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Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ Protester (www.404media.co)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/actually_infuriating@lemmy.world
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[–] 31 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Basically all they did was provide the credit card information because that's the only information they had saved. It's not like they just gave them his email or something like that. It's one of the biggest reasons they let you use crypto to pay for your subscription.

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  • [–] 14 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

    For thoroughness' sake, here are all of Proton's payment methods.

    They accept:

    • Debit/credit
    • PayPal
    • Google Pay
    • Bitcoin
    • Cash (mailed)
    • Bank transfer

    If I were making an email address for a group allegedly connected to "arson, vandalism and doxing", I would've definitely gone with Bitcoin. The fact that all PM were able to do in the face of Swiss authorities acting at the behest of the FBI was connect the email address to the payment source – and that this one piece of information was easily preventable by the activist – is an endorsement to me.

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  • [–] 6 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    arson, vandalism and doxing

    Wiki guy doesn't believe in the Oxford comma, you disgust me

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  • [–] 5 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Bitcoin is not anonymous. If you went with Bitcoin, they could trace all the transactions from the time it was minted. If they can get back to a known address, they can very likely trace it forward to you.

    On this list of payment methods, mailed cash is probably the most anonymous. They may theoretically be able to trace it back to your general region, but it would be difficult.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago* (1 child)

    You can launder Bitcoin, and you can use unaffiliated bitcoin wallets.

    I have a couple wallets that I've only ever accessed with VPN, and I can buy anonymous coins on one, transfer anonymously to the other, then swap for another type of coin and spend from there.

    There are some gas fees and conversion costs, but vs jail I'd happily pay them.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    You can launder, but the nature of the block chain is that all transactions are public and permanent. If your laundry service is compromised two years from now, the transaction you conduct today is also compromised.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    no, must raise the pitchforks cuz reasons!

    its like people are just out to find a reason to hate proton

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  • [–] 13 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Between the CEO using the official social account to celebrate Trump's re-election, their hard and unwanted pivot to being all about AI, and now knowing that there's really nothing stopping them from handing over my info to the FBI anyway, I'm not really struggling to find a reason tbh

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  • [–] 6 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    CEO using the official social account to celebrate Trump's re-election

    The tweet, from Dec. 2024, was celebrating that Trump nominated Gail Slater. It wasn't celebrating Trump's reelection, unless you know of some other tweet?

    https://x.com/andyyen/status/1864436449942110660

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  • [–] 12 points 5 months ago* (1 child)

    I mean... There's a lot more in that tweet than just celebrating a specific nomination. You seem to be specifically ignoring the majority of the post for whatever reason.

    Great pick by @realDonaldTrump. 10 years ago, Republicans were the party of big business and Dems stood for the little guys, but today the tables have completely turned. People forget that the current antitrust actions against Big Tech were started under the first Trump admin.

    One of the big issues the tweet specifically mentions is a fucking lie. Neither major party gives a shit about the little guys anymore. And the Trump admin most definitely has not been a supporter of antitrust actions against big tech, unless you consider political attacks as antitrust.

    It definitely reads as an attempt to suck Trump's dick as opposed to just agreeing with a decision.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

    I mean... There's a lot more in that tweet than just celebrating a specific nomination. You seem to be specifically ignoring the majority of the post for whatever reason.

    I wasn't sharing my opinion on the CEO's post as a whole, just correcting the misinformation that PP_BOY_ posted.

    I provided a link to the CEO's post so anyone (like you) could get the full context.

    For me, there's a huge difference between supporting Trump's reelection and supporting the nomination of someone who the CEO believes (even incorrectly) will promote antitrust regulation.

    For what it's worth, I agree with you that both parties have in many ways prioritized the interests of big tech over the citizens they're supposed to serve. Moreover, I believe Democrats have been much better champions of things that favor consumers, such as Net Neutrality. Trump's administration gutted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for heaven's sake.

    Obviously, I disagree with the CEO's take in his tweet. But that's no reason to allow misinformation to spread. I'd much rather everyone see the tweet and form their own opinions.

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