BART shuts down wireless access in anticipation of protests.

[Asai]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44139432?GT1=43001

Spoiler: show

With the flip of a few switches, the San Francisco Bay area's transit agency shut off wireless service to thwart a protest and joined a raging debate over how far authorities can go to disrupt protests organized on social networks.

In San Francisco, free speech advocates say the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency went too far.

As BART officials prepared Monday for a rush-hour demonstration at its subway stations, they would not say whether they would cut cell phone service again. Like before, they said their primary concern was to ensure that passengers are safe.

"It's wrong," American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Michael Risher, whose group was scheduled to meet later Monday with BART's police chief at the agency's headquarters in Oakland. "There were better alternatives to ensure the public's safety."

Former BART director Michael Bernick applauded the move, saying it ensured a safe and uninterrupted commute Thursday night.

"Finally, BART said enough," said Bernick. "BART put its riders and commuters ahead of these protesters and the ACLU."

The incident last Thursday night helped raise questions about the role that social networks are playing in helping people, from Egypt to London, organize online. In the U.S., with its history of free speech, critics are saying BART's move was unconstitutional.

BART cut power to its wireless nodes Thursday night after learning demonstrators planned to use social media and text messaging to organize a protest against police brutality on one of the subway platforms.

The tactic appeared to work because no protest occurred.

BART's actions prompted a Federal Communications Commission investigation, and a hacking group organized an attack on one of the agency's websites on Sunday and posted personal information of more than 2,000 passengers online.

The group, named Anonymous, called for a disruption of BART's evening commute Monday.

"We are Anonymous, we are your citizens, we are the people, we do not tolerate oppression from any government agency," the hackers wrote on their own website. "BART has proved multiple times that they have no problem exploiting and abusing the people."

BART spokesman Jim Allison said BART has notified the FBI, and that no bank account or credit card information was listed.

BART officials, meanwhile, defended the shutdown of the cell service as a legal approach to ensure commute safety.

A protest last month on a San Francisco platform calling for the dismissal of the transit officers responsible for the July 3 shooting death of a man wielding a knife prompted the closing of one station and caused system-wide delays during rush hour.

Allison said the wireless outage was only for platforms and trains running under the city, places where protests are banned.

By Monday, a growing number of free speech advocates were calling on BART to renounce the tactic, with many calling the action an unconstitutional attempt to stifle lawful protest. Even a BART board member criticized the action.

"We really don't have the right to be this type of censor," said Lynette Sweet, who serves on BART's board of directors, said. "In my opinion, we've let the actions of a few people affect everybody. And that's not fair."

Risher, the ACLU attorney, likened BART's installing wireless networks underground as a passenger service to a government building a park. "Government's don't have to build parks," he said. "But once they do, they can't lock out speech they disagree with."

Risher said his organization is considering a lawsuit, but a decision won't be made until after the meeting with the police chief.

Electronic Frontier Foundation lawyer Lee Tien said he needed more information to decide whether a lawsuit was appropriate.

Regardless of its strict legality, Tien said the tactic was unsavory and compared it to former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's shutting down access to the Internet in a failed attempt to stop civil unrest.

Bernick, the former BART director, said Northern California governments such as BART have been struggling for years with how to handle vocal political demonstrations that often escalate to violence.

BART and Oakland, in particular, have experienced several large-scale protests that turned into riots after a white transit officer shot the unarmed black commuter Oscar Grant on New Year's Day 2009.

BART officials said they are working on a plan to block any efforts by protesters to disrupt the service, which carries 190,000 passengers during the morning and evening commutes every day.

The BART computer problem was the latest hack the loosely organized group claimed credit for this year.

Last month, the FBI and British and Dutch officials made 21 arrests, many of them related to the group's attacks on Internet payment provider PayPal Inc., which has been targeted over its refusal to process donations to WikiLeaks.

Laura Eichman was among those whose email and home phone number were published by the hackers Sunday.

"I think what they (the hackers) did was illegal and wrong. I work in IT myself, and I think that this was not ethical hacking. I think this was completely unjustified," Eichman said.

She said she doesn't blame BART and feels its action earlier in the week of blocking cell phone service was reasonable.

Michael Beekman said he didn't approve of BART's move to cut cell phone service or the Anonymous posting.

"I'm not paranoid but i feel like it was an invasion of privacy," he said. "I thought I would never personally be involved in any of their (Anonymous') shenanigans."

The group Anonymous, according to its website, does "not tolerate oppression from any government agency," and it said it was releasing the information as one of many actions to come.

"We apologize to any citizen that has his information published, but you should go to BART and ask them why your information wasn't secure with them," the statement said.

TLDR, people were going to protest, company went Mubarak on their asses and turned off the net.

[Demosthenes11]

oh I will have to delay my commute for an hour tonight then. Was already stuck on the bart for fucking 2.5 hours last week when their computers failed.

I don't understand how this keeps people safer or why it would disrupt a protest though. OH MY GOD I CANT TEXT FUCK THAT SHIT

[Asai]

oh I will have to delay my commute for an hour tonight then. Was already stuck on the bart for fucking 2.5 hours last week when their computers failed.

I don't understand how this keeps people safer or why it would disrupt a protest though. OH MY GOD I CANT TEXT FUCK THAT SHIT

Or call an ambulance.

[Plow]

oh I will have to delay my commute for an hour tonight then. Was already stuck on the bart for fucking 2.5 hours last week when their computers failed.

I don't understand how this keeps people safer or why it would disrupt a protest though. OH MY GOD I CANT TEXT FUCK THAT SHIT

They have their own cells below ground where phones wouldn't work otherwise. The protests were supposedly being coordinated via text/internet. The protests were also planned to be in areas that are illegal to protest in (i.e. the loading area of mass transit, in this case subway). So, they turned off their cell service. Apparently it worked.

[Demosthenes11]

i get where it was coordinated online...but why do you need to visit the coordination site while you are there? check when/where from home, then you go...

[pohibaba]

Unacceptable use of power. If people are going to protest illegally then punish them for that. Don't take away the rights of the majority to punish the minority.

Spoiler: show

This is all assuming that BART is a public service and the underground cells were paid for with tax dollars

[Demosthenes11]

any idea what station they are at? I have a feeling it's the one right downstairs of me...

[Militant]

This part bothered me the most:

"Finally, BART said enough," said Bernick. "BART put its riders and commuters ahead of these protesters and the ACLU."

[Cantih]

company went Mubarak on their asses and turned off the net.

That it happened here, is fucking disgusting.
Granted, considering all the crap I've seen in the news the past few years about what BART cops and admin has done, it's not to surprising they'll use techniques like those.

[Asai]

Unacceptable use of power. If people are going to protest illegally then punish them for that. Don't take away the rights of the majority to punish the minority.

Spoiler: show

This is all assuming that BART is a public service and the underground cells were paid for with tax dollars

It is, at least somewhat tax-funded from my understanding. It's a special governmental agency created by the State of California, and as such it, and its property are property of the state of California.

[Demosthenes11]

civic center is the epicenter im hearing, but it looks like they just closed the powell station

this shit better be over in about an hour and a half

[jmc]

Unacceptable use of power. If people are going to protest illegally then punish them for that. Don't take away the rights of the majority to punish the minority.

Spoiler: show

This is all assuming that BART is a public service and the underground cells were paid for with tax dollars

Cell phone use it not a right, and is not covered under the 21st amendment at this time.

Its also not a convince..... its one of those issues, thats tethering in limbo.

What the BART is doing, will make courts finally rule if cell phones should be covered under amendment rights.

[Rhinox]

Cell phone use it not a right, and is not covered under the 21st amendment at this time.

Its also not a convince..... its one of those issues, thats tethering in limbo.

What the BART is doing, will make courts finally rule if cell phones should be covered under amendment rights.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_...mer#Legalities

It's illegal afaik. The federal government can block cell phone service under the Homeland security act of 2002. Not 100% sure it extends to states rights.

regardless shit is scary.

[jmc]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_...mer#Legalities

It's illegal afaik. The federal government can block cell phone service under the Homeland security act of 2002. Not 100% sure it extends to states rights.

regardless shit is scary.

Its gonna be a iffy one.... because I believe they are not actually jamming anything. They just shut down the towers located inside the stations......

It would all depend on how the state laws are written.

[-Zer0-]

The protesters were down at Powell station and marching towards Embarcadero when I saw them. Every station but Civic Center was closed earlier but not for too long. Montgomery was opened up and filled with people soon after.

[Melena]

Honestly, if getting sliced by a broken bottle and have him carrying a knife + broken bottle isn't reason to use lethal force, I don't know what is. Funny thing is Dublin PD (Alameda County Sheriff's Office handles PD per contract with the city of Dublin), one of the Sergeant's shot and killed a transient who attacked her and at one point was trying to choke her out and go for her sidearm, and barely any complaints and out of the news in a couple days.

[Rhinox]

Honestly, if getting sliced by a broken bottle and have him carrying a knife + broken bottle isn't reason to use lethal force, I don't know what is. Funny thing is Dublin PD (Alameda County Sheriff's Office handles PD per contract with the city of Dublin), one of the Sergeant's shot and killed a transient who attacked her and at one point was trying to choke her out and go for her sidearm, and barely any complaints and out of the news in a couple days.

oh hey! the Sheriffs department IT guy has an opinion!

[Rhinox]

Shockingly its slanted toward law enforcement.

[RetrogradeDark]

BART didn't even have cell phone service available until recently, so it's only a convenience now, and they can turn it back off if they want in order to keep commuters safe from the retarded masses. Also, I dont know what the fuck Anonymous' message is anymore because cell phone use is not under free speech, and they leaked passenger information from BARTs system. What the flying fuck, what did those passengers do to deserve Anonymous to violate their privacy? They are the only ones getting hurt because of that. Good job anonymous, I used to think you were collectively fighting for the greater good, now you're just a bunch of assholes hacking sites because you can.

[miokomioko]

I'm glad I wasn't trying to get anywhere today.