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US Dept of Justice wants to crackdown on drugs by surfing forums
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| Swamper |
"...a new report suggests the DOJ is actively working on an Internet strategy to target the Web as a source for infiltrating raves, as part of its crackdown on ecstasy, LSD and GHB, commonly called "club drugs."
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Source: Wired
DOJ's Dot-Narc Rave Strategy
By Brad King
2:00 a.m. March 13, 2002 PST
Jason Corona lives in California's Mojave Desert, a teenage wasteland if ever there was one.
It's a two-hour drive to the nearest rave, which in earlier years might have presented a problem when it came to finding out where the best DJs are spinning records on the hottest dance floors.
These days, the Internet makes finding those raves easy. Corona scans message boards and websites for local clubs, looking for party information so he and his friends don't waste a precious Saturday night driving around.
But rave enthusiasts aren't the only ones with peering eyes. Law enforcement agencies have distributed an updated version of Reefer Madness, the 1936 cult movie about the dangers of marijuana. The new film introduces police agencies to the DOJ's version of raves. Several clubs have been busted over the past two years as a result of the Department of Justice's tactic of raiding raves as part of its war on drugs.
On top of that, a new report suggests the DOJ is actively working on an Internet strategy to target the Web as a source for infiltrating raves, as part of its crackdown on ecstasy, LSD and GHB, commonly called "club drugs."
That has set off alarm bells at the American Civil Liberties Union.
"Much of what the government seems interested in is protected by the First Amendment," said ACLU lawyer Graham Boyd, who is in charge of tracking the government as it begins a crackdown on the electronica dance scene.
"Where a party is, information about the effects of ecstasy, information on harm, and measures to protect yourself if you are taken; that is all legal. It's just speech. One thing that is fundamentally American is that we don't attack the music, we attack the drugs."
Much of the concern centers on a report by the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), an arm of the DOJ, that said "the openness of the Internet, its global reach and its ease of access" allows drug users to push their products on unsuspecting young people. With over 85 percent of American teenagers using the Web on a regular basis, the government sees the news groups and message boards that house rave discussions as a source for the latest information on drugs.
Since ISPs are largely insulated from revealing user information and host computers can be masked, the study recommends monitoring and tracking websites that post information about drugs.
The NDIC said five types of people should be targeted, including previous drug offenders, legalization advocates, anarchists and people promoting "an expanded freedom of expression" that pushes the boundaries of the First Amendment.
The NDIC can't dictate policy, but its recommendations are considered by the Justice Department. Representatives from the DOJ did not return several phone calls over three weeks regarding this matter.
While an active law enforcement stance hasn't been developed yet, there is little argument that the rave and electronica scene have become targets. Last year, several promoters around the country were prosecuted under the "crack house" law meant to punish landlords who let rental properties become rife with drug lords.
The most ominous case revolved around three New Orleans, Louisiana, rave promoters who were brought up on charges after Drug Enforcement Administration agents raided a party looking for evidence of drug use -- evidence that included paraphernalia such as glow sticks and bottled water. The three, Rob Brunet, Brian Brunet and James Estopinal, were ready to plead guilty until the ACLU got involved.
The trio was acquitted, but a chilling effect has come to the rave scene. Several cities have already passed bills outlawing the dances.
With the specter of Internet raids on the horizon, Boyd said it's more important than ever to protect the rights of individuals. Instructions for making drugs or soliciting sales is most likely illegal, Boyd said, but that doesn't give the government carte blanche when it comes to regulating the Internet.
The threat of a crackdown could cause sites with legitimate information on the effects of club drugs to shut down, Boyd said. That threat is very real for one woman who became a website moderator after her son overdosed on drugs in 1996. She asked to have her name withheld because she doesn't want to bring government scrutiny to her site.
She found the message board while looking for information on raves, trying to find out what her son did. She was skeptical at first, figuring most of the people wanted to get high and dance. Instead, she found an eclectic group whose age range spans several decades.
"I found a community of interesting, intelligent, committed, normal young people with great love for music and dancing," she said. "A small minority of them had worrisome drug-abuse issues, but most of them seemed to have their heads on far straighter than many of my age-mates had during the '60s or '70s."
She is concerned the government will come calling, leaving the 1,200 message board members without a place to talk. Eliminating the social scene would ultimately leave kids without anyone to help guide them.
"Some representatives of the government would love to shut down sites and lists like ours," she said. "The government has the right to target drug use, but that means arresting drug dealers and people who possess drugs. Shutting down raves doesn't stop, or even slow down, drug use. Shutdowns just make the events more dangerous."
The ravers themselves have also banded together to form the Electronic Music Education and Defense Fund, an organization that raises money for people who have been charged with crimes for hosting raves.
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bahahah!!!! Oh man, big brother cometh. Idiots. |
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| Fir3start3r |
WHAT!?!?!???
Ok....1st Internet Radio Streaming....now THIS??
I'm not an advocate for drugs (of any kind) but this even pisses me off....:mad: :whip: :whip: :whip: :mad: :mad: |
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| biznology |
well its retarded, even THEY should know a LOT of the info (or specifically people talking about drugs n whatnot) could be complete horse. they really need to just move on...but this is the funniest part: | quote: | | But rave enthusiasts aren't the only ones with peering eyes. Law enforcement agencies have distributed an updated version of Reefer Madness, the 1936 cult movie about the dangers of marijuana. The new film introduces police agencies to the DOJ's version of raves. Several clubs have been busted over the past two years as a result of the Department of Justice's tactic of raiding raves as part of its war on drugs. |
OOOH yipee! a new, informational video about the dangers of drug use...are they serious? and has anyone seen this? heh late/ |
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| Excite |
| i've heard of local police snooping around rave sites like www.dallasraves.org but why would they be snooping around on international websites like this one? TA is based in Canada right? |
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| QuickStep |
They had this happened already.
I think it was around last summer when a Bluelight get together got raided because the kids on Bluelight posted time, date and location of a small rave they put together.
Bluelight, if anyone doesn't know is a rave discussion board that's been around a few time.
Yeah, I think they rented out a party room at a hotel and told the mamager that it was a birthday party. But the cops we reading their board and new of the location and even which hotels they were staying in. It was a dark day on Bluelight since alot of memeber from the site attended the party and were arrested for drug possession and some other charges.
Anyways back to the topic. This is just alot of horse poop. I think alot of kids are smart enough to know what to say and what not to say on a board. If they don't then they deserve to be busted by the cops.
But if the DOJ thinks that they can use something as a message on a internet board to create charges, then they've been watch Reefer Madness too much.
This is Big Brother showing the public it is making a difference. I wish the government get their heads out of their ass and realize the more they fight the more they promote. Educate!
PAyce |
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| j_spot |
yeah, I know they checked out the local pages of ravehard.com, electrocalgary.com and the promoters pages @ defstar.com and maybe others
in fact..one of the most shocking things ive ever seen was the local promoter(yes..there is 1 main one) saying we need better pills in the city. That too much of the scene is sick of weak, dirty pills, and hence are turning to coke...I found this all strange, but ive yet to be to a broken up party... |
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| SmellsExcellent |
Reefer Madness
Ive seen it and it has to be the most rediculous movie EVER! Its so funny because is all old skool.. "Danny doesnt go to school any more, hes probably off smoking drugs." And then the mom comes in and all the kidsa are around and this scientist guy goes off on how weed makes you go insane and basically tweak .. its really pathetic and rediculous, but hilarious! Whats even funnier is I have a copy on DVD and I watch it when in stoned.. its soooooooo funny!
-M |
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| Jah |
| rofl got a copy on divx :P? sounds awsome |
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| Juricimo |
hmmm....whatever....ing retards....crack down on some donkey's arse DEA:toothless
>JM< |
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| SmellsExcellent |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jah
rofl got a copy on divx :P? sounds awsome |
maybe some day. |
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| biznology |
| quote: | Originally posted by SmellsExcellent
maybe some day. |
nah but they said theres a new one about raves n ...thats prolly in hilarious/ |
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| rupert |
this goes out to any DEA, FBI, Narcs that might happen to read this
" OFF"
So much for America being the land of the free. Government officials monitoring peoples speech. Sounds like Communism. |
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