I saw a listing on a blog or something that shows all of the relationships of politicians to corporations and vice versa. They are all interconnected. It is no wonder that our government is corrupt beyond repair.

Oh! I hope you can find that. It would be so useful.
I found this (http://www.corporations.org/campaign$$/)- a list of links to obtain that info. I wonder if what you read is linked to, here?

[Reef Badlaw]

A few years ago, I saw a listing on a blog or something that shows all of the relationships of politicians to corporations and vice versa. They are all interconnected. It is no wonder that our government is corrupt beyond repair.

Do you mean 'interconnected beyond repair'... rather than using a powerful word like 'corrupt'? The living coral-reef mindlessly expands, but the octopus can't control it. It can only 'get rich' from it.

What sux is the phenomena of ppl being allowed to hold chairs in multiple corporate boardrooms. That never made sense to me.

[JenaS62]

Oh! I hope you can find that. It would be so useful.
I found this (http://www.corporations.org/campaign$$/)- a list of links to obtain that info. I wonder if what you read is linked to, here?


I think it was called something like The Thin Red Line but I have looked for it since then and not been able to find it. Maybe you will have better luck. I'm pretty sure it was in someone's blog. My memory is kind of a blur. lol



**edit - Wait! I think I remember being linked to it on the 2007-2008 Ron Paul forums. I've been looking for it the past few minutes and cannot find it. I'll keep looking.

**edit again - maybe it was The Red Pill. Good lord. Something red.

[Reef Badlaw]

Oh! I hope you can find that. It would be so useful.
I found this (http://www.corporations.org/campaign$$/)- a list of links to obtain that info. I wonder if what you read is linked to, here?

Here's an interesting one from Bush-era, because it includes the MSM's connections to both:

http://www.progressiveliving.org/mass_media_and_politics.htm

I know that anonymous is against globalization. But I agree with them here. As the cartels seem about to collapse-under-their-own-weight, a nice li'l shove oughtta work quite nicely. Dozens of Mexican journalists are seeking asylum in the US. And Calderone's ppl are busting innocent network users without verifying that their ID's have been stolen by the cartels.

[JenaS62]

Ahhhh - found it. It's old but it's thought provoking.

http://rabbit-hole-journey.blogspot.com/2007/10/media-moguls-bankers-and-cfr.html


**edit - did anyone else notice all of the CFR members? As long as we keep electing CFR members - this shit isn't going to stop - but I'm not sure if we will ever be given the choice of a non CFR member. The whole process is rigged.

[JenaS62]

I went to another story on the same blog and this is very prophetic. It's from September 2007. Sound familiar?

http://rabbit-hole-journey.blogspot.com/2007/09/reps-and-dems-are-pushing-authoritarian.html

"I believe The Plan is that the public will be so angry at the Republicans (Neoconservatives, actually), that they'll elect a Democrat, and think "thank goodness we now have a Democrat". And then, said Democratic president will NOT undo the authoritarian EO's that Bush put in place, and then proceed to get away with, and screw the nation, with more socialist policies.

The Republicans are pushing the Authoritarian agenda.
The Democrats are pushing the Socialist agenda.

They are both pushing for more taxes, bigger government, more regulation, more war, more power for themselves, and less freedom for you and me.

Do you think Homeland Security was put in place as a reaction to 9-11? Think again, the first draft of the Homeland Security Act was written in 1998, during Bill Clinton's presidency."

[Lillith]

The Republicans are pushing the Authoritarian agenda.
The Democrats are pushing the Socialist agenda.

They are both pushing for more taxes, bigger government, more regulation, more war, more power for themselves, and less freedom for you and me.

Do you think Homeland Security was put in place as a reaction to 9-11? Think again, the first draft of the Homeland Security Act was written in 1998, during Bill Clinton's presidency."

What I really agree with are your 2nd and 3rd sentences. Ultimately, what we are "subjects" too and of is modern mans sembelence of old "royalty" - where alliances are made among the elite - generations worth of alliances where favors are still paid for loyalty but instead of land holdings and serfs and castles being granted as gifs and rewards, we have instead, BOD seats being handed out from multinational corporations, multi million dollar stock options and bonusus, political campaign contributions. Really.

What has changed is that one you go to airports, social gatherings, watch state dept dinners, royal weddings, and you can no longer identify a person by their national dress. Everyone looks and acts alike. So we're probably seeing at the last vestigages of individuality and independence and more towards the fine tuning of global assimilation.

[Max]

(Source (http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20111102-anonymous-vs-zetas-amid-mexico-cartel-violence?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=111103&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=a061fbb41d644a978cf3ff8d04b1cde7))

Anonymous vs. Zetas Amid Mexico's Cartel Violence
November 2, 2011 | 1701 GMT

By Scott Stewart

The online activist collective Anonymous posted a message on the Internet on Oct. 31 saying it would continue its campaign against Mexican criminal cartels and their government supporters despite the risks.

The message urged inexperienced activists, who might not be practicing proper online security measures, to abstain from participating. It also urged individuals associated with Anonymous in Mexico not to conduct physical pamphlet drops, participate in protests, wear or purchase Guy Fawkes masks, or use Guy Fawkes imagery in their Internet or physical-world activities. Guy Fawkes was a British Roman Catholic conspirator involved in a plot to bomb the British Parliament on Nov. 5, 1605. The British celebrate the plot’s failure as Guy Fawkes Day each Nov. 5. In modern times, the day has come to have special meaning for anarchists. Since 2006, the style of the Guy Fawkes mask used in the movie “V for Vendetta” has become something of an anarchist icon in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
Related Video

It was no coincidence, then, that in an Oct. 6 video Anonymous activists set Nov. 5 as the deadline for Los Zetas to release an Anonymous associate allegedly kidnapped in Veracruz. The associate reportedly was abducted during an Anonymous leaflet campaign called “Operation Paperstorm.”

The Oct. 31 message acknowledged that the operation against Los Zetas, dubbed “Operation Cartel,” would be dangerous. It noted that some members of the collective would form a group of trusted associates to participate in a special task force to execute the operation. It asked supporters to pass information pertaining to drug trafficking to the Operation Cartel task force for publication on the Internet via a software tool developed by Anonymous that permits the anonymous passing of information.

When discussing Anonymous, it is important to remember that Anonymous is not a hierarchical organization, but rather a collective of activists. Individuals who choose to associate themselves with the collective frequently disagree over issues addressed by the collective and are free to choose which actions to support and/or participate in.

With Nov. 5 approaching, and at least some elements of Anonymous not backing down on their threats to Los Zetas, we thought it would be useful to provide some context to the present conflict between Anonymous and Los Zetas and to address some of its potential implications.

Context

The Mexican port city of Veracruz has been the epicenter of this event. Veracruz has been a busy place over the past few months in terms of Mexico’s cartel wars. The port serves as a critical transportation hub for Los Zetas narcotics smuggling. Because of this, STRATFOR has identified Veracruz as a bellwether for determining Los Zetas’ trajectory in the coming months.

In a major recent development in Veracruz, the Sinaloa cartel began an offensive into the Zetas stronghold using the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), which, under the name “Matazetas” (Spanish for “Zeta killers”), conducted high-profile body dumps of more than 50 alleged low-level Zetas operatives on Sept. 20 and Sept. 22. On Oct. 25, Mexican marines arrested Carlos Arturo Pitalua-Carillo, also known as “El Bam Bam,” who was the Zetas’ plaza boss in Veracruz. The Zetas in Veracruz thus are feeling pressure from both the Mexican government and the CJNG.

The Anonymous Internet collective entered this dynamic in August with its activities in Veracruz. It is common knowledge that members of local, state and federal governments in Mexico support various cartel groups. In the state of Veracruz, it is generally believed that some members of the state government support Los Zetas, the dominant cartel there. In response to this corruption, some who have associated themselves with Anonymous launched Operation Paperstorm. These activists distributed leaflets throughout Veracruz denouncing the state government for supporting Los Zetas. They conducted leaflet distributions Aug. 13, Aug. 20 and Aug. 29. They also released videos on the Internet on Aug. 26 and Aug. 29 condemning the Veracruz state government.

Activities outside Veracruz also played a part in setting the stage. On Sept. 13, the bodies of two people who had been tortured and killed were hung from a pedestrian overpass in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas state. Signs left with the bodies said Los Zetas had killed the pair because they had posted information pertaining to the Zetas on blogs that specialize in reporting on the Mexican cartels. On Sept. 26, the decapitated body of Marisol Macias Castaneda was found in a park in Nuevo Laredo. Macias, who worked for a local newspaper, allegedly posted on cartel blogs using the nickname “Laredo Girl.” A message found with her body said the Zetas killed her due to her online activities.

Following the death of Laredo Girl, Anonymous claimed responsibility for a distributed denial of service attack against the official website of the state of Veracruz. Although her murder occurred outside of the state, Anonymous said its attack on the Veracruz website was in response to Laredo Girl’s death. This indicates that activists understand that Los Zetas are active in both areas and suggests that Veracruz state-based activists are driving the Anonymous campaign against Los Zetas.

Significantly, some individuals associated with Anonymous already were unhappy with the state of Veracruz over its decision to prosecute two individuals who had posted kidnapping reports on Twitter on Aug. 25 that proved false. According to the reports, a group of children had been abducted from a Veracruz school. The inaccurate reports allegedly caused some two dozen traffic accidents as terrified parents rushed to the school to check on their children. The so-called Twitter terrorists initially were charged with offenses that could have carried a 30-year sentence. Some associated with Anonymous, which has absolute freedom of speech on the Internet as one of its foundational principles, took umbrage at the prospect of such stiff penalties — especially given the stark contrast with the impunity enjoyed by many cartel figures in Mexico.

STRATFOR began to focus on the story following the Oct. 6 release of the video in which Anonymous activists threatened to release information about individuals cooperating with Los Zetas if the Zetas did not release the Anonymous activist kidnapped during Operation Paperstorm. In light of the approaching Nov. 5 deadline, we published an analysis of the topic on Oct. 28; the topic subsequently received a great deal of media coverage.

This publicity has generated a very interesting response from Anonymous that emphasizes that it is a collective, not an organization. Some Anonymous activists began to back off the issue, erasing online user accounts formerly associated with the campaign, suggesting the operation against Los Zetas had been a hoax and claiming that no activist had been kidnapped. Other activists suggested that the campaign was dangerous, ill-advised and should be suspended. Still other activists became more strident and determined in their posts, urging that the campaign continue. As noted, Anonymous’ collective nature means activists can select the actions they participate in, including Operation Cartel. It would only take one dedicated individual to continue the operation.

The will to continue was manifested Oct. 29 with the hacking of the personal website of Gustavo Rosario Torres, the former attorney general of the Mexican state of Tabasco. The site was defaced with a message from Anonymous Mexico stating that Rosario is a Zeta. Rosario has long been accused in the Mexican and international media of protecting Los Zetas, and videos long have circulated on YouTube making the same charge. The hacking of his website thus did not provide any startling revelation; Anonymous will have to uncover and publish original and timely information if it hopes to do much damage to Los Zetas.

The determination by some activists to continue the operation against Los Zetas also was reflected in the tone of the Oct. 31 message. Some activists associated with Anonymous clearly feel compelled to continue with the campaign over what they have characterized as an outpouring of public support in the wake of the media coverage. According to their Oct. 31 video statement:

“We received many expressions of support and solidarity as well as the voices of people crying for help. We must remember that we are on the side of the people, and we cannot let down the people, especially in critical moments like the one they currently live in.”

We therefore anticipate that some Anonymous activists will continue the campaign. We also believe that Los Zetas will respond.

Blowback

Mexico’s various cartels long have used the Internet to trumpet their triumphs on the battlefield and to taunt and even degrade their enemies. The cartels have posted videos of the torture, execution and desecration of the corpses of rivals. They also frequently monitor narcoblogs and sometimes even post on them. As demonstrated by the September blogger killings in Nuevo Laredo, Los Zetas appear to possess at least some rudimentary capability to trace online activity to people in the physical world. They are known to employ their own team of dedicated cyber experts and to have sources within the Mexican government.

In addition to technical intelligence, the Zetas can use old-fashioned human intelligence to track down their online enemies. People sometimes discuss their online identities with family and friends, and such information can be overheard and passed to Los Zetas in return for money. This danger was recognized in the Oct. 31 video from Anonymous that urges participants in their campaign not to discuss their activities with anyone.

In past Anonymous actions, like the December 2010 attack against PayPal after the WikiLeaks scandal broke, the U.S. and British governments arrested numerous individuals associated with Anonymous who allegedly participated in the attacks. In June 2011, Turkey arrested dozens of activists associated with Anonymous actions conducted against the Turkish government in response to its plan to establish a national Internet-filtering system. This indicates that some activists associated with Anonymous are not nearly as anonymous as they would like to be. Every action on the Internet leaves some sort of trail, making it very difficult to be truly anonymous.

Like other Mexican cartels, Los Zetas do not take affronts lightly. Even if Anonymous cannot provide information that damages Los Zetas smuggling operations, the very fact that the collective has decided publicly to challenge Los Zetas will result in some sort of response. The big question is whether the Zetas possess the capability to trace the organizers of the Anonymous action?

One challenge with tracking an entity such as Anonymous is that it is intentionally amorphous. It is also as transnational as the Internet, and it would be unsurprising if many of those chosen to participate in the operation against Los Zetas are located in the United Sates, Europe and other areas that are outside the Zetas’ immediate reach.

The amorphous nature of Anonymous can also cut the other way, however. If Los Zetas abduct and execute random patrons at an Internet cafe, behead them and place Guy Fawkes masks on their heads, it will be very difficult to prove that they were not associated with Anonymous. Los Zetas also could execute random people and claim they had provided Anonymous with information in order to intimidate people from actually cooperating with Anonymous. As Anonymous noted in its Oct. 31 video, this is dangerous business indeed.

The Big Picture

How the Mexican public reacts to the Anonymous operation must be watched. The criminal cartels and their violence have deeply affected many people in Mexico’s middle and upper classes. STRATFOR talks to many people in Mexico who fear that they or a family member will be kidnapped. In many communities, especially places like Ciudad Juarez, Torreon, Monterrey and Veracruz, businessmen find themselves in a terrible bind. They face ever-increasing extortion demands from the cartels while their business revenues dwindle because the violence associated with those same cartels has frightened people into not going out. This is forcing many small businesses to close. It also is creating a great deal of frustration and resentment.

At the same time, Mexico has become one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, and many media organizations practice heavy self-censorship to protect themselves. In the wake of the September blogger killings, some of the narcoblogs, like Blog del Narco, have exhibited strong signs of self-censorship inspired by fear. As a result, many Mexicans believe the mainstream media are not of any real assistance in the face of cartel violence.

Mexican citizens also are frustrated with their government, which, as noted, is well-known for corruption. This sentiment is feeding Anonymous’ original campaign in Veracruz. This frustration even has led some people to begin discussing the creation of vigilante groups to fight the cartels — though this has been attempted before in Mexico. As we saw in the case of La Familia Michoacana, which began as such a vigilante group, vigilantism frequently does not end well.

This is where Anonymous may fit in. With Mexican citizens unable to rely on their government, the media or even armed vigilante groups for assistance, they may embrace Anonymous, coming to view its form of cybervigilantism as an outlet for their frustration. If Anonymous is perceived as a safe way to pass information pertaining to cartel activities, we may see people from all over the country begin to share intelligence. Such human intelligence could very well prove to be far more damaging to the cartels than any information Anonymous activists can dredge up electronically. As this operation is becoming more widely publicized, the pool of people outside Mexico who might wish to participate will likely grow. The number of people inside Mexico who wish to provide information might grow as well.

Anonymous has taken on many powerful entities in the past, such as major transnational corporations and governments. But the repercussions from participating in such operations were never as grave for online activists as they are in this case. Being identified and detained by Scotland Yard or the FBI is a far different situation than being identified and detained by Los Zetas.
Got this stratfor briefing in my inbox and thought of this topic <3

[Cartesiantheater]

At some point the international community needs to ignore Mexico's sovereignty and invade the nation and simply destroy a great deal of these people. Naive, you say? Whether it is or not, it is certainly POSSIBLE to obtain the intelligence to know who the important people are in these cartels, and it is certainly possible to kill more than half of them. It is also completely possible to maintain a long term international military presence in Mexico.

Unfortunately, there is too much other shit going on in the world and no one really cares all that much about Mexico. Too bad, because it's clear the people pretending to run Mexico are inept.

[Lillith]

At some point the international community needs to ignore Mexico's sovereignty and invade the nation and simply destroy a great deal of these people. Naive, you say? Whether it is or not, it is certainly POSSIBLE to obtain the intelligence to know who the important people are in these cartels, and it is certainly possible to kill more than half of them. It is also completely possible to maintain a long term international military presence in Mexico.

Unfortunately, there is too much other shit going on in the world and no one really cares all that much about Mexico. Too bad, because it's clear the people pretending to run Mexico are inept.

LOL - I agree. But why include the international community. US intelligence already KNOWS who the drug cartels alpha dogs are. Shoot, why dont we just invade Mexico and expand our national territories and borders. We fight a few drug cartels here and there (you know, the eternal Drug War) and compared to Iraq and the Middle East invading Mexico would be a breeze. There is still abject brutality, mistreatment of people enmasse, civil rights being just ignored.... prime territory for US imperialism. We can just roll our tanks right across the Borders.


Im sure our Congress has Mexico on the US taxpayers dole already in financial assistance - WE ARE THE WORLDS BIG BROTHER!! . We oughta just go in and summarily win the Mexican peoples hearts and minds once and for all - like we did in Iraq. Oh, thats right...Mexico dosent have oil. What do they have thats worth taking?:naughtyy: