What's something that feels illegal to know?

TehBamski@lemmy.world to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 280 points –
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Tails OS. I went to search what it was and read the Wikipedia article. Guess I'm on a watch-list now, cause of my dumb curiosity lol

From Wikipedia

In 2014 Das Erste reported that the NSA's XKeyscore surveillance system sets threat definitions for people who search for Tails using a search engine or visit the Tails website

My dumb ass wants to know really bad what Tails OS is and why knowing that'd put you on a watchlist

Tails OS is an operating system you load onto a USB that "basically" procludes you from being tracked. It's FOSS, and governments all over the world hate it. Even though the U.S. military "basically" invented it.

Find out more here

Nice try NSA. I ain't clicking that link. Fool my curious ass once; shame on you. Fool me twice - well... you can't get fooled again

Risky click.

Lmao that's low key, kinda how I feel looking at that link right now

Edit: Mother fu**er, and I still clicked it! God damnit; curse my curiosity. It's a link to the Tails website y'all, in case you're wondering. Doesn't matter for me, I'm already balls deep under the NSA's nose now. Hope they're happy my taint is showered

Sweet! Thank you for that info!

It's almost too easy to get flagged online sometimes.

On one hand, there's probably something related to that word that should be flagged.

On the flip side, I think of the fox from Sonic when I see that word. There are probably a lot of people with random flags haha

No, it flags you specifically for being interested in TailsOS or Tor browser, both. It has nothing to do with the word tails and everything to do with "heeeyy this guy doesn't like being stalked en masse, must be a criminal."

But if you're already flagged, and then I interact with you online, and use words like "Tails" or "Tor"... am I now flagged? If so, we're all flagged around here now

What word? Tails? Like, "Tails" from Sonic? Or "Tails" as in the word I searched and fucked myself on, for being insatiably curious?

Sonic is the first thing I think of, when I think of Tails. Like "Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic and Tails". And Tails was kinda my favorite character... besides Knuckles, because of the gliding plus climbing thing

But yeah, now I'm apparently not allowed to say "Tails" without scrutiny. C'est la vie. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

I worked really hard on a tailspin DVD for a niece done years ago. I probably searched through a lot of images for art.

I hope I made it with an additional "Dumbass spells it "tailspin DVD" flag

That being said, I doubt the tracking is all that helpful as there are many people who use Tails as a legitimate system for preserving one's privacy and safety, such as in cases of DV, trafficking, etc.

Your threat definition is allowed to be zero though too. They have just as much interest in marking off curious people as they do in finding people looking to use it nefariously.

You saying my curiosity may have decreased my threat definition? Now the NSA just thinks I'm a dumbass? Am I like, on an anti-watch list now?

Kinda hurts my feelings a little, and now I'm not sure how to feel. I guess I'll take it

That's okay, it could be worse. You could have somehow gotten on the TSA's list for always being randomly selected for an extra search. You'd think after 20 years they'd figure out what color the dildo I packed for them is going to be...

But why?

A lot of people use Tails to buy illegal stuff on the dark web markets anonymously. Or so I've heard...

I've heard that people use the dark web markets to buy a lot of illegal tails anonymously. But what do I know...

Because anything that can be used for privacy can be used to also commit crimes that the state isn't very happy about not being able to track effectively

Nobody is putting you on a list for downloading tails or kali, both of which are absolutely legitimate and have plenty of uses that aren’t sus

And now I'm on the list because I searched it, lol.