Back when Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed started up their DefCad downloads, they made a promise. Cody looked square in the camera and promised that there would be no takedowns. Ever. And set the vow to some trendy music. But when the rubber actually met the road and Cody was faced with the full might of the U.S. government if he didn’t comply with a takedown request, they folded. They pulled the files, like every other depository has before them. On the surface, it seems like DefDist isn’t living up to its promises. But was that really a lack of personal convictions and flinching when the moment of truth arrived? Or is Defense Distributed simply biding its time until they’re in a more sustainable position to thumb their nose at the government? . . .
When I was talking with Cody, he mentioned some servers in a western European country that they had set up. He quickly moved on to other topics, but that was all I needed to hear. My day job is doing network security for a large hosting company, so not only did I understand what he meant and what he’s trying to do, but also how hard that is and how long it takes to set up.
For an idea of what Cody was hinting at, let’s take a look at another popular website that continues to host content despite numerous takedown requests and even a trial: The Pirate Bay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTOKXCEwo_8
This is actually an excellent documentary about TPB and I recommend you watch it, but the takeaway is this: it takes time and technical skill to set up a website on servers that are legally protected and hard to locate. The guys behind TPB are such geniuses when it comes to routing protocols that they actually appeared to be hosted in North Korea for a period of time, and no one could prove otherwise. Still, even with that level of expertise, keeping the site online and free from government raids is a massive undertaking.
Defense Distributed, by comparison, is in its infancy. They merely adopted the internet; TPB was born in it, moulded by it. They didn’t see a TOR connection until they were already under indictment. Setting up servers with the level of redundancy and protection that even the United States government couldn’t interfere is a massive undertaking, and one that we here at TTAG understand all too well (as we’re making the same preparations — just in case).
From what I could glean from Cody, it seems like their internet-fu isn’t quite there yet. They have the blueprint, but the building isn’t complete. They want to be able to run to their offshore servers when Uncle Sam busts into their local datacenter and starts ripping out server blades. Right now, though, there’s nowhere to run.
In the meantime, it looks like our old friend Kim Dotcom (yes, that’s his real last name) is lending a helping hand. There’s a copy of the files on Mega, which was founded and run by people who have a proven track record of being able to host files the U.S. government finds objectionable and have yet to see any legal action. Sure, KD’s crib was raided at the request of Uncle Sam, but the charges didn’t stick and he’s fighting back bigtime.
Is the inability to shrug off takedown requests like water off a duck’s back annoying Cody? Probably. And the inability to keep his promise isn’t doing anything good for their credibility. But despite the files being removed from DefDist’s site, they remain available on the internet. And they will be, forever.
1. police are civilians in the eyes of the law.
Suppose in the event of a robbery or home invasion, the police dept screws up the dispatch, only does a drive by peek and does not come in. Bad stuff happens. You can sue, right?
No: the police under supreme court precedent have no duty to protect you and you cannot sue. True, I learned this just the other day. Silly me, I though they were there to protect and serve, but that is mostly marketing*.
2. The beauty** of living in Maryland is that we now have at least 1 police corruption scandal per week. So, this guy, charged with pimping out his wife, is protecting you?
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bal-baltimore-cop-charged-in-human-trafficking-case-20130510,0,6727287.story
* for more union jobs.
** irony.
SciAm hasn’t been an actual scientific magazine in over a decade, ever since they published a hit piece attacking a global warming skeptic. Like most media, they simply cannot be trusted on points of fact if there’s the slightest political implication.
Look for torrents, my lord people the files are out there!
He simply took down the download links from their site. That is not wussing out.
+1 He’s trading ground for time.
Pulling the files from the website in the face of the Federal Government has resulted in massive downloads from other sources. If his goal was to distribute the files to as many people possible, this was a good move. He appears as a Martyr and people see themselves as standing up to Big Brother by downloading and distributing his files. I’m happily guilty, I’ve downloaded the files for that exact reason.
Regardless of what happens with Cody and Co. now, the cat is out of the bag. Mission accomplished. Their fight will undoubtedly be carried forward by countless others, both publicly and under the radar. Paradigm, meet shift.
Paradigm shift, INDEED. I’ve had a SE grin on my face for two days, at least.
CHECKMATE. Time for Cody to get photographed for a spot on Mt. Rushmore.
Cody is worried about that bar exam and passing the character and fitness portion first. . . .hard to get your license, much harder to take it away>
What can you expect from an atheist moron
know when to hold em, fold em, walk away, run
What about when the LGS jacks up the price 60% to 100% for no reason? Or when they raise their transfer fee 50%? Or when they are blasting FOX News or just plain old dicks? I have been to one shop…the owner is a dick. The other employees are nice. I treat everyone with respect and my kids are respectful in the store but when the owner is being a dick to them and with me and his employees…guess what I go elsewhere. And that is why I go to Walmart to get ammo (I can wait) and buy the firearms online. You want us to spend money at the LGS…stop being pricks.
He is quite disgruntled with Greg……
He did right, have all your eggs in a row before you go toe-to-toe with the DoD.
AHHh, all ammo grouped basicly the same?
Are you blind?
one brand printed in the black @ 50%
one brand hit the black ONCE
one brand hit the black NONCE
This with a 4X scope!
My old Mini-30 shoots much better!
Someone needs to learn to keep their finger off the trigger.
“I’ve been bad, and I need a good SWATing.”
‘Merica. Fuck Yeah!
The only that can come close to all of the awesomeness in this photo is this shirt:
http://www.amazon.com/Shredding-Exploding-American-Patriotic-Patriots/dp/B008J625UA
A tactical withdrawal to higher ground is always a good thing.
“Come and take it”! OK
Keep calm and Murica on!
Borat’s sister Whoreat wears his bathing suit and shows off her thirty-eights.
I’d like to say something witty but I’m waiting for the blood to return to my brain… 🙂
Dammit! Why are authors who I enjoy reading making such stupid claims lately? Actors too. Why must they all be so liberal and delusional?
In her disguise, all Muslim men were instantly blinded, thus allowing the special ops unit the time they needed to recue their comrade. An unintended consequence was that hundreds of men renounced the Muslim faith and promised to follow captain “boom boom” jones to the ends of the earth.
Why doe we need PSAs when the public schools drive home the message that guns are evil and only evil people own them?
f^cking morons.
everyone involved in the planning and orchestration of this should choke themselves silly, including the actor. hell they can use a leather belt in their closet for all i care.
“no thank you, i cannot do this because IT IS F^CKING STUPID!” is all that should have been said.
A couple of other people finally said it. The author kinda did to us what BMW dude did to him. No biggie, just like he didn’t have to read BMW dude’s e-mail, nobody forced us to read this.
That aside, the perspectives of an FFL could be very interesting. Tell us what you think we need to know about Federal laws, how to get into the business, what people should consider before going into a shop to look for firearms, how to tell if a used pistol is mechanically sound. I don’t know, anything. “Don’t be a dick” is a fine message, but I’d love some info that taps into your special expertise.
I hate sporter stocks. Those long exposed barrels are just begging to be bent in a fall. I know about the accuracy and weight issue but I don’t care. Also, it is 2013. A gun without a synthetic stock and all stainless steel is not worth a second look. Or a rifle without a ten rd. capacity. Blasphemy to many, I know, but on the other hand I won’t give the time of day to a rifle that doesn’t have fixed sights. Relying on scopes only is a bad idea. The same with detachable mags. If it can’t also be top loaded the rifle is extremely limited. There isn’t a single bolt action on the market I like. Not one. The gun companies never get it quite right. Very annoyed.
The Future Mrs. Dan Zimmerman in her Courtship pose.
Who needs a real camel when there’s plenty of toe to go around!!!
Excessive? Man, I’d be nervous if that was all I had! I don’t think I’ll be able to even. start to relax until I have 10k rds… for EACH caliber. No such thing as “too much ammo.”
The dangers of not tanning. You will not blend in with your environment.
It looks like Mr. Bean sold his cars to the police.
Howz’bout an update?
did he give them permission to search his car? under what probable cause. “Oh, I see you have a weapon. You are under suspicion of committing a crime.” I can’t wait for the free men of New York to start the fight against tyranny.