Ukraine Sending Anyone Near Protests Creepy Text Messages

from the the-texts-are-coming-from-inside-the-country! dept

Wed, Jan 22nd 2014 10:58am — Timothy Geigner

If you've paid attention to the news recently, you may be aware that there are some impressive protests going on in Ukraine, some of which have been met with violence by the Ukrainian government. I won't bore you with a comprehensive history lesson, but I think we may need a bit of context here.

Ukraine has gone through two revolutions in recent history, the first gaining independence with the fall of the Berlin wall and the second a mere decade ago when they threw out the subsequent government to try again. The reasons for the second were corruption on a near world record level and an economic system that was as stifled as it was depressed. Once under the thumb of the Soviet Union and all of its freedom-less trappings, ethnic Ukranians began leaning towards European ideals in the west of the country. Meanwhile, over in the eastern portion, ethnic Russians had settled areas where the USSR had displaced ethnic Ukranians, and the settlers retained more of a philosophical allegiance to their homeland. Since then, Ukraine has always been a battleground between Russia and Europe, particularly economically, with Russia tending to win out by strong-arming its neighbor through oil delivery prices and cancellations that virtually castrate Ukraine in the colder months.

The recent protests began when the current president, Victor Yanukovych, unilaterally torpedoed a broad trade agreement with the EU, one which had been in the works for years. Instead, Yanukovych bowed to Russia generally and Putin in particular, promising to build closer ties with the country's former master. Protesters protested, as they tend to do. But, rather than engage in a political process, or any true dialogue about the decision, Yanukovych's government has instead embraced the tactics of Middle Eastern nations that have since learned what happens when you attempt to stifle protest by fiat.

The controversial new protest laws have sparked concerns they could be used to put down demonstrations and deny people the right to free speech. They include provisions barring people from wearing helmets and masks to rallies, from setting up tents or sound equipment without prior police permission, and from traveling in convoys of more than five vehicles without authorization. A separate Interior Ministry order allowing riot police to use firearms came into force Tuesday, according to the official Ukrainian legislation website.

Meant to stifle protests, these laws have instead supercharged the revolutionary spirit of Ukranians, who remember all too well what it was like when they allowed themselves to be victims in a similar way. These laws have been tried elsewhere, including the banning of masks, and they generally don't work. Times have changed and you can't put the cat back in the bag. The more you try to re-impose old restrictions on a newly free people, the more backlash you're going to get.

Which is what will make the reaction to this latest tidbit about Ukranian intimidation so interesting. Buried in a story about the protests, we learn that the Ukrianian government has abandoned all pretense in its attempt to rule by fear.

The government’s opponents said three recent actions had been intended to incite the more radical protesters and sow doubt in the minds of moderates: the passing of laws last week circumscribing the right of public assembly, the blocking of a protest march past the Parliament building on Sunday and the sending of cellphone messages on Tuesday to people standing in the vicinity of the fighting that said, “Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance.”

The phrasing of the message, about participating in a “mass disturbance,” echoed language in a new law making it a crime to participate in a protest deemed violent. The law took effect on Tuesday. And protesters were concerned that the government seemed to be using cutting-edge technology from the advertising industry to pinpoint people for political profiling.

In other words, it's as though the Ukranian government had already gotten part of the way through Orwell's collective works as a blueprint for how to set up a government and then picked up 1984. Big Brother, as it were, is watching you. Fortunately, not only will this not work in the long term, it isn't even working in the short term.

The messages appeared to have little effect. Three hours after they were sent, riot police officers pushed past barricades of burned buses at that site and were met by a crowd of protesters in ski masks and bicycle helmets, carrying sticks and ready to fight.

And it was insane to expect any other response. If you back a wounded animal into a corner and threaten it with a stick, expect the claws to be unleashed. And that's an entirely unfortunate state of affairs. With all the avenues for discourse available to us today, seeing what were peaceful protests descend into violence from both sides due strictly to the Orwellian tactics of a government is no longer acceptable. For that government to have so recently been liberated from a gone-nation that had likewise utilized those tactics is insane.

So, despite a lack of sufficient coverage from our major media, keep Ukraine in your mind as the citizens there fight and die for the freedom of speech, assembly and governance.

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Filed Under: protests, text messages, ukraine

19 Comments

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Mega1987 (profile), 22 Jan 2014 @ 11:08am

The tables have turned.
Riot Police officer: Those fools are on the run, Charge!!!

*A few moments later after cornering the group of Protestors.*

Riot Police officer: *looking like he have gone thru a cage filled with 5 Lions and survived* RETREAT!!!!!! *Runs away with whatever scrap of clothing he can use to preserve his modesty.*
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silverscarcat (profile), 22 Jan 2014 @ 11:12am

Here's some tidbits for all of you...
From Ground Zero, it looks like the country won't go into Civil War or even break apart, according to what people over there have been posting online. Many are astounded by the lies and coverups that the Russian Media has undertook to make it look worse than it is.

Don't get me wrong, it is bad.

People in Russia, from a friend of mine who lives in Moscow, have stated that they're a bit worried that Ukraine, and especially Kiev, will erupt into war.

Not because the people of Ukraine would fight each other, but because such a conflict would draw in the neighboring countries and cause an all-out regional war that may require further outside help (read: US and Western Europe) to keep things from going too far out of hand like they do in Syria.

On TOP of all of this, the people of Russia LOVE Vladmir Putin. If he said, right now "we're going to invade Ukraine and take it over", then people would line up in droves to do just that.
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out_of_the_blue, 22 Jan 2014 @ 11:20am

"cutting-edge technology from the advertising industry"
Now, who here has had that in a tagline for some time? Hmm... Oh, yes, it's Modest Me!

Still don't suppose you kids will be able to connect this actual danger to those in Romania with same ability of your "friend" Google, though...
Google's ability to target you for advertising is EXACTLY what NSA needs to target you as political dissident, NOT coincidentally.

07:20:00[i-401-0]
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2014 @ 11:21am

brought out the old imsi catcher eh. Nice I am sure the US is furiously taking notes right now.
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jackn, 22 Jan 2014 @ 11:23am

innovative!
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Dark Helmet (profile), 22 Jan 2014 @ 11:24am

Re: "cutting-edge technology from the advertising industry"
For what it's worth, those of you that read the linked articles will know that the cell-providers who would be Blue's "Google" in this instance are vehemently denying they had anything to do with this and are saying the Ukraine govt. operates its own transmitters that can hijack their platform....
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2014 @ 11:48am

Re:
I think it's much more simple than that. Probably something like an amber alert or weather warning. Anyone within range of the tower gets it.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2014 @ 11:49am

These laws have been tried elsewhere, including the banning of masks, and they generally don't work.

Hell, I live in Kentucky and they pulled out old KKK laws on the Occupy movement here and arrested people every time they put on a Guy Fawkes mask. This is not limited to any country, it is used everywhere.
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Michael, 22 Jan 2014 @ 12:01pm

Text Messages
�Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance.�

They can probably get away with this because the wireless providers there don't have broadband caps.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2014 @ 12:16pm

It's interesting to see that they are fighting - and dying - to get what the citizens of the "Five Eyes" are giving away to their various National Security agencies.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2014 @ 1:37pm

I would say this is exactly how bulk unconstitutional spying will be used in American uprisings. I'm sure police will use mobile Stingray towers to issue mass arrest warrants for dissidents.

Ukrainian police have been given orders to fire their guns on stick wielding civilians. I wonder if Ukraine has a Second Amendment? It doesn't appear so.
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Crazy Canuck, 22 Jan 2014 @ 1:48pm

Grain of salt
I read on a few other news sites that the cellphone companies are claiming that no such message was sent to their users and that they in no way co-operated with the government. They figure that someone may have setup a rouge cell tower to broadcast the message.

Though, if I were working for the Russian government, I'm sure that's what I would be saying too. =P

Now if only we could get a Russian agent to take and release a bunch of confidential information, like showing how Russia is manipulating Ukraine, and flee to America for protection. Sort of like a counterpart for Snowden. It would be funny to see how the NSA and congress would respond to that while still trying to come up with reasons why Snowden should be killed and that he's not the same. I almost wonder if the US and Russia would negotiate an exchange.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2014 @ 2:19pm

Re:
There can be made an argument that people vandalising and seeking confrontation for the sake of confrontation will use masks. Having a ban on severely face-obscuring instruments is probably for the better as long as the police is gentle and tolerate minor digressions. The problem in Ukraine is that these laws were made through an emergency system (hand-voting by politicians in the parliament because the normal procedure could and did result in the opposition vetoing). Also the comments from Yanukovichs people in parliament has been less than democracy-minded to say it mildly.
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midofo (profile), 22 Jan 2014 @ 2:36pm

Cell Broadcast
The technology they are using is called cell broadcast and has been around as long as GSM. Emergency services in Australia use it for bushfires etc in order to notify residents they cannot in other ways.
As for the mask issue, it is probabaly an attempt to stop them wearing gas masks and make their tear gas attempts more effective.
Some of the latest action can be seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuO53xeZkm8 if you like to see police/military dodging molotovs not so successfully.
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John Fenderson (profile), 22 Jan 2014 @ 4:17pm

Re: Re:
Having a ban on severely face-obscuring instruments is probably for the better as long as the police is gentle and tolerate minor digressions.

No, no, no, no, no.

Laws that rely on police discretion to avoid being overly burdensome or infringing on rights are bad laws from the start. Police discretion can never be relied on. The police, and the courts, will sooner or later end up saying "the law means what it says."
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Steve, 23 Jan 2014 @ 2:33am

Yep, the 'sound system' and 'convoy' parts are already a thing in Britain. Part of the knee jerk reaction against 'illegal raves.' Can also be used in other situations and has been.
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John Fenderson (profile), 23 Jan 2014 @ 9:35am

Re: Re:
Then I wouldn't. I disable those notifications. :)
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Jan 2014 @ 9:55am

Re: Re: Re:
You can't disable the Presidential Alerts.
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John Fenderson (profile), 23 Jan 2014 @ 10:24am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Just watch me! I can disable anything I want to. But then, I run Cyanogenmod, so even if the stock version doesn't allow me to, I can add the code needed that will.
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