Possible NARC Identification

I have a question and a disposition, based upon how you guys respond to me it will either cement my opinion, or loosen it.

I find it odd that some people choose to disable the ability to edit/delete posts on their threads. I don't see why anyone would take the extra time to check off the option, and to what avail? I wonder if this is a tool that narcs use on this site so that once you have accidentally incriminated yourself it is more difficult to expunge your statements?

Any thoughts on the matter?

Anyone have any other ideas to spot narcs on this site? Any time tested ways? Any input at all is welcome. We are a community, and need to protect each other, as well as cover our own asses. Granted a certain level of care should be taken online, however no one is perfect.

If you are someone who disables the ability to edit/delete posts on your threads, why?

Thanks guys, and stay safe.

Mod Edit: The ability to edit and delete threads is locked out after 48 hours. Not even Mods can post threads where you can't edit your messages.

never thought about it like that but thats a really good point. im definitely gunna watch out more

Yeah, it just occurred to me as well. Curious to see how other people feel about it. I wonder how the mods would feel if we petitioned them to remove the capability to disable this function?

Mods - is this something you guys would consider? What if we circulated a petition?

Others - chime in, how do you spot narcs?

I agree, its quite elementary to not have this option.

Narcs, are your covers blown? Shit, I am considering a thread hunt, and calling some people out... Ask them why they thought it was necessary to disable this feature, which really only could help protect their comrades. I am not accusing anyone, but I think someone who likes this feature should defend it.

Anyone?

Hey guys, FEEL FREE TO EDIT AND DELETE ANYTHING on my threads, lol.

If your worried about your security never post a picture you took on your phone and go to Torproject.org and download the browser.

Mupphet.Man said:

Yeah, it just occurred to me as well. Curious to see how other people feel about it. I wonder how the mods would feel if we petitioned them to remove the capability to disable this function?

Mods - is this something you guys would consider? What if we circulated a petition?

Others - chime in, how do you spot narcs?

Click to expand...

they say you cant delete posts because it leaves holes in threads...yet ive seen certain mods remove 80% of posts from a thread simply because i made him look bad and proved him wrong. its all BS to be honest...and yes there are numerous rumors going around about LEO getting easy access to info here...but its all talk till i see proof...either way growing this happy plant comes with risks...lets just hope that places like this that claim to be here to help the MJ community are not working against us...either for their own pleasure...or payback for being put in their place.

I am not worried about my security per say, I have not implicated myself in anything. I am addressing a potential security flaw in this website though. Or am I and the other two posters the only ones who find it suspicious? Torproject, eh? I'll do some research.

Mupphet.Man said:

I am not worried about my security per say, I have not implicated myself in anything. I am addressing a potential security flaw in this website though. Or am I and the other two posters the only ones who find it suspicious? Torproject, eh? I'll do some research.

Click to expand...

to me it makes no sense...the only answer i get as to why we cant delete posts or accounts is because it causes holes in the threads...threads which they delete and or edit/remove posts at will...so it causes holes, ok thats fine..but why cant we delete pics? the post would be there...only the pics removed...no holes. now i have built various websites with Vbulletin platform doing forums and websites..and i know a simple check of a box lets you remove posts and pics...so im still waiting for a answer other then "it causes holes in the threads". and not to push conspiracy theories here...but im beginning to think that maybe a mod here might be the actually owner yet plays a mod to blend in. if i ran a site of this size...generating this amount of income (and i know its more then the price of the server) i would want to be more involved here....yet we rarely see the riu admin here. but this is all in just opinion.

Right on, technology is advancing so quickly.

djruiner said:

to me it makes no sense...the only answer i get as to why we cant delete posts or accounts is because it causes holes in the threads...threads which they delete and or edit/remove posts at will...so it causes holes, ok thats fine..but why cant we delete pics? the post would be there...only the pics removed...no holes. now i have built various websites with Vbulletin platform doing forums and websites..and i know a simple check of a box lets you remove posts and pics...so im still waiting for a answer other then "it causes holes in the threads". and not to push conspiracy theories here...but im beginning to think that maybe a mod here might be the actually owner yet plays a mod to blend in. if i ran a site of this size...generating this amount of income (and i know its more then the price of the server) i would want to be more involved here....yet we rarely see the riu admin here. but this is all in just opinion.

Click to expand...

Very interesting, and yes that makes sense to me as well...


I can understand, and myabe accept some excuses by an owner from a business standpoint, but an everyday rollituper? Why would they give a flying douche fuck about "holey" threads?

Suspicious.

Just the other day I had to tell a guy who'd implicated himself in a photo. He didn't even know until I pointed it out to him. No telling how many other people saw it. The shitty part is he had to go through a mod to take it down (I assume), so how big of a hole is that? You wanna talk HOLES rollitup. Let's talk security holes. Let us fix our mistakes. If it saves one drug war veteran, you should gladly take whatever advertising costs in stride.

Just a thought.

Here's my opinion and probably the best answer. It's all about SEO "Search Engine Optimization" and money. If you were allowed to delete threads then Google would end up on a lot of 404 "page removed" pages and if this was happening a lot then RIU could get penalized and put lower in the rankings, which they wouldn't want because they rank higher than everyone else because they use the Vbulletin mod VBSEO effectively. In my opinion I say its all about the Google ranks and money it brings in. Another thing is if there is good info posted then I am sure they would not like that info removed. I think you should be allowed to delete anything you want but it won't happen and if you don't like it then don't post, simple as that.

EmptyWords said:

Here's my opinion and probably the best answer. It's all about SEO "Search Engine Optimization" and money. If you were allowed to delete threads then Google would end up on a lot of 404 "page removed" pages and if this was happening a lot then RIU could get penalized and put lower in the rankings, which they wouldn't want because they rank higher than everyone else because they use the Vbulletin mod VBSEO effectively. In my opinion I say its all about the Google ranks and money it brings in. Another thing is if there is good info posted then I am sure they would not like that info removed. I think you should be allowed to delete anything you want but it won't happen and if you don't like it then don't post, simple as that.

Click to expand...

That does make most sense, however that doesn't explain why topic starters check "Do not allow posts to be edited" option. I fail to see any logical explanation why a thread starter would want/need this enabled.

Where is this option? When i start a thread i don't see any tick box for allowing people to edit or delete posts. If someone wants to edit a post that's their right, the OP of a thread has no control over that. So far as i'm aware it's a 24 or 48 hour window in which you can edit and delete posts but not after that, presumably to stop the forum turning into a disjointed mess.

All i think is paranoid much.

Although I am a firm believer that, Paranoia is the ultimate in awareness. (Black Sabbath) I think sir you are Paranoid. You might want to lay off the smoke and see if it clears it up. If the Police are going to come arrest you for something they will do just that. Not make a case over Forum Posts. It is as ludicrous as someone putting some horseshit disclaimer in their signature.
Give it some thought, not too much it will make you crazy.

First let me give you a guide that will help you down your new found path of paranoia and mistrust. It's a few years dated but still a good place to start.
Network Forensics Evasion: How to Exit the Matrix

Second if they want a record of every post made on the site all they have to do is write a simple script to routinely spider the site and save any posts locally. As long as it's done often enough (a small botnet goes a long way toward keeping the site from noticing the suspicious activity) you should be able to capture the majority of original posts from any thread regardless of a posters ability to edit or delete. Preventing deletion is an asinine tactic that would not be able to retain posts in threads that enable deletion. Further more if the cops have infiltrated the admin to the point where they make policy decisions like that then lingering posts is the least of your problems.

There is no way to test if the people on this site are, as you put it, narcs. Even if the people you are a talking to (on or off line) are not undercover agents there is a good chance that they will turn confidential informant when they get busted. Cops are fantastic at doing human intelligence work so you can't trust anyone. Doesn't matter if it's on the wire or in the flesh.

Finally this is a public forum so it should be obvious that all manner LEO will read anything you post. None of this should be a concern because you should only post information that can be safely revealed to law enforcement.

Tor or i2p is a good idea generally though don't expect it to cover your ass if you don't understand it and test your network for leakage.

Cali chronic said:

If the Police are going to come arrest you for something they will do just that. Not make a case over Forum Posts. .

Click to expand...

What you fail to recognize is that after you are busted they will often seize things like computers which can contain account information (saved by your browser for example). Once they have evidence like that to suggest you are the owner of that account they will gladly hang you for everything you talked about.

With cybercrime (be it fraud, pedophilia, or black market goods) becoming more prevalent the LEO are getting better at digital forensics. Setting up things like plausibly deniable disk encryption and routing software like Tor are quite simple. There is no good reason not to use them. However with the encryption you must be very careful as LEO will try to, as they like to say, catch you with your encryption down (har har har).

The question is not am I talking to a narc it's how can I keep LEO from linking my pseudonym to my true name. Shit haven't any of you read the book True Names?

I appreciate everyone's input here. Paranoia isn't really the problem here. I like to question things, I think that's healthy.

Being prepared means being prepared for things people seldom question and foresee. Forsight isn't 20/20, that's why it may come across as paranoia.

Penguin, thanks for your input.

As far as the "disclaimer," I realize that it would render itself useless in the event that I was ever caught doing something illegal. I am not ignorant to the laws of this nation, that's why I assert my right to free speech. This whole community is built upon free speech, if not then it would be shut down by the powers that be. It should be not seen as a disclaimer, but more so as an exercise in constitutional rights.

I'm still looking for the feature this whole thread seems to be based on... :s