Web Warfare Comes to America | Rights and Liberties

More stories by Lawrence Davidson =

GA_googleFillSlot("alt_rights_btf_right_300x250");<= /SCRIPT>

Upcoming AlterNet stories on Digg =

A new front in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been opened in = the United=20 States. This has not been done by Islamic fundamentalists, or radical=20 Palestinians. It has been done by American and Israeli computer hackers. = Action=20 on this new front has taken the form of identity theft, harassment, = incitement=20 to harassment, defamation of character, and malicious misrepresentation = through=20 the misuse and misappropriation of computer e-mail facilities and lists. = In the=20 process, the reliability of the web based system of communication has = been=20 undercut, the integrity of some very prestigious universities has been = called=20 into question, and the judgment of law enforcement authorities made to = look=20 tainted with bias. Let me give a number of examples.

In early July a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania by = the name=20 of Marc Dworkin, using a university e-mail account, sent a message to = recipients=20 of his e-mail lists directing them to harass Professor Mona Baker at = England's=20 University of Manchester Institute for Science and Technology. His exact = words,=20 after giving Professor Baker's e-mail address and telephone number, were = "harrass (sic) the motherfucker." This was Mr. Dworkin's way of = expressing his=20 disagreement with Professor Baker over her support of the boycott of = Israel.=20 Soon Professor Baker was receiving hundreds of obscene and threatening=20 communications. When the University of Pennsylvania's Vice President for = Information Systems and Computing, Ms. Robin Beck, was informed of this=20 incident, her reply to Baker was that a "careful assessment based on = what we=20 currently know, does not reveal either a violation of University policy, = nor a=20 violation of law." When it was pointed out to University of Pennsylvania = officials that Dworkin's actions had indeed violated Penn's policies on=20 "Acceptable Use of Electronic Resources" and "Guidelines on Open = Expression"=20 (his behavior is also a possible violation of the Pennsylvania law on=20 "harassment and stalking by communication or address") they still = refused to=20 take any action. Why should the University of Pennsylvania refuse to = move=20 against someone using their e-mail accounts in a fashion that undermines = its=20 educational purpose, violates its own policies, and possibly constitutes = criminal behavior?

In late August Professor Shahid Alam at Northeastern University in = Boston=20 wrote a piece in CounterPunch, later reprinted at Al-Ahram Weekly On = Line, in=20 which he made a case for the boycott of Israeli academia as one example = of a=20 non-violent alternative to the increasingly desperate violent resistance = of the=20 Palestinians. In the process he explained the conditions of Israeli = occupation=20 that had resulted in the various forms of violent Palestinian struggle,=20 including suicide bombings. The piece was reconstructed and = misrepresented in=20 the Jerusalem Post to make it appear that Alam "justified terror attacks = against=20 Israelis." On September 4th the Boston Herald, apparently not checking = the=20 accuracy of the Jerusalem Post report, announced "Professor Shocks = Northeastern=20 with Defense of Suicide Bombers." Almost immediately Professor Alam = began=20 receiving a large number of harassing e-mails. In addition, in an act of = identity theft, e-mails misrepresenting his position were forged and = sent out=20 under Alam's name. Northeastern University's response to the Boston = Herald=20 report was to "distance" itself from Alam. The professor's remarks were = his=20 alone and the University did not "condone or officially recognize them." = The=20 impression was left that Northeastern assumed the Herald piece accurate. = Why=20 should Northeastern University react in such a timid fashion to an = incorrect=20 report that threatened the reputation of one of its own faculty = members?

Throughout July and August, numerous organizations and individuals = who=20 support the Palestinian cause, oppose war in the Middle East, support = human=20 rights, and are just generally critical of Israel, were harassed and = interfered=20 with. Among the victims was Monica Terazi, Director of the New York = office of=20 the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). She was harassed = and her=20 identity stolen by hackers with the result that, for a time, Yahoo = Groups took=20 her account off line. When she reported this assault to the FBI, their = response=20 was that no law had been broken: no money stolen, no computers = physically=20 damaged, public safety had not been endangered. The entire hacker = operation,=20 according to the FBI, was simply an exercise protected by the First = Amendment.=20 Why should the FBI take such a dismissive position on activities which, = in many=20 states of the Union, are now recognized as a form of, to quote the = Pennsylvania=20 statute, "harassment and stalking by communication?"

Ultimately, it was not the law enforcement agencies or university=20 administrators that investigated the hackers who had harassed, abused, = and=20 misrepresented so many people over the summer months. It was private = individuals=20 such as Professor Bassam Shehadeh of Iowa State University. He managed = to track=20 down some of the sources of abuse to sites in Israel and its West Bank = colonies.=20 The Israelis had committed their acts of harassment by accessing an ISP = called=20 Palnet.com on the West Bank. When the Israeli army went about = systematically=20 destroying the electronic communications facilities on the West Bank = they spared=20 Palnet. To what end? Well, the result has been its misappropriation in = the=20 manner described here.

This form of harassment via electronic communications is on-going. It = is=20 being used to intimidate and emotionally punish American and British = academics,=20 as well as many others, who are critical of Israel and its policies. Yet = nothing=20 of significance is being done about it by authorities capable of curbing = such=20 behavior. For all intents and purposes, the inaction of academic and law = enforcement authorities has created legal space for what are ordinarily = illegal=20 acts: harassment, incitement to harassment, identity theft, and = malicious=20 misrepresentation. At least this seems to be so when these assaults are = directed=20 against those critical of positions favored by influential and powerful = interest=20 groups. One can ask the question--would the FBI or the administrators at = the=20 University of Pennsylvania or Northeastern University have taken the = positions=20 they now do, if such organized and extensive harassment and identity = theft had=20 been directed against American Zionists by supporters of the = Palestinians?

The implications of this episode of "web warfare" goes beyond the = present=20 situation. The hands-off position taken by the FBI and university = authorities=20 sets a precedent for the future. While critics of Israel are now the = main=20 targets of web based harassment and misrepresentation, there is no = reason why=20 the circle of victims cannot become much larger. After all it is a = "virtual=20 world" now and thus it is impossible to keep such behavior "local." It = seems we=20 have found a new technological way of assaulting each other on a = worldwide=20 basis. It was Ortega Y Gasset who once observed that "hatred is a = feeling which=20 leads to the extinction of values." The present campaign of intimidation = is=20 certainly hate filled and it is likely that others who hate will learn = of these=20 techniques and use them. Those who can stop this behavior now, but have = chosen=20 not to, ought to think again before the future of communications becomes = "extinct of values."

Lawrence Davidson is a professor of history at West Chester = University in=20 Pennsylvania.

=20 3D"submit =

Liked this story? Get top stories in your = inbox each=20 week from Rights and Liberties! Sign= up now=20 =C2=BB

Rights and=20 Liberties =C2=BB Story = Tools:=20 EMAIL=20 PRINT

More News and=20 Analysis:
The=20 World Watches as Lebanon Goes to the Polls World: Many analysts = view the=20 elections through the lens of the struggle between U.S. and = Iranian=20 regional hegemonic aspirations. By Jared = Levy, Ali=20 Gharib, IPS News. June 6, 2009.	Homophobia=20 on Prime Time: Judges from 'So You Think You Can Dance' Freak Out = Over Two=20 Men Dancing Together Sex and Relationships: = They were=20 so freaked out that they were unable to render a verdict on the = pair's=20 dancing, and insisted that each man repeat the audition with a=20 woman. By Greta Christina, Greta = Christina's Blog.=20 June 6, 2009.	California's=20 Water Woes Threaten the Entire Country's Food Supply Water: = Nearly a=20 third of the country's food supply comes from California, but = drought=20 there may be a catastrophe for farmers -- and the rest of = us. By Scott Thill, AlterNet. June 6,=20 2009.

Newsletter

Search:

Digg