October 2023 - cypherpunks@lists.ogf.org

Re: Dishonest Tor relay math question - tor-talk is to lazy
by PrivacyArms 22 Nov '23

22 Nov '23

1) Is there a better way for anonymous communication than Tor? 2) Is there a global adversary resistant mixnet? 3) Someone mentioned the fact, that criminals have better ways of hiding than Tor? What methods do you had in mind? ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ On Tuesday, October 12, 2021 2:50 AM, PrivacyArms <privacyarms(a)protonmail.com> wrote: > 1. Is there a better way for anonymous communication than Tor? > 2. Is there a global adversary resistant mixnet? > 3. Someone mentioned the fact, that criminals have better ways of hiding than Tor? What methods do you had in mind? > > ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ > On Monday, October 11, 2021 10:43 AM, grarpamp grarpamp(a)gmail.com wrote: > > > > > Tor uses some kind of limited padding, > > > > Tor Project Inc added netflow padding after someone > > started posting on netflow, general TA, and Sybil problems. > > Then TPI censored, banned, and booted them out after > > they kept publicly posting about TA and other insidious and > > inconvenient problems such as Sybil. Now with Sybil, like before > > with padding, they never credit mention the poster's work, and try > > to phrase claim that TPI was the natural origin self impetus source > > to do the pad and Sybil just at those moments in time, when > > they had decades to do that since they knew the weaknesses > > since decades... No, they were just getting exposed is why... lol. > > Just like their netflow padding doesn't do much, > > neither does their current Sybil proposal. > > Some interest in real security surely exists, > > but it definitely gets distracted by $ponsors > > who pay for other things, all to half of said money > > for decades has been from Government, which many > > define as a problematic source of conflictive influencing. > > > > > Afaik all backbone routers can be configured for packet or per-flow > > > > At high line rates it takes serious HW to do full spyveillance > > capture or flows, sampled and aggregated flows are common > > for ISP service when those aren't needed. > > > > > can get packet logs whenever they want them. > > > > They can "get" them, but there's no need to go external > > for that when they can just troll the output of their own > > private TOP-SECRET FVEY taps that feed into their > > global internet buffers at Bluffdale and elsewhere. > > Same for what they get from their Corp-is-aware > > feeds obtained under different "authorities". > > > > > Against the elephant? Tor's padding is totally useless. > > > > Not only the elephants anymore. > > Netflow traditionally a quaint thing used by ISP's and LEA's > > to match up endpoints, subpoenas, abuse, bots, traffic > > stats, etc... it can work to some percent to follow some > > tor traffic cases, but it isn't a generalized form of TA. > > Today really anyone with a brain and some code > > can begin to general TA characterize streams of bytes > > counting and timing over various size windows, and > > hunt for that pattern where it also appeared on their > > other boxes. > > Good luck trying to make a factor of defense improvement > > against general TA without trying a fulltime enforced > > and reclocked base layer of dynamic chaff. > > Submit papers for acceptance into tor alternatives :) > > "Tor Stinks -- NSA"

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The Statue of Liberty: The Meaning and Use of a National Symbol | NEH-Edsitement
by Gunnar Larson 19 Nov '23

19 Nov '23

"We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected." —President Grover Cleveland, accepting the Statue of Liberty on behalf of the U.S., October 28th, 1886 A symbol stands for an idea. The Statue of Liberty stands in Upper New York Bay, a universal symbol of freedom. Originally conceived as an emblem of the friendship between the people of France and the U.S. and a sign of their mutual desire for liberty, it was also meant to celebrate the abolition of slavery following the U.S. Civil War. Over the years the Statue has become much more. It is the Mother of Exiles, greeting millions of immigrants and embodying hope and opportunity for those seeking a better life in America. It stirs the desire for freedom in people all over the world. It represents the United States itself. How was the Statue of Liberty designed to be a symbol? How have circumstances enhanced its meaning? Help clarify the nature of symbols for your students as they study the Statue of Liberty, complete research on a national symbol, and use their research to communicate a message of their own. https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/statue-liberty-meaning-and-use-nati… .

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Computer Crimes Manual (W/183 Highlights)
by Gunnar Larson 18 Nov '23

18 Nov '23

Enron’s Board of Directors: Contemporary Lessons on Crypto Marketplace Manipulation Computer Crimes Link: https://thecapital.io/article/crypto-computer-crimes-manual-w183-highlights… *Working references on disclosure** controls and procedures, as well as strategic initiatives including **mergers and acquisitions**, **joint ventures**, and management restructurings (including public/private board of directors).* Full, fair, and accurate disclosures from all parties in a battle for corporate influence or control are critically important to investors, particularly when they are called upon to make decisions about their investments. Contemporary crypto computer crimes likely are key considerations relevant to making informed investment decisions by sophisticated investors, underscoring protection of pension assets via keen planning.

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Breaking News: Robinhood Rebrands as 'Libra'
by Gunnar Larson 18 Nov '23

18 Nov '23

With the news this week, from the archive: https://thecapital.io/article/breaking-news-robinhood-rebrands-as-libra---M… *Breaking News: Robinhood Rebrands as 'Libra'* SILICON VALLEY - Embroiled in the naturally malevolent evolutionary controversy of brand fakery <https://thecapital.io/article/robinhoods-brand-fake-vs-paypals-crypto-corru…> in the name of manipulating humanity, Robinhood Markets (a financial services company) rocked the brand marketing world by finally coming to its senses while vindicating Mr. Hood’s legacy. The company has distanced itself from the old Robinhood firm image of “we take advantage of our customers” with a fresh rebrand as ‘Libra.’ Celebrated humanitarian Richard Simmons applauded the name change. “Mr. Hood’s story of altruism is loved by young and old alike world-wide. Today Mr. Hood is vindicated from association to the former Robinhood’s tricky company shenanigans. The new ‘Libra’ image is a super smart act of serving our country well... I hope the all-stars at Bear Stearns will join me in congratulating the new ‘Libra’ brand,” Simmons said. *The nature and timing of the brand change raised eyebrows in New York, a recent familiar reaction to news from our pals <https://thecapital.io/article/robinhoods-brand-fake-vs-paypals-crypto-corru…> from the Valley.Gleefully contemplating the long term impact on society, this reporter touts the courage of the real Mr. Hood for opposing forces similar to that of the former Robinhood.* History will celebrate the newly minted Libra, which will be hailed for its valor in rebranding, even though it did so to escape the regulatory cloud that has hung over the Robinhood project since it first came into the public domain. (A Satirical Monograph on the News)

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Disciplined Short Sellers Handbook (W/58 Highlights)
by Gunnar Larson 18 Nov '23

18 Nov '23

Does Short-selling Discipline Earnings Manipulation? xNY.io recently collated international graduate scholar working notes coining the "Crypto Computer Crimes Manual <https://drive.google.com/file/d/11tbgHgDg8qagomO-NBffvIFpxXKmBC3g/view?usp=…>" as per best disclosure practices to illustrate various potential scenarios when market conditions are met and a Board of Directors potentially exploits blockchain technological software innovation with forecastable reckless consequences. The Disciplined Short Sellers Handbook serves as a Manual supplement ... Detailing the hypothesis that short-selling has a disciplining role vis-à-vis the managers forcing them to reduce earning manipulation. Across 33 countries, the Handbook documents a significantly negative relationship between lending supply and activism in the short sell market and earnings manipulation. Collectively, findings suggest that short selling provides an external governance mechanism to discipline managerial incentives. xNY.io highlights that the authors of the faculty and research study confirm the main hypotheses and provide evidence of a beneficial effect of the short-selling market on the corporate market. In other words, short-selling generates a disciplining effect similar to the effect produced by the contestability of the firm in the context of M&As. In this regard, short selling contributes not only to the information environment of the market but also to the contracting institutions of the real economy. Suggesting that in general the disciplining role of short-selling is the strongest for firms with weak internal governance or less transparent information environments. We share 58 highlights to the Handbook <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aLcmN5c2PJiqHYR5dy8C8qMNVyclw8lu/view?usp=…> as a disclosure technique, foreshadowing xNY.io's disciplined approach to trading in the near term (subject to regulatory scrutiny). -- *Gunnar Larson - xNY.io <http://www.xNY.io> | Bank.org <http://Bank.org>* MSc <https://www.unic.ac.cy/blockchain/msc-digital-currency/?utm_source=Google&u…> - Digital Currency MBA <https://www.unic.ac.cy/business-administration-entrepreneurship-and-innovat…> - Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ip) G(a)xNY.io +1-646-454-9107 New York, New York 10001

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Robinhood's Brand Fake vs. PayPal's Crypto Corruption
by Gunnar Larson 18 Nov '23

18 Nov '23

https://thecapital.io/article/robinhoods-brand-fake-vs-paypals-crypto-corru… Graduate research conducted over the last five years by preeminent global industry scholars, who embody a strong sense of integrity and pride in the social importance and credibility of good institutional design, tease out the following incidents. With friendly intentions, there is no way out of us moving forward. Corruption occurs when the private search for economic advantage and personal advancement clashes with laws and norms that condemn such behavior. Further complicating the picture, some illegal corrupt transactions drain public resources away from education, health care, and effective infrastructure—the kinds of investments that can improve economic performance and raise living standards for all. It is easy to prove Robinhood Markets (the financial services company) is a brand fake. Perhaps even more significant, there is no reason to think that PayPal, one of the more convenient and commonly-used online payment methods out there, will behave any better given their clear anti-cryptocurrency policy history. Paypal will likely further exploit their monopoly position and risk undermining a pure environment that maximizes the socially beneficial conditions of virtual currencies. Our estimation strategy so far has been predicated on the assumption that political and legal institutions affect sustainability directly and that the effect of corruption can be estimated conditionally on the institutional context. As we previously reported, it is perhaps no coincidence that the systemic risk to cryptocurrency and blockchain systems are tethered to activities of BitLicensees. The cost of corruption is greater than the sum of lost money: distortions in spending priorities undermine the ability of the state to promote sustainable and inclusive growth. This is possible in a framework already characterized by "weak law" that creates both a certain alteration of the rules of the market and perverse dynamics distorting the economy and inhibiting free competition. Robinhood’s Brand Fake The legend of Robin Hood portrays a man who robbed the rich and gave to the poor. His partisanship of the common people and his hostility to the Sheriff of Nottingham branded Robin Hood as one of the world’s best known folk heroes. According to a Forbes investigation earlier this month, despite its proclamations about democratizing finance, Robinhood's entire business has been built since its inception on selling its customers’ orders—known as “payment for order flow”—to Wall Street’s most notorious sharks, accounting for 70% of its $130 million in revenue during the first quarter of 2020. Robinhood’s SEC civil fraud investigation more or less points out the essence of potential brand fakery. A Robinhood spokeswoman declined to comment on the investigation or any talks with regulators, but stated: “We strive to maintain constructive relationships with our regulators and to cooperate fully with them.” PayPal’s Crypto Corruption The heads of enterprises must curb corruption by setting a clear tone at the top. A statement from the founding CEO of Paypal Holdings Inc., Bill Harris, described Bitcoin as a “scam” and a “colossal pump-and-dump scheme”. “I’m tired of saying, ‘Be careful, it’s speculative.’ Then, ‘Be careful, it’s gambling.’ Then, ‘Be careful, it’s a bubble.’ Okay, I’ll say it: Bitcoin is a scam,” he wrote in June 2019. Later in October 2019 Fortune asked PayPal’s current CEO, Daniel Schulman if he could share some details of the projects Paypal is working on. However, he replied: “Yes and no. Some of this is competitive, and we don’t really want to,” but noted that what Paypal is working on is “not necessarily competitive with Libra.” Emphasizing that cryptocurrency is “still very volatile,” the CEO revealed, “we don’t have much demand for it by merchants because merchants operate on very small margins.” He continued: “Until it becomes less volatile, it won’t be a currency that is widely accepted by merchants on the web — not the dark web, but the web.” PayPal’s fundamental longtime assault on the crypto industry policy was to freeze user accounts connected with any cryptocurrency-related activity. While some people may consider this to be borderline illegal, the company can close user accounts or freeze funds for extended periods of time whenever they feel the need to. In less than a year, everything changed for PayPal with the October 2020 announcement of achieving another regulatory first: through Paxos, PayPal has been granted the first virtual currency conditional license from the New York State Department of Financial Services. It seems that PayPal’s dance with “regulatory arbitrage” now engages the ability to provide crypto to their customers. Turn this matter as we will, and look at it from any side whatsoever, and it presents the appearance of anti-competitive behavior. PayPal’s deception and corruption in building its crypto business infrastructure now acts as a cartel sponsored by regulators. PayPal forbids user access to their own private keys. What’s more, users will not be able to transfer their crypto holdings out of their PayPal account, nor will they be able to send crypto to other PayPal users. In other words, PayPal more or less dictates what users can do with their cryptocurrencies, and could presumably freeze accounts if they see fit. Additionally, merchant processors exist to assist merchants in processing transactions, converting bitcoins to fiat currency and depositing funds directly into merchants' bank accounts daily. As these services are based on Bitcoin, they can be offered for much lower fees than with PayPal or credit card networks. Note, however, that this potential monopoly could arise not from corruption but simply from a revenue-maximizing government that does not factor in the social benefits of competition or of effective natural monopoly regulation. Second, the hope of corrupt gains might lead government officials to privatize the wrong firms. That is, regulators may grant license(s) to firms that are operating at a high level as state firms and so appear valuable to private markets. Universal BitLicense Declaration People should not be presented with their only option being a binary choice between inclusion and giving up their data and privacy OR non-participation, exclusion and privacy, thereby effectively becoming a modern day 21st century outcast. The obvious consequences on the emotional level are often associated with economic risks, often linked to the obligation in respect of some banking institution or regulatory body from which the entrepreneur is required to interact. The basic mechanism of embeddedness is the “protection.” It may take different forms: the protection/extortion mechanism, which concerns the regulation of licit and illicit economic activities; the patronage mechanism, which involves the distribution of goods or services in exchange for votes, goods, services or other benefits; or the brokerage mechanism for the resolution of disputes. The protection function concerns, in general, all those activities which involve the maintenance of the order and the exercise of authority within a territory. On the contrary, the mechanisms of infiltration are: the management of trafficking, the money laundering in legal economic activities, and the interception of public funds. If the basic problem is monopoly power, policy should address that issue directly. If the problem is a lack of transparency and accountability in government activities, one should find ways to open up the public sector to oversight from outsiders. If the problem is an opaque and confusing regulatory structure, rules should be simplified and clarified. 90+ days from initial submission to begin “Conditional BitLicense” review: New York is not supported by a good faith argument for an extension, modification of or delay of granting “Conditional BitLicense” approval specific to review and consideration for approval of any reasonable version of the proposed “Universal Declaration on Virtual Currency & Human Rights.” Where the superintendent makes a determination that a regulated group has engaged in or is engaging in any of the practices outlined, the superintendent is empowered to issue appropriate Declarations pursuant to innovation and mandates clarification. Such orders may be issued without the necessity of a complaint being filed by an aggrieved person. Following the official announcement of New York’s conditional licence framework, we have submitted various communications that outline our clear ambition and intent to earn “Conditional BitLicense” and other approvals. - to save succeeding generations from financial fraud and corruption, which in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to humanity, and - to reaffirm New York’s faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and - to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from BitLicence regulation and other sources of financial services law can be maintained, and - to promote larger social progress by leading global standards, given that New York remains the center of technological innovation and forward-looking virtual currency regulation Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of human rights or degradation of the BitLicense’s virtual currency statute or mandates set forth in this Declaration.

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United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime
by Gunnar Larson 16 Nov '23

16 Nov '23

Did you know that the United Nations banks with JPMorgan Chase? Your story today concerning Women and girls human trafficking seemingly is odd for the UN's banking relationship with JPM. Here are the routing details for the UN office for drugs and crime as an example: https://drive.google.com/file/d/194gODH11va9_-5-prHMdaKUk152fFPpD/view?usp=… On Mon, Jan 9, 2023, 10:02 AM Pam Martens <alerts(a)wallstreetonparade.com> wrote: > Wall Street On Parade has posted a new item: > > JPMorgan Chase Hit with Lawsuit for Facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s Crime > Network; Similar Charges Were Brought Against It for Facilitating Madoff's > Ponzi Scheme > > https://wallstreetonparade.com/2023/01/jpmorgan-chase-hit-with-lawsuit-for-… > > By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: January 9, 2023 ~ > Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase > Making headlines around the world last week was the news that the Attorney > General of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Denise George, was fired just days > after > she filed a federal lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, charging it with > facilitating the sex trafficking [...] > > If the hyperlink above is not active, please paste it into your browser and > press "Go" to read the full article. > > You received this e-mail because you asked to be notified when new updates > are > posted. >

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AnandTech: Kioxia's CD8P SSD Unveiled: Up to 30.72 TB, PCI 5.0 x4 Interface
by jim bell 15 Nov '23

15 Nov '23

30 terabytes. A million times larger than the biggest I ever sold, in 1992. 31 years ago. Inventor of the SSD, 1980. 43 years ago. Jim Bell, SemiDisk Systemshttps://www.anandtech.com/show/19998/kioxias-cd8p-ssd-unveiled-up-to…

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Cryptocurrency: Govts Claim Human Privacy Is Criminal, Force 1984 Court Secrecy Chainalysis
by grarpamp 08 Nov '23

08 Nov '23

US Government Frames Bitcoin Privacy As "Criminal" https://bitcoinmagazine.com/legal/us-government-frames-bitcoin-privacy-as-c… https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.232431/gov.uscourt… https://go.chainalysis.com/rs/503-FAP-074/images/Crypto_Crime_Report_2023.p… Authored by 'L0la L33tz' via BitcoinMagazine.com, In another unfortunate turn of events for anyone hoping their right to privacy to be protected as guaranteed by the US Constitution, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, or applicable state and federal law, the US government has argued that the disclosure of proprietary Chainalysis heuristics information in the case US vs. Sterlingov would “jeopardize numerous law enforcement investigations and impact the effectiveness of law enforcement tracing tools” by enabling the development of “criminal countermeasures to blockchain analysis.” The oath each and every US government employee pledges when first taking office reads: “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God." Apparently, this oath is only applicable so long it serves the US government’s agenda. While attempting to retain a protective order to seal the disclosure of Chainalysis heuristic information, the US government has, in essence, argued that the right to privacy does not exist when transacting on the blockchain. In the newly released court documents, the US government defines software developed to protect individual financial privacy on the blockchain, such as coinjoins, as “adversarial”, contending that the disclosure of Chainalysis training methods and techniques bears the reasonable expectation to enable “circumvention of the law.” Unfortunately, it is unclear which laws the US government is referring to. The argument that the disclosure would enable “ criminals, drug trafficking organizations, and terrorists” to circumvent law enforcement cannot be made in good faith, as Chainalysis’ own 2023 Crypto Crime Report has found the overall transaction volume of illicit activity to lay at merely 0.24%. Just as the early internet was allegedly only used for crime, the share of day-to-day commerce on the blockchain increases as Bitcoin adoption grows. It therefore cannot be argued that the development of privacy protecting software is adversarial in any sense of the word, except to Chainalysis’ business model and the surveillance agenda of the US intelligence complex, who invested $1.67 Million USD in Chainalysis in 2020 and another $1.64 Million USD in 2021 via the Central Intelligence Agency’s venture capital fund In-Q-Tel. As long as the development and use of privacy protecting software such as PGP, E2EE or VPNs cannot be deemed as criminal under the first and fourth amendment, neither can the development or use of software aimed to protect one’s financial privacy in Bitcoin. However, it appears that constitutional frameworks do not stop the US government from putting forward statements which directly undermine the people’s right to protection from unwarranted surveillance. Classifying blockchain surveillance countermeasures as criminal is just another step the US government has been taking towards the total surveillance of US citizen’s communications in recent years. In 2015, congress voted for the prolonging of the Patriot Act via the USA Freedom Act, which continues to allow the bulk collection of telecommunication data via telecommunications providers, and the proposed EARN IT Act, which, in essence, would outlaw end-to-end encryption. So far, the only attempt to circumvent the law in the US government’s response to minute order is to be found in its own argumentation.

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[ot] Karlbook [coercion]: Opening Our Minds by Jon Atack
by Undescribed Horrific Abuse, One Victim & Survivor of Many 02 Nov '23

02 Nov '23

opening our minds avoiding abusive relationships and authoritarian groups by jon atack 4th Edition Originally published as _Opening Minds: the secret world of manipulation, undue influence and brainwashing_ This book is dedicated to the memory of Bobby Yang, who was a daily source of good cheer throughout his short life. Praise for this book: "_Opening Our Minds_ shines a laser beam into every key bit of research on manipulating the human mind and surgically extracts the kernel in each. This has created a book of immense breadth and depth without the lumbering weight of an academic tome. Instead, we have an almost breathless, short yet comprehensive review of what we know about manipulating human minds and the educational vaccinations against these processes. If there were a required reading list for maintaining one's critical thinking in the over-information age, _Opening Our Minds_ would be at the top. Parents should make this book the first present to your children graduating middle-school, high school or college, and then bring it to your book club to discuss how to integrate it in your own life. It will be the liveliest discussion you have all year and very possibly the most worthwhile!" ~ *Ira Chaleff*, author _Courageous Followership,_ and _Intelligent Disobedience._ Visiting Leadership Scholar, Moller Institute, Churchill College, Cambridge University. Chairman Emeritus of The Congressional Management Foundatoin, Washington, DC, and member of the Board of Directors of the International Leadership Association 2012 - 2017. "Jon Atack's book _Opening Our Minds_ is exactly what I expected: an interesting, important and incredibly helpful book. The work perfectly illustrates Jon's brilliance, learning, wisdom and compassion." ~ *James A. Beverley*, Research Professor, Tyndale University, Toronto, Ontario. Associate Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion, Woodway, Texas "In the years I have sought to undo the abuses of extremist authoritarian sects and other controlling relationships, I have been one of many voices asking, "Isn't there anything we can do to prevent all this harm in the first place?" For a number of reasons, answering that question always proved harder than asking it. As more years have passed the techniques of propaganda, destructive manipulation, and predatory influence, once most often associated with totalist sects, now have penetrated into all areas of life. "In this edition of his book _Opening Our Minds_, Jon Atack gives us clear insights and precision tools for protecting ourselves and our society from these exploitative techniques. He does this not merely by describing the current landscape of coercion, control, and harm, but by exposing the underlying principles by which our minds are vulnerable. In doing this, Jon also shows us how to equip ourselves to recognize and resist manipulation in all its disguises. "This book has been on my "must-read" booklist for members, ex-members, and their families since it was first published under the title, _Opening Minds._ This new edition will remain there." ~ *Christian Szurko*, DialogCentre UK "Opening Minds" by Jon Atack is an excellent guide for those people who want to understand what cultic mind control is, how it functions, and how not to become a victim of it. The book is clear, witty and deep at the same time. The author shows incredible erudition in many areas and possesses a rare gift of explaining difficult matters in a very simple and understandable way. I especially want to commend the language - concise and elegant. Bravo, Jon!" ~ *Professor Alexander Dvorkin* "Jon Atack's book is an important wake-up call for us all. I work with people who have survived authoritarian groups and strongly recommend it to all survivors of human predators, and to their loved ones and the counselors who support them. "Jon not only explains how human predators operate and why they are so successful, he also shows why we are all vulnerable to persuasion and trickery. It is important to know that acknowledging this makes us less vulnerable and increases our ability to help others who have been victimized. "Jon is a truly gifted writer and has made this complex subject accessible to those who need it the most." ~ *Frances Peters*, counselor and cult expert. "Jon has written a classic. He uses story-telling effectively to bring the book to life. _Opening Our Minds_ orients the reader and provides an understandable framework for how our minds work, and how intelligent and functional people can become victims of undue influence. "It will help you understand unethical influence in a wide variety of contexts including cults, parental alienation, terrorist recruitment, and more. Consider buying copies to donate to your local library, mental health professionals, politicians, and educators. "Hopefully, this book will be translated in all languages and it will serve as a foundation to create global awareness about how humans can be deceived, manipulated, and enslaved so we can protect human rights everywhere." ~ *Steven Hassan*, PhD, director of Freedom of Mind and author of _Combating Cult Mind Control_. TABLE OF CONTENTS before we begin introduction by Alan Scheflin 1 the web of influence 2 recruitment and seduction: the way to unhappiness 3 belonging 4 cults in our mist 5 manufacturing fanatics 6 belonging and susceptibility to coercive control 7 groupthink 8 coercive control at work 9 the mind's "I": conscious and identity 10 the imitation game: from copying to compliance 11 life is a pitch (and then you buy) 12 coercive control: the science and the law 13 the evidence for coercive control 14 from child abuse to college hazing 15 the human predator 16 understanding the past to find the way forward 17 bringing the living back to life: from groupthink to courageous followership appendix A appendix B appendic C afterword acknowledgements about the author references [i will be splitting references and including them at the bottom of each email.] # before we begin Human predators roam among us. Although there aren't many of them, they have a tremendous influence. To them, the rest of us are prey. Predators manipulate their prey using well-tried tricks. Once you know these tricks, it is much easier to avoid them or to stop them in their tracks. Every bad relationship, every destructive group, every dangerous government has a human predator at its heart. Predators rely upon persuasion. In honest persuasion, we have access to all of the facts - and different opinions about those facts - and enough time and privacy to consider these facts and opinions. But then there is the type of persuasion used by predators, which is simply manipulation. To manipulate means to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an unfair manner.[1] Facts are hidden or distorted, and we are rushed into decisions that take away our own authority and harm our interests. Predators cause upset, conflict, corruption and devastation. By seeing through their methods, we can take power away from human predators and have a much greater chance to overcome the problems they cause in our personal and group relationships. Here is a quick description of the human predator: Human predators: - are mean. - are utterly selfish. - pretend friendship and love but feel absolutely nothing for others. - are charming and good at flattery, but don't mean a single word of it. - brag and boast and make up outrageous lies. When challenged, they blame others. - don't feel anxiety or fear - or are deeply anxious and cowardly. - are impulsive and easily bored. They demand thrills and take dangerous risks. They enjoy pushing others into taking dangerous risks, too. - are bullies with explosive tempers. - are cunning and manipulative. - enjoy humiliating people. - weaken people with insults and putdowns. - hate it if anyone else has power or is praised. For the predator, life is a competition and they want to WIN. - lie easily and think nothing of breaking a promise. - are without conscience: they do not feel remorse or guilt. - often boast about the harm they've done other people. - are parasites and lazy, living off others, giving as little as possible in return. - are control freaks, stopping others from taking control of anything if they can. - force petty rules on others - rules that are impossible to follow. - boast about tricking other people and breaking the law. This book will show you how to deal with predators and how to make society safe from their tricks and traps. # introduction The most precious and personal part of every person is her or her own mind. No one else ever sees it, or knows exactly what it is thinking or feeling. It is our most sacred possession because it houses our innermost identity. It defines for us precisely who we are, and who we are not. We can hide the truth from others, but not from ourselves. Or so we think. But our mind, like our body, needs nourishment. Other people feed our mind with thoughts, suggestions, comments and ideas. We choose which ones to accept and which ones to reject. And we feel confident that we are good at doing so. But are we? To be good at protecting our minds we must be familiar with the tactics and strategies that may be used by others to outmaneuver our natural protections and defenses. You can see a punch coming, but not a carefully crafted lie or a manipulation strategy, unless you are trained to look. The greatest threat to the autonomy of our mind is from people who seek to influence it for their own best interests, but present themselves as our friends and helpers. Every one of us has great confidence in our ability to protect ourselves from other people acting in ways that would harm our own best interests. We have faith that we have a strong mind, have good "crap detectors" and are not easily influenced. I call this "The Myth of the Unmalleable Mind." As kids are fond of saying, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." But they can. For the last 60 years I have studied how people can be fooled, seduced, altered and injured by con artists with exquisite expertise in mental manipulation. I have journeyed through Soviet, Chinese, Korean and American government programs to mentally enslave citizens and enemies, and private cultic groups around the world that have millions of devout follows. I have studied the tactics of advertisers and marketing specialists, the techniques of police interrogators, the dark literature of the antisocial uses of hypnosis, and the exquisite artistry of rhetoric and persuasion. During this journey I encoutered Jon Atack and found a fellow traveler, and a friend. My journey has been as a research scholar; Jon's journey began by being a victim. After he freed himself from the clutches of a cultic group, he chose to make saving others his life's work. There are very few "warriors of the mind." Jon is one of the best. In this book, Jon has written a handbook for mental integrity. A botanist studies what insects and pests can harm plants and flowers. Jon has provided us with a handbook for protecting the mind from often invisible forces seeking surreptitiously to undermine freedom of thought. One of the fastest growing areas of law is the expansion of protection for victims of mental assault. British and American law for over 500 years has recognized that it is a violation to act towards another person with undue influence. The cases, however, usually involved older people conned out of their life savings by dishonest caretakers. These cases involve _financial_ harm. Within the last twenty years, however, courts and legislatures have recognized that undue influence can also include _mental_ harm. New laws now widen the protections available for people injured by mind manipulators. The need for such laws demonstrates how serious the problem has become. Lord Thomas Robert Dewar once observed that "minds are like parachutes; they only function when open." This book is a manual for keeping your mind open. If you want to make your body strong, go to a gym. If you want to make your mind stronger, pay close attention to what this book tells you. Not only will you learn how to spot and avoid threats to your mental integrity, you will also have the pleasure of reading a very fine book. ~Alan Scheflin, professor emeritus of law Alan Scheflin holds a BA in philosophy (with high honors), a JD in law (with honors), an LLM in law, and an MA in counseling psychology. He is the co-author of _The Mind Manipulators_ (1978) and _Trance on Trial_ (1989) and many others. He has also published over 70 articles, and is the recipient of 18 awards from various professional organizations including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. He has been a consultant in, or appeared as an expert witness in, dozens of legal cases. # references 1: Dictionary.com

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