Fwd: Want to continue your investigation of Aaron Barr?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ben de Vries <bendevries1968@gmail.com>
Date: 11 February 2011 13:58
Subject: Re: Want to continue your investigation of Aaron Barr?
To: Nate Anderson <nate@arstechnica.com>

Yes, I understand that you reported to the best of your information.

So, as you can see from commander X, I am not he.

However, it is my feeling that I was targeted because I am a cultural organizer to be the fall guy for Barr's/HBG profitmaking.

Part of this fall obviously includes being targeted by the FBI for investigation in the event of a successful sale.

It is strange, because the first I had heard of this was from Barr himself, in the mentioned conversation. Did he send you a complete transcript of this conversation? If not I would be happy to provide.

What disturbs me most is that he can make allegations on my person of serious crimes with seeming impunity. I understand intentional disruption of a computer system can carry a 10 year federal imprisonment. I am unamused.

The information he collected he did so under violation of facebook's data collection policy.

Further, ALL associations and data he represented is erroneous. His work is laughably absurd... save that it could/ have resulted in a trip to Guantanamo for me.

I am having difficulty obtaining legal representation in this manner, as I have not been able to find evidence of HBG intent to sell this information to the FBI. To say the least, we're working on analyzing the company email to locate this.

I consider his misrepresentation of my person to be either criminally negligent, or worse again, to make me the fall guy for his profit.

Know any good libel attorneys in San Francisco who might be interested? [ELIMINATE THIS LINE IF PUBLISHED]

Perhaps the worst thing is his atrocious spelling and chatspeak. ;)

You have my permission to use this and any further discussions between us.

Ben

I AM NOT ANONYMOUS
I DO NOT FORGIVE
I DO NOT FORGET

On 11 February 2011 13:12, Nate Anderson <nate@arstechnica.com> wrote:

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the note. If I was in collusion with Barr I probably wouldn't have run a massive feature article on how Anonymous hacked his company so badly. :) Just interested in accuracy.

In the piece you mentioned, I wrote that Barr "approached a person on Facebook whom he believed was the powerful CommanderX" because I had no way of knowing if you were indeed that person. I also removed your name from the Facebook conversation for the same reason. Indeed, the whole point of this way of saying things was so that your name -wasn't- brought into it.

So yes--all that to say, I would love to hear about anything that's been going on from your perspective.

Nate Anderson
Senior Editor, Ars Technica
nate@arstechnica.com
+1 (630) 315 7133

On Feb 11, 2011, at 2:39 PM, Ben de Vries wrote:

> http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/02/virtually-face-to-face-when-aaron-barr-met-anonymous.ars
>
> This is one of many times I have been taken out of context and misrepresented as some 'commander X' who I am not.
>
> You want my side of this story? Or are you in collusion with Barr/ HBG to continue this erroneous/ intentional smear campaign against my person?
>
> --
> --
> Ben de Vries
> Certified Permaculture Designer
>
> SKYPE: permaculture.designer
> FACEBOOK: Benjamin Spock de Vries
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> I find it rather easy to portray a businessman. Being bland, rather cruel and incompetent comes naturally to me.
> - John Cleese
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> Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake: One of her characters asks, "As a species we're doomed by hope, then?" By hope? Well, yes. Hope drives us to invent new fixes for old messes, which in turn create ever more dangerous messes. Hope elects the politician with the biggest empty promise; and as any stockbroker or lottery seller knows, most of us will take a slim hope over prudent and predictable frugality. Hope, like greed, fuels the engine of capitalism.
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--
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Ben de Vries
Certified Permaculture Designer

SKYPE: permaculture.designer
FACEBOOK: Benjamin Spock de Vries

YOUTUBE: permaculturedesigner

NOTICE
This email and any attachments may contain confidential or legally privileged information or copyright material. You should not read, copy, use or disclose them without authorization. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return email and then delete both messages. We do not accept liability in connection with computer virus, data corruption, delay, interruption, unauthorized access or unauthorized amendment. Please do not remove this notice.

I find it rather easy to portray a businessman. Being bland, rather cruel and incompetent comes naturally to me.
- John Cleese

Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake: One of her characters asks, "As a species we're doomed by hope, then?" By hope? Well, yes. Hope drives us to invent new fixes for old messes, which in turn create ever more dangerous messes. Hope elects the politician with the biggest empty promise; and as any stockbroker or lottery seller knows, most of us will take a slim hope over prudent and predictable frugality. Hope, like greed, fuels the engine of capitalism.