HostMeNot
Wondering why BugMeNot is returning nothing but an empty directory? I know I was: I’ve skipped reading three articles while I waited for it to come back. The answer is:
Our host pulled the plug. I reckon they were pressured. If anyone has got some secure, preferably offshore hosting in mind then please let us know so we can get the service back up as soon as possible.
Well, if I was in the newspaper business, that certainly would have been my reaction. There are people who are so annoyed by my demands for personal information, just to read one article, who’ve become so tired of typing in obviously false answers that they’ve joined together to share utterly worthless accounts with obviously false answers? There’s only one solution: push them to hosting in Sealand!
Alternate solutions, like giving people a reason to want to have their own account, either by really personalizing the experience, not just targetting the ads, or by attaching personal reputation to the account? Those take work, plus they don’t give the lawyers anything to do. If you’ve ever had a nest of idle lawyers hanging around your office, you know that’s the last thing you want.
In the meantime, kos is helping. These logins should work at most
newpaper sites: [blockquote]
Login: dailykos
Password: dailykos
or if the login is an email address, then
Login: kos@dailykos.com
Password: dailykos[/blockquote]
See Daily Kos Newspaper logins
I guess you’ll have to bug me
I’ve noticed around the blogs that I read that BugMeNot has been brought down by its hosts. Well that’s fantastic news if you’re in the newspaper business. If you’re a regular consumer then of course it’s less-good. As the number of sites that …
Frankly, you’re not going to believe this, but…
I have been claiming to be under surveillance and harassment for a few years, and I have very good reason to believe that all of my internet activities are being monitored and even tampered with.
I have also been critical of US-Canada relations, and have been a supporter of the Citizens’ Inquiry into 9/11.
In the past year, quite a number of things that I have come across that offer people some ability to either openly critique the powers that be (ie, our governments), or public outreach, or conversely, provide some degree of anonymity from prying eyes, have all been shutdown or had their plugs pulled.
BugMeNot is just ONE example.
I also have reason to believe that the new BioBar and some other extension (forget the name) could be used in negative ways to perpetrate biological warfare or testing.
I could compile a list, but for now, check out my rather incomplete weblog and website:
http://oneadventure.blogspot.com
http://oneadventure.tripod.com
I’m not a ’techie’ and am fairly new to blogging, so if someone wants to give me a hand in setting the darn thing up, so I can just type in information, I certainly would consider it…
Thanks for letting me post.
x-grrl
”In the past year, quite a number of things that I have come across that offer people some ability to either openly critique the powers that be (ie, our governments), or public outreach, or conversely, provide some degree of anonymity from prying eyes, have all been shutdown or had their plugs pulled.
BugMeNot is just ONE example.”
Um, these are private party news sites (for the most part). Whether you like it or not, they can restrict access however they want - including asking for your information.
Is it really that hard to just make up a name and use a free email address?
Hi again,
I wanted to clarify that my thoughts on BugMeNot may sound like ’conspiracy theories,’ but in fact, they are grounded in a lot of substantial and mounting evidence about what’s been happening and where things are headed. I wish I could be more specific, but as with any tough issues, it’s pretty darn complicated.
If I may, I’d also like to mention that political activism is not the reason I was put under surveillance in the first place.
It’s pretty complicated, but the fact is I was threatened with a government investigation for something minor and unintentional. But due to racial profiling (yes, it happens), it became a major security issue.
However, thinking that I hadn’t done anything wrong, I didn’t think I had anything to worry about. Wrong. Just having a point of view and being politically-conscious is reason enough to actively suppress people.
Please excuse me for posting all this here, but I think all of you important tech-watchers and producers, and great organizations like BugMeNot, who provide average citizens with helpful and empowering web services, need to be aware of this angle.
It’s pretty serious, and people need to be informed. Civil liberties and free speech are really going downhill.
Thanks,