Private Facebook Group

[boxy]

Sexist, racist and abusive: that's the tone of hundreds of offensive messages posted on an internet chat site used by current and former Australian soldiers. The site and its confronting contents, uncovered by 7.30, suggest a campaign by the top brass to clean up the culture of the Australian military has a long way to go.

Last year it was the Skype sex scandal; before that, sexual misconduct by sailors. Now, a private Facebook group of more than 1,000 former and serving Defence force members provides another disturbing insight into the soldier's world.

From what I saw (which was no doubt cherry picked as some of the most outrageous), what has been posted on the site is far from the worst examples of (mock?) misogyny on civilian sites. It was a private group, for gods sake.

And you know, despite what is claimed to be "a world in which 'All women,' as the post says, 'are filthy, lying whores'.", that is a jock post, that at least in part, is self mocking. Internet memes need to be taken in context, rather than quoted as actual beliefs.

Another example of the media putting people's careers at risk for private interactions, taken out of context.

[mantra]

There is obviously no freedom of speech on the net as much as some would like it. If you're going to be derogatory or abusive, regardless of whether a private group of diggers are the culprits, someone is going to see it and complain. Censorship is going to become more highly regulated than it already is - so if private groups want to talk freely they'll have to start communicating by email or meeting up personally.

[Outlaw Yogi]

It seems humour has been outlawed in the 21st century by the PC culture police.

Personally I thought this comment was no big deal, but apparently it's a culture crime according to ABC.

(male voiceover): "Don't worry about what the enemy will do to them. After a few weeks in the bush, most blokes'd f*** a black snake with a festered arse!!"

Spoze I should be glad I hardly ever watch TV.


Wouldn't like to be this bloke once he's found out/tracked down.

HAYDEN COOPER: There are more than 1,000 current or former soldiers in this group. The site is extremely busy and acts as an online meeting place. 7.30's been given access by one concerned member who wants to remain anonymous.

I knew staying away from FB would be a good idea.

[mantra]

I log in sometimes to see if younger members of the family are still alive - but it's not a safe site. There are all sorts of programs (apps) that attach themselves to your computer. You need to have good security with all the right boxes ticked and unticked.

If you use a smartphone and download apps, you've probably used an app which pops up a dialog box pop asking ''Find your friends?'' and offering to search some new social network - or one of the more familiar ones - for people you already know.

It's easy and quick to click on the ''OK'' button. But do you know what's happening once you do? This is where you suddenly discover that what you thought you knew about your online privacy is wrong - or at best, incomplete.

In mid-February, an Indian researcher, Arun Thampi, figured out what was happening when Path, a would-be social network app for Apple's iPhone for ''sharing your life'', asked that question. It was uploading the entire contents of your address book - names, emails, phone numbers - to Path's servers.

The outcry over this data grab was rapid and widespread - at least among the Silicon Valley digerati and those who watch them. Path's chief executive wrote a mea culpa blogpost, the company updated its app so it wouldn't upload all the data, and everything seemed calm.

Then Dustin Curtis, a user interface designer, pointed out that loads of apps do this. On his blog, he noted: ''I did a quick survey of 15 developers of popular iOS apps, and 13 of them told me they have a contacts database with millons of records. One company's database has Mark Zuckerberg's cellphone number, Larry Ellison's home phone number and Bill Gates's cellphone number.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/techno ... z1nuwzLJWq

[freediver]

More likely the ABC snuck in by pretending to be a vet, then once a member discovered that they were also now a 'concerned' member.

[IQS.RLOW]

Oh bew fucking hew

The ABC trots out some nobody from the 'independent panel of internetz inquiry" of some other bullshit title that they are probably receiving $500K a year from this shit filled govt who has stumbled across a private facebook site that says the govt is fucked and all women are whores.

Tell us something we dont know

It is just another step for the labor govt in trying to control what people say

[Super Nova]

I think we all have a responsibility under free speech.

The only guiding principal I can think of that works is "do not post anything in emails, text, tweats, facebook, fuckbook, linkedin or blogs that you would not be happy seeing on the front pages of the paper the next day calling you personally out as the person making the statement". It is just that bloody simple.

Also be prepared to accept the conseqences of everyone knowing it was you that made the comment.

There is no privacy in these communications today. If you write it, it can go anywhere.

Don't complain if someone reposts it or refers to it linking you to it.

So when you are posting, you are not anonymous. The failing is that individuals think they are or it has been said in a private conversation (one on one or in a group) that it should remain private. You post anywhere on the net... it is no longer private. (it never was)

If you are concerned... say it over the phone, down the pub.... but never in print.

Also, what I said 30 years ago on some topics with my mates down the pub I would hate to have revealed today as my opinion. People posting their life on facebook is just bloody stupid. The long term consequence for them is lifelong. It may prevent them getting jobs and all sorts of thing.

Bloody silly.

[Aussie]

So when you are posting, you are not anonymous. The failing is that individuals think they are or it has been said in a private conversation (one on one or in a group) that it should remain private. You post anywhere on the net... it is no longer private. (it never was)

AiA/Carly the Croc would not agree with you.

[Super Nova]

So when you are posting, you are not anonymous. The failing is that individuals think they are or it has been said in a private conversation (one on one or in a group) that it should remain private. You post anywhere on the net... it is no longer private. (it never was)

AiA/Carly the Croc would not agree with you.

You are generally anonymous to the internet community, except where you declare it is you (facebook, email, twitter etc...) however you have to be extra clever to be anonymous to the powers that be.

The police and ASIO have powers to track you down... the feds in the US have these powers. By joining up the information they can find you.

Recently there was a guy who opens a yahoo type account in an internet cafe... later used it to register on a site.... later used it to stalk someone.... he was very clever except that that got caught because they went to yahoo, found the time and IP he registered, when to internet cafe looked at videos... nailed him.

Unless you are the elite hacker class.... you can always be identified... if the will is there.

In the case of these boards... the will is not there.

[Outlaw Yogi]

The police and ASIO have powers to track you down... the feds in the US have these powers. By joining up the information they can find you.

The police and military in OZ, and CIA and NSA in USA yes, but ASIO in OZ I'm not so sure.

Years ago you could go to the CIA website and view (supposedly) internal files, surprizingly enough. Although they may have been just dummies/decoys so the agency can check on what individuals are looking for. I went there, saw the files section so searched Al Qa'ida, and of from memory of 24k accessible files 26 had Al Qa'ida in the title. Yet upon opening and reading, not a single one even mentioned Al Qa'ida in the text. I mentioned this online a couple of times. Went back aprox 2 years later, and the files section was no longer available/viewable.

Then I searched for ASIO's website, which was just a page with email addresses and phone numbers in each state except Tasmania, which had only a phone number listed. I figured ASIO probably doesn't have competent computer savvy enough staff to feel confident having an interactive website and fears being hacked, so just didn't bother allowing the threat to exist.

Could be different now, that was about 5-7 years ago.

EDIT ADDITION - Forgot a bit. ... If the Fed Govt or its agencies want to track you down via the net or do online surveillance, they use the Defense Signals Directorate (DSD), part of the army.