Stupid movie + anonymity = ...

[SB_Johnny]

You have to wonder whether internet anonymity will come under fire again due to the idiot who created the "Innocence" trailer that ended up inspiring riots that caused a number of deaths this week.

It's actually a bit surprising that government investigators are investigating and naming names at all, but I'm glad they are.

[Cedric]

You have to wonder whether internet anonymity will come under fire again due to the idiot who created the "Innocence" trailer that ended up inspiring riots that caused a number of deaths this week.

It's actually a bit surprising that government investigators are investigating and naming names at all, but I'm glad they are.

Not really surprising, considering that one of those killed was a US ambassador.

Note also how quickly the moron's pseudonym was pierced to reveal his true identity given the abundance of clues he left lying around. Reminds one of any number of abusive yet incompetent WP admins, doesn't it?

[thekohser]

Note also how quickly the moron's pseudonym was pierced to reveal his true identity given the abundance of clues he left lying around. Reminds one of any number of abusive yet incompetent WP admins, doesn't it?

From the Post:

But federal court papers filed against Nakoula in a 2010 criminal prosecution said that he had used numerous aliases in the past. Among the fake names, the documents said, were Nicola Bacily, Robert Bacily and Erwin Salameh, all similar to the Sam Bacile persona. Other aliases described in the documents included Ahmad Hamdy, Kritbag Difrat and PJ Tobacco.

Someone should check Wikipedia for each of those User names -- sounds like a list of commenters on an Israel-Palestine Talk page dispute!

[Peter Damian]

Now a BLP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakoula_Basseley_Nakoula

[thekohser]

Now a BLP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakoula_Basseley_Nakoula

According to authorities, Nakoula has wrote the script while in prison.

Typically pristine WikiGrammar.

[DanMurphy]

I've been following this stuff a little. To be honest, Nekoula seems like a patsy to me now for Maurice (not "Morris") Sadek and his fellow Coptic extremists and far right envangelicals like Steve Klein at "The Way TV." A willing patsy and an asshole, to be sure. I edited all day yesterday, but this is what I wrote on Wednesday:
Is there a movie at all?
Steve Klein, a wannabe Terry Jones
US ambassador murdered as extremists on all side win, again

(No, of course Wikipedia should not have a "biography" on Nekoula; the whole notion is absurd).

[EricBarbour]

Now a BLP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakoula_Basseley_Nakoula

According to authorities, Nakoula has wrote the script while in prison.

Typically pristine WikiGrammar.

Another magnificent gift to Gender-Neutral-Kind by Jokestress. Progressives are fools for allowing her to "speak" for them.

[Tarc]

(No, of course Wikipedia should not have a "biography" on Nekoula; the whole notion is absurd).

This is one of the rare times where I'd disagree about BLP1E and say that this person is certainly article-worthy. He financed a fake (the actors, if that can actually be called acting, have stated that the blasphemous bits were dubbed) film that has incited riots in several nations, causing the death of an American ambassador in the process. That's quite a notable event.

Btw, why is this in Off-Topic? Seems like a Wikipedia-worthy subject.

[SB_Johnny]

(No, of course Wikipedia should not have a "biography" on Nekoula; the whole notion is absurd).

This is one of the rare times where I'd disagree about BLP1E and say that this person is certainly article-worthy. He financed a fake (the actors, if that can actually be called acting, have stated that the blasphemous bits were dubbed) film that has incited riots in several nations, causing the death of an American ambassador in the process. That's quite a notable event.

Wow, I'm with Tarc on this one.

Btw, why is this in Off-Topic? Seems like a Wikipedia-worthy subject.

Well, the thread wasn't specifically about Wikipedia or Wikimedia (which is the "Topic" which it was therefore "off"), but since it drifted, I'll move it (which will make me agreeing with Tarc twice in one day!).

[SB_Johnny]

I edited all day yesterday, but this is what I wrote on Wednesday:

Thanks for the links... I think I finally figured out how to follow your stories on CSM. I'll be turning my phone off and working in the woods with my radio headset on where nobody can find me for this week's "On the Media".

[ErrantX]

I've been following this stuff a little. To be honest, Nekoula seems like a patsy to me now for Maurice (not "Morris") Sadek and his fellow Coptic extremists and far right envangelicals like Steve Klein at "The Way TV." A willing patsy and an asshole, to be sure. I edited all day yesterday, but this is what I wrote on Wednesday:
Is there a movie at all?
Steve Klein, a wannabe Terry Jones
US ambassador murdered as extremists on all side win, again

(No, of course Wikipedia should not have a "biography" on Nekoula; the whole notion is absurd).

Hmmmm, agreed on the last line, but...

From your work:

I can't see how someone prominent enough in the Jewish community to raise $5 million from exclusively Jewish donors could have no online footprint at all. I very much doubt there is such a person.

Because *everyone* has to have an online footprint?

I mean clearly, this is a fake identity to hide the fact that the people involved "at a lower level" were really the driving force.

However, for edification purposes... due to various boring histories, a huge bulk of my contract work is for business types in London. Of the ones I know, several would be able to raise (or otherwise obtain) +millions of funding for ventures. Few of them have much of an online profile. In fact, the defining feature of a lot of them is a failure to comprehend the internet (and one of them is a film director, for the absolute irony).

The internet has made reporters a bit lazy (not meaning to attack you Dan, just a general observation). I've seen investigative reporters struggle their way to the downright obvious online (bearing in mind that 50% of my entire career has been tracking people on computers) and then failing to consider the much simpler, offline, steps to the truth.

Not sure where I am going with this, mostly musing. The whole episode has upset me a lot, in part because the hate floating around the world is saddening and also because I know (a little) one of the people killed.

The right wing fundamentalists in the US have been off the radar for a while; no one expects white middle class Americans to be attempting terrorist actions against the Middle East. But it has seemed an inevitable conclusion for a while. It's only the last couple of years that suddenly they have prominence.

And I wonder if this time they have reached too far... because they killed some of their own, and that is *not kosher*!

[DanMurphy]

Your comments are useless.

There is no Jewish person in America who could raise "$5 million from 100 Jewish donors" who would have zero online footprint at all. Should? I know not "should." But I know reality. No whitepages, no real estate license (claimed he was a real estate developer), no articles in any database, anywhere, no death or birth announcements, no tombstones in business magazines, no synagogue memberships, no charitable giving, etc... zero. Nada. Zilch. Bupkes. I did all that research. You? I'm guessing you're just another anonymous idiot who researched nothing and are transmitting your own biases. Pardon me if I'm mistaken. Share your identity, background, and profession at any time you'd like.

Further, a Jewish activist who could raise "$5 million" to defame the planet's Muslims in general, who would then cheerfully offer up that the money came from "100 Jewish donors" is a creature so strange to me as to make unicorns look common.

This is to say, an educated person knew this was bullshit on reflection. If you want to question the quality of my work, let's have your name and your relevant experience up front. Mmkay? Otherwise, stow it. Because at best you're ignorant. Deeply ignorant. You could well be something else. I'm trying to be kind. I just can't know if you're something worse.

[Vigilant]

You comments are useless.

There is no Jewish person in America who could raise "$5 million from 100 Jewish donors" who would have zero online footprint at all. Should? I know not "should." But I know reality. No whitepages, no real estate license (claimed he was a real estate developer), no articles in any database, anywhere, no death or birth announcements, no tombstones in business magazines, no synagogue memberships, no charitable giving, etc... zero. Nada. Zilch. Bupkes. I did all that research. You? I'm guessing you're just another anonymous idiot who researched nothing and are transmitting your own biases. Pardon me if I'm mistaken. Share your identity, background, and profession at any time you'd like.

Further, a Jewish activist who would raise "$5 million" to defame the planet's Muslims in general, who would then cheerfully offer up that the money came from "100 Jewish donors" is a creature so strange to me as to make unicorns look common.

This is to say, an educated person knew this was bullshit on reflection. If you want to question the quality of my work, let's have your name and your relevant experience up front. Mmkay? Otherwise, stow it. Because at best your ignorant. Deeply ignorant. You could well be something else. I'm trying to be kind. I just can't know if you're something worse.

Someone's gonna wanna get ointment on that burn right away.

[ErrantX]

Your comments are useless.

There is no Jewish person in America who could raise "$5 million from 100 Jewish donors" who would have zero online footprint at all. Should? I know not "should." But I know reality. No whitepages, no real estate license (claimed he was a real estate developer), no articles in any database, anywhere, no death or birth announcements, no tombstones in business magazines, no synagogue memberships, no charitable giving, etc... zero. Nada. Zilch. Bupkes. I did all that research. You? I'm guessing you're just another anonymous idiot who researched nothing and are transmitting your own biases. Pardon me if I'm mistaken. Share your identity, background, and profession at any time you'd like.

Further, a Jewish activist who could raise "$5 million" to defame the planet's Muslims in general, who would then cheerfully offer up that the money came from "100 Jewish donors" is a creature so strange to me as to make unicorns look common.

This is to say, an educated person knew this was bullshit on reflection. If you want to question the quality of my work, let's have your name and your relevant experience up front. Mmkay? Otherwise, stow it. Because at best you're ignorant. Deeply ignorant. You could well be something else. I'm trying to be kind. I just can't know if you're something worse.

My identity is public...

I was tipsy (and upset), so a little more brusque than usual. My apologies; I didn't mean to malign your work.

I appreciate you did the leg work, and from the off it was indeed clear the guy didn't exist. I just contend that it is entirely possible to be rich and powerful without much in the way of online records.

[thekohser]

My identity is public...

Hmm, I didn't know that.

My name is Tom Morton, ErrantX or Errant; feel free to use whichever (even "you there" has been known to work). I am a Brit, and live in England where I work in computer security/forensics and dabble in programming and writing. I am a graduate in Electronic Engineering and currently completing an MsC in "Management of Software Projects" with the Open University

I joined Wikipedia in 2006 and worked on a lot of computer magazine articles (among other things) as well as contributing to Wikinews for a short spell. After a lengthy wikibreak I returned in mid-2010 to focus on Digital forensics topics, which are in dire need of improvement, biographies of living persons or wiki-gnome tasks. Nowadays my main editing focus is related to World War II, especially military deception. In March 2011 I passed a successful request for adminship and was given the sysop bit. I entered a candidacy for the 2011 Foundation Board of Trustees Election, but ended up coming second to last... oops

Coming in last in a Board of Trustees election puts you and me in the same relatively tiny boat of people who can say that on this earth.

My respect for you just upticked a couple of notches, Tom.

[Willbeheard]

This is one of the rare times where I'd disagree about BLP1E and say that this person is certainly article-worthy. He financed a fake (the actors, if that can actually be called acting, have stated that the blasphemous bits were dubbed) film that has incited riots in several nations, causing the death of an American ambassador in the process. That's quite a notable event.

No,that's wrong. Undoubtedly the film and the reaction to it are well worth an article (subject to the usual caveats about having news articles on WP). That's different from having a BLP about the person involved.

[SB_Johnny]

This is one of the rare times where I'd disagree about BLP1E and say that this person is certainly article-worthy. He financed a fake (the actors, if that can actually be called acting, have stated that the blasphemous bits were dubbed) film that has incited riots in several nations, causing the death of an American ambassador in the process. That's quite a notable event.

No,that's wrong. Undoubtedly the film and the reaction to it are well worth an article (subject to the usual caveats about having news articles on WP). That's different from having a BLP about the person involved.

But if it turns out that he is in a gay porn film too, he'd be notable?

[Vocal]

This is one of the rare times where I'd disagree about BLP1E and say that this person is certainly article-worthy. He financed a fake (the actors, if that can actually be called acting, have stated that the blasphemous bits were dubbed) film that has incited riots in several nations, causing the death of an American ambassador in the process. That's quite a notable event.

No,that's wrong. Undoubtedly the film and the reaction to it are well worth an article (subject to the usual caveats about having news articles on WP). That's different from having a BLP about the person involved.

But if it turns out that he is in a gay porn film too, he'd be notable?

Mais oui.