Wired Writer Disappears, Find Him and Make $5k 135
carp3_noct3m writes "A freelance Wired magazine journalist has decided to see what it is like to disappear from normal life, all while staying on the grid. The catch, is that he is challenging anyone and everyone to find him, take a picture, and speak a special codeword to him. If you can do that, you can make 5000 dollars, which happens to come out of his paycheck for the article he'll be writing. Oh, and to top it all off, whoever finds him gets pictures and interviews in Wired. He has been posting to his Twitter, using TOR for internet, and the Wired website will be posting his credit card transactions."
Is this an ad? (Score:1, Interesting)
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Re:Is this an ad? (Score:5, Informative)
Yes [slashdot.org] Slashdot [slashdot.org] does [slashdot.org] post [slashdot.org] links [slashdot.org] to [slashdot.org] contests [slashdot.org].
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I got to read the original article (though it would be nice of /. linked to it directly or mentioned it in the summary) and read a few posts of the twitter followers and such. Interesting concept, I wonder how much of it he will get to expense later (and if the 5k out of his salary if found is really enough to make him ultra paranoid about being found)
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It's incitement to commit stalking. I'm not sure of the state but in many there is no need for the victim to press charges. That's a nice way to get a felony. It is also spam.
The catch (Score:5, Funny)
The catch, is that he is challenging anyone and everyone to find him, take a picture, and speak a special codeword to him.
But, but... that would require leaving my basement.
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Well, there's a picture just besides the Slashdot story. Why not take that?
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Luke, trainee jedi-geek that you are, you show your geek-naïveté in approaching the problem from such a brute-force perspective. The true geek would do all their stalking using quite conventional transaction-tracking. Then, having determined the hotel/ rehab-clinic/ brothel/ mountain hovel/ etc that he
Re:The catch (Score:5, Funny)
Hack an ATM and use the image from it for the photo.
You can speak the password to him via the network that McDonalds uses to take orders in the drive-through these days.
"Ok. I have 3 cheeseburgers, an Iced Tea and the password is "Where the fuck is Waldo? That will be $5,004.89 at the first window. Please pull through."
No need to leave the basement.
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Everyone knows that every true geek has a Mother that works the drive-thru window at McDonald's.
How they hell you think they get sustenance delivered to the basement?
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why leave your basement, hack the security camera around him to take the picture, and the cellphone company to find out his phone number. send the picture to the phone number and call him to tell him the codeword easy, nothing to sweat about :)
blarg (Score:5, Funny)
It'll be funny when a Mac user wins the $5K and has to admit finding him on the other side of a glory hole.
.
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Far too easy. (Score:5, Funny)
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His identity is "Evan Ratliff". There, just like the judge!
Already Been Done (Score:3, Interesting)
They wrote a book about it and presented at a recent hacker conference (it might have been the last HOPE, or maybe last year's defcon)
Good job being original, guy
[citation needed] (Score:3, Insightful)
[citation needed]
Not necessarily doubting you -- just saying that your post is incredibly unhelpful.
Re:Already Been Done (Score:4, Informative)
I thought that one was about "falling off the grid". What this guy is doing is trying to stay hidden while still using modern conveniences and only the skills that an average citizen has at their disposal. I.E., hiding while staying on "THE GRID".
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Big deal. I fall "off the grid" all the time. That's where I am right now, not for any particular reason, other than I can. I'm not using any credit cards. I have a prepaid credit card, but rarely use it. The phone number everyone knows forwards three times, and ends up on a prepaid cell with no GPS capabilities. If I have the urge, I just pick up a new prepaid phone, and change the forwarding. I can change the last hop, or several of them.
I occasionally pop up in an unexp
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I guess it could be considered "thrill". It started out as a observation of how life decisions made me untrackable. Various people I've been with (when I pop up) note "You pay with cash for everything?" or "Who's car are you driving today?" Someone commented (on the phone) a few days ago that I have more phone numbers than the Dell support centers. :) It's not that I *have* the numbers, it's just that I change them frequently enough that anything they store won't be good too long after th
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To which part? That there are easily usable systems which forward phone calls, and you can chain those, or that you can disable the GPS on most cell phones (like, really disable, not just turn an option off).
Taking all the fun out of it (Score:5, Funny)
You will be excluded from winning if you commit a crime in your efforts to find me, contact my family, or physically harm me.
Man, talk about taking all the fun of a game.
Re:Taking all the fun out of it (Score:4, Insightful)
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Well, if I believe my television, you should still be able to waterboard him!
Yes... apparently getting him abducted by the CIA, secretly flown to Syria and tortured for months on end is perfectly legal in the US.
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You will be excluded from winning if you commit a crime in your efforts to find me, contact my family, or physically harm me.
How about if we locate him, then wait until he's just falling asleep, sneak into his bedroom and then say in a gravely voice "Tag, you're it"? Does scaring the pee out of someone count as physical harm?
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. . . contact my family . . ..
I saw a documentary about so-called "Bounty Hunters" in the US. The guy claimed that family members were to most likely to reveal where you are hiding. He added a quip like:
"For every person, there are two folks who love you, two people that hate you, and six people who don't give a damn about you. I just need to find the last eight, and they will lead me to my target."
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contact my family
My only real objection to his terms. I get that he wishes to keep his family from harassment (specifically his kids if he has them) but most agencies tasked with finding people start with the family, mostly because it is the best way to find someone. This gives him a much more sporting chance, though which I guess was his intent.
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You will be excluded from winning if you commit a crime i
That is sad. That removes cracking, phishing etc. from the approaches. It would have been interesting to have an more open playing field - that would potentially reveal something useful (weakness in FedEx for instance, dangers of social engineering).
I fully agree that the family should be left alone, as this is only a game.
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Relocation costs? (Score:2)
Can I get reimbursed for my relocation costs? $5k isn't enough of a reward to justify traveling to the places he's at.
hey guy... (Score:5, Funny)
Come to my house and let me win the contest. I'll give you $3000. I'd be happy to tell wired the advanced methods I used to win.
What season is it? (Score:1)
I forget, is this bow or gun season for Wired writers? The local DNR is waffling, the closest they could come is 'long pork', but that is much too broad for the purposes of this game.
-Charlie
Sounds like a good time for a photoshop contest (Score:2)
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Fortunately there are only about a millions words to choose from to guess the secret word ( http://www.languagemonitor.com/ [languagemonitor.com] ).
Good luck.
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how do we know ... (Score:2)
No problemo (Score:5, Funny)
1. Post his picture in the general vicinity wherever his credit card transactions are, with the note "Have you seen this child molester?" underneath.
2. Take pictures of him/give him the codeword in jail* a few days later.
3. Profit!
* Though I'm not sure how the whole secret word thing will work if a mob beats him to death.
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Then re-read TFS or TFA because he says he's staying ON GRID and it's explicitly mentioned.
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(My bad...)
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From TFA:
The Web page will provide everything a plugged-in investigator would have, including activity on my frequent flier, credit card, and ATM accounts â" if Iâ(TM)m foolish enough to use them.
I'm pretty sure he knows enough about tracking to not use credit cards.
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But he is staying on the grid. Not that everyone and their uncle has access to his creditcard transaction log, but he's not going hermit on us.
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> Living "off the grid" means NOT using a credit card.
It used to mean either generating your own electicity or doing without.
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I think the term 'off the grid' has been used in this fashion for a while now.
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Defamation/slander? Didn't he say you couldn't break the law?
Privacy illusion. (Score:4, Insightful)
I knew a friend once that did skip-tracing. He tracked a guy down who changed his name, flew to the middle-east under an assumed identity and fake passport, dyed his hair, and more. His big downfall? He used a credit card once he landed -- which was under his old name. And this was using just information available to the credit bureaus to find him. Also... witness protection program? Yup... he found a few of them too. I bet I could have this guy nailed in about four hours if I called the police up and said I was a famous celebrity and he was defaming me on Twitter. Game over.
All he's proving is that Joe Average doesn't have much power. Big deal. Your neighbor isn't the one you should be worried about finding you anyway -- they lack the technical resources, skills, and moral flexibility to do so. Now, if he wants to do a REAL test of his privacy -- photoshop some photos of a male politician in a pink tutu and make disparaging comments about his sexual orientation. I bet you get a knock on your door within a day. -_-
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I bet you get a knock on your door within a day. -_-
Or a foot tap.
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So then call your friend and have him help you and split the cash.
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That is, if the politician is a Democrat [slashdot.org] and not a Republican [flickr.com].
(But seriously folks, it is just me or are the paranoia levels on Slashdot reaching an all time high?)
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Why was a skip tracer hunting people in witness protection? Maybe he didn't care too much about where his paycheck came from...
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Why was a skip tracer hunting people in witness protection? Maybe he didn't care too much about where his paycheck came from...
He did care--But people who enter the witness protection program aren't issued new social security numbers.
Can't be too dificult. (Score:2)
Step 1) Withdraw a large amount of money
Step 2) Buy the most common car on the roads second hand.
Step 3) Find a national park that has wireless internet coverage
Step 4) Buy a nice tent and other camping equipment
Step 5) Buy a prepaid wireless internet subscription
Not sure if 3 and 5 are possible in the US, but they are in Sweden.
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Actually, you don't even have to go this far with the restriction of keeping nearly everything legal.
I could think of a half dozen ways to find him illegally. That said, I don't believe there is much of a point to all of this with such a restriction.
On the flip side, if you could somehow manage to take him to court it would be win/win. If he shows, you get paid and if he doesn't you can get a default judgment.
I just need to find a way to get wronged!
Somebody call 4chan (Score:2)
This seems to be an easy challange to fill /b/ s warchest...
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That place makes everyones' Bacon Factor [wikipedia.org] one.
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Why this fails (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem, as any Wired writer should know -- is that information wants to be free.
As the writer himself has observed: Contacting his family or breaking the law are easy ways to retrieve the information.
Those activities may disqualify the offending "player", but they do not disqualify the underlying data -- which wants to be free -- and can easily be passed on to any party in order to claim the prize.
So like most "hacks", social-engineering will trump using the "grid".
And the take-away here is this: There are no rules. There is only data, and it will be free.
The poor writer is going to find much of his personal life violated, I'm afraid. But the blame falls to him. He should have known better.
You are Lobby Ludd and I claim my five pounds (Score:1)
Ok, I'll take it. (Score:2)
I could get him in ten minutes. (Score:1)
Just give me his credit card number, expiration date, and I'll destroy his credit limit in five minutes, ordering all sorts of things and using my real address as the shipping and billing address. Credit institution calls the man a minute after that, gives him the info on my purchases, he shows up at my door in another three minutes, tops!
Instant $5K out of his paycheck AND added bonus of wreaking havoc with the credit system at the same time!
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I understand that people around here don't like to read the articles but that's just because they can't be bothered, not because it's against the law.
Reading The Frakkin' Article is not a crime!
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Off the grid AND using credit cards? WTF? (Score:1)
How can you be "off the grid" if you are using credit cards?
Re:Off the grid AND using credit cards? WTF? (Score:4, Insightful)
How can you be commenting on the article when you didn't read the summary?
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A freelance Wired magazine journalist has decided to see what it is like to disappear from normal life, all while staying on the grid.
That guy is a PRO nerd (Score:3, Funny)
Re:That guy is a PRO nerd (Score:4, Funny)
The spice must flow.
I found him! (Score:2)
And I took this photo [flickr.com] to prove it.
I'm calling the Wired editors now to give the password and collect my money.
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nice photoshop job.
I half-ass did this a few years ago (Score:4, Interesting)
But not for fun and it was a lot longer than 30 days. A psychotic roommate accused me of attempted murder so I got the heck out of Dodge. While I didn't quit my job and move to a new country, I moved to a new place that couldn't be linked to me in any way. All utilities were in a new roommate's name. I received no mail at the new address. Everything (credit cards, DMV, voter registration, HR records, cell phone bill, bank statements, insurance, etc.) went to a mail drop. When I went out with friends, I'd meet them at our destination. For nearly 3 months, nobody knew where I lived but my new roommates and they knew the situation. For the next 5 or 6 months, only 4 other people knew where I lived. Good thing because my old roommate tried to track me down a couple of times but none of our mutual friends knew where I was. And they were glad that they didn't have to decide whether to give up the info.
I know I didn't drop entirely off the grid but that wasn't my intent. My intent was to make my new home a sanctuary. I didn't want to have to worry about cops busting down my door in the middle of the night. I didn't want the old roommate showing up to try and work things out or "settle the score". Sure, I could be found at the office any time but at least I could go home at night and know that the only kind of disruption I could face was a phone call.
Funny thing is my "safe house" was nicer than any place I'd ever lived before. My bedroom with private bath was on the top floor of a brand new 3-story condo. 8 miles from the office on the only stretch of the freeway that doesn't slow to a crawl during rush hour. Private park, BBQs, gym, pool, and hot tubs across the street.
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Hmm, so is this where I should feel bad for realizing that I had been living in my new house for 6-7 months before any of my friends knew the address, and unlike the parent I wasn't even trying to keep it a secret?
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Wait, someone accuses you of attempted murder, so you figure the best way not to be hassled by the cops about it is to 'run and hide'?!?!?!?!
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He wasn't hiding very well if he still showed up to the same job. The cops are more than happy to walk into your office, throw you on the floor, and arrest in front of all your coworkers, just as much as they are willing to arrest you in the privacy of your own home.
Isn't it easier to explain to the coworkers that you were out "sick" for a few days, rather than trying to explain the arrest at work?
Brilliant.
How about this. With an attorney, you go to the inve
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Obviously, your reading skills are poor. I made a point of explaining my goal very clearly. And don't 'quote' things that aren't quotes.
My goal was to avoid being hassled AT HOME. My goal was to direct any inquiries to my office where the police would be more likely to be civil and respectful. And there's the legal department and corporate counsel here if it came to that. Also, any contact would occur during business hours when it would be easier to arrange bail, formal legal representation, etc. I ex
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Obviously, the accusation was pure fantasy with nothing to back it up. The roommate did try to find my home but never showed up at my office. I assume because it's preferable to keep the looney-tunes stuff private. I assume the police never showed up because they sniffed out the crazy. Or the roommate never reported "the incident" to the cops.
I know exactly where he is... (Score:2)
How Not To Be Seen (Score:1)
Reminds me of the old Monty Python sketch...How Not To Be Seen.
This is Mr. Evan Ratliff of San Francisco, United States. Mr. Ratliff cannot be seen. However, I will ask him to stand up.
Mr. Ratliff, would you stand up please.
BOOM!
Mr. Ratliff has not learned the first lesson of not being seen...not to stand up.
What to Say To Him (Score:2)
This whole time... (Score:1)
Another WIRED Ad (Score:3, Insightful)
How much is Slashdot getting paid for these ads for Wired? It better be plenty because they're cutting into the credibility here. This latest, a PR boosting (for Wired at the writer) contest announcement, posted in of all places Your Rights Online, is proof positive that if the new eds know what they're doing, they know they're steering this ship towards the icebergs.
The only thing this article has to do with My Rights Online is people are going to say with mod points that I don't have the right to tell you this shit needs to stop.
Twitter Account Suspended (Score:1)
Lobby Lud & Kolley Kibber (Score:2)
For all of those saying "It's been done before", can I direct you to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobby_Lud [wikipedia.org]
&
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_Rock_(novel) [wikipedia.org]
Grahame Green used this in his novel Brighton Rock (read it, the film's well worth watching as well). Newspapers used this as a marketing gimmick waaay back. "You are and I claim my five pounds" was a usenet catchphrase a back in the day (AICMFP).
Bah, I feel old now.