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A Few Details

Maybe not the details you wanted, expected or thought, but maybe
something you would like to know.

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There are some things you will never hear about from the cops or
those arrested; the former because those things either make them look
bad (or make their case seem weak) or because they are "sleuthing
secrets" that, if made public, would reveal "deals" that may have
been made;  the latter, of course, because they are prohibited from
doing so - or even using the internet.

A "history" of the group would be redundant and boring, so now I will
tell you what no one else will.

1.  The money we collected was never used to purchase anything.
Rarely individual members purchased things and shared them, but the
money in the account we collected *as a group* was confiscated when
our egold account was seized in early 2007, and later attempts to use
another financial service were cut off when the funds we sent for
deposit were never deposited.  We had a middle man in privacy.li that
accepted the money orders at an address in Canada, but after the
original seizure no further deposits were made.  We thought that
perhaps the privacy.li guy was pocketting the money, but in
retrospect I believe that LEA intercepted the money - either with or
without the knowledge of privacy.li.

Helen resigned as CFO effective January 23, 2007, more than a year
before the bust, and turned over all duties and responsibilities to
me.  I was the "treasurer" at the time of the bust, but there was no
money in the account.  I dealt directly with Adminus at privacy.li
via his email address John@hitrust.net.  Adminus was supposed to
notify me when deposits were received, but he claimed to have never
received the deposits via the Canadian address.

2.  The adage "follow the money" does not apply.  There was no trail
since we used money orders with precautions (as one would to create
an anonymous account).  I deposited hundreds of my own dollars (which
were, of course, lost), but clearly they could not connect me to the
deposits.

3.  If you're wondering how LEA made the connection between the posts
and the individuals, remember that we used strategies to anonymize
our posts.  There were two main strategies:  SSH tunnels and
Tor/remailers.  I used the latter.  Many others used the former.
Everyone I know that used privacy.li exclusively was arrested.
Everyone I know that used Tor/remailers exclusively is still free.
Have I made myself clear?

4.  There was never any "private material" that was produced or
shared with one exception.  One member posted 3 pictures of a
neighbor girl for the group.  Helen and I advised him that this was a
very bad move even with all of our precautions, but that was not long
before the bust, and I think that single act probably precipitated
the bust (although there was no lack of evidence before that time).

5.  Following on #4, most of what we shared was available on usenet
either as we were sharing it or shortly before or after, even the
individually "Purchased" material.  For example, we had vids of Valia
a couple of months before they were posted, but very little unique
material.

6.  I was the gatekeeper.

7.  There were some members who are not in the rolls, did not have
additional nicknames, and did not communicate via the usenet group du
jure.  They communicated directly with me not using the group's "text
key."

8.  We discussed the possibility of a mole.  I speculated that even
if there was a mole, we should all have been using anonymous posting
methods and so I did not expect any major repercussions regardless,
just as I didn't expect the egold account to lead back to anyone
despite the fact that the account had been seized by the FBI.

- From the FAQ for the Group:

**********************************************************************
**************

Q4.  How do I know I can trust you?

A4.  Simple answer--"Trust Nobody!"

No matter how well planned and organized the group is there is always
the
possibility that something can go wrong.  Members can and will
occasionally
screw up.  Plus there is always the risk of being infiltrated.  This
is why
all members are encouraged to remain anonymous to each other and to
exercise good personal security.

When posting to the group you should exercise the same precautions
and
safety measures that you might use for open posts.  The more secure
you
are, the better.

In this way:
1.   You are protected in case there is a mole in the group.
2.   We can all learn from your methods of posting; whether you trust
a
specific service, use anonymous proxies, use remailers, forged
headers, etc.  Whatever the case make sure that you are doing it
correctly in the event that someone in the group screws up, or
gets
caught, or is actually LEA.

**********************************************************************
***************

The screening process for new members did not fail (which is not to
say it couldn't have).  A member who was arrested on "unrelated child
pornography charges" volunteered information regarding the group
(presumably in exchange for a lighter sentence).  It was not
unforseen, but for many the fundamental means of maintaining their
anonymity (SSH tunnel) was compromised.  For others it was not
(tor/remailers).

Would I do anything differently?  Of course.  Especially given what I
know now.  Perhaps I had enough uneasy feelings that I took
precautions others may not have felt necessary.  I did try to get
people to use tor and remailers, but the inconvenience and
unreliability were unbearable for those who were accustomed to using
SSH tunnels.

About 1-2 days before the bust was posted, I wrote to (what was left
of) the group that I would be leaving usenet.  I see no reason to
think that was the wrong decision.

If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of
the game, the stakes, and the quitting time. - Chinese Proverb

I have witnessed the internet's (and usenet's) full circle from
birth, to the carefree heyday years of abep-t, through the
semi-softcore hussy years and then the sputtering intermittent posts
of individuals in obscure and largely off-topic labeled groups.
Sites like Ranchi, gaijin and others have come and gone, and the
stakes have become unacceptably high for many including me.  Although
there will likely be sporadic posts, a return to the freewheeling
posts of yesteryear is not in the cards barring some major changes in
the laws regarding child pornography.  For a group to be successful,
it would require extraordinary measures that may eventually be
compromised.  Eliminating the mistakes of the past will not lessen
the risks for the future.

My curiosity is satisfied, my life, freedom and family are intact,
and my privacy is undiminished.  But the quitting time has arrived.

Yardbird.

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