I wanted my readers to know that in addition to the blog posts I publish here, there is much short-form activism which I find more appropriate to post on Twitter or Facebook. I encourage you to subscribe to my Twitter &/or Facebook feeds, where you’ll find material and research which doesn’t make it to this blog.
As an example, yesterday I discovered that David Brotsky (who goes by the pseudonym David Appletree and is the mover and shaker beding the Jewish Internet Defense Force), created a Friendfeed “Traitor” list of Jews who “seem” to support Hamas (not sure what that word “seem” means exactly) or those who voted for “anti-Israel” nominees in the Shorty Awards. Thankfully, I was included in the Traitor list along with some of my friends and allies like Max Blumenthal, and others whose politics I find disappointing like the New Israel Fund, J Street.
JIDF arrogages to itself the critical mission of hacking into social networking and Wikipedia accounts of individuals Brotsky (who refers to himself often as “we,” as he either considers himself divine, royal, or the leader of a mass movement) deems traitors or enemies of Israel. In a Twitter debate last night he even tried to make the argument that being a traitor to the Jewish people is worse than being a Jewish settler terrorist (I’ll spare you the argument, you can imagine how compelling it was). My argument was, of course, that a settler terrorist betrays Judaism and the Jewish people far more profoundly. Brotsky’s is a role without which Israel surely would be destroyed and undoubtedly he’s saving the Jewish homeland and world Jewry in performing this vital task.
I let my 1,500 Twitter followers know about this proud news of achieving the distinction of being labelled a “Traitor,” only to have no other than the manly Zionist man himself, @JIDF reply. His mendacious tweets calling me a supporter of Hamas and anti-Israel traitor drew in a mega-minyan worth of pro-Israel trolls, one of whom told me, literally to “shut up.” Now, what can the only proper reply to such infantilism be? I momentarily sank down to their level and replied: “Nyah, nyah make me.”
The next thing I knew, there was a Twitter troll account, whose spelling was a single letter removed from my actual account nickname, and which had stolen my image. The impersonator had actually wasted his time by following 96 other Twitter accounts including those of individuals who reported what he’d done. The fake account linked to another of the champions of right-wing Israel, Israellycool. This is the guy who permitted a commenter at his site to publish my home address and my wife’s work and phone numbers. You get an idea of the sleaze of which these people are capable.
As soon as the fake account was created it appeared to disappear. I’m guessing that either Israellycool was worried that his association with the account might jeopardize his own Twitter account, or there may be someone on the other side with half a conscience who told the idiot to cease and desist (this possibility is unlikely).
Add to this vandalism, attempts by Israeli hackers to penetrate my Paypal account and use click fraud to get my Google Adsense account cancelled, and you have further evidence of what these junior pogromists are capable.
All of this offers all the more reason for my readers to support this work in every way they can, including by donations via the Paypal button in my sidebar. And join my Twitter or Facebook feeds to enjoy the full Tikun Olam experience!
Really you should be flattered. I am assuming you don’t have a problem with notable fake twitter profiles like @NYTimesBronner, @foxmanides and @TheDersh – These are completely legal as long as the profile makes it clear that they are not actually the entity being satirized. Even the use of otherwise copyright protected photos is allowed under the doctrine of fair use. I doubt anyone coming across this profile would have thought it was actually you. That having been said, I have no idea why the author would have taken it down – perhaps twitter took it down because of the use of the word “Douche” which would change this project from satire to potential libel.
I have problems with impersonating someone. The accounts you listed are not impersonations, they are spoofs. They are clearly NOT the person they are spoofing. There is a difference & you should learn it. The impersonator account used the same image I use for my own Twiiter account (e.g. stealing) & was meant to be confused with my own account since there was only a single ltr differentiating the Twitter handles.
No one is allowed to steal a photo image of another person & pretend that they are that person. There is no fair use defense in this case & I know a helluva lot more than you about fair use, I guarantee. BTW, Joel Beilin sued David Horowitz for stealing a photo of him and won his case. Fair use didn’t prevail. That’s why Israelycool or whoever told the jackass to take it down. He was violating about 5 Twitter Terms of Service.
You’re despicable for defending these creeps & cretins & it makes you only one small step removed from them. I urge you to take a shower now. And anyone reading yr comment has my encouragement to do so as well.
Despicable! God Richard, who in their right minds would think that a twitter account prominently labeled “Douche Blogger” was real? I never saw the account but based on your screen cap, the tweets did not seem particularly clever – unlike the tweets offered by @NYTimesBronner, @foxmanides and @TheDersh. As for fair use, Joel Beillin’s action against David Horrowitz is not instructive:
“The Center acknowledges using the photograph without consent, but believes its use was a fair use. When it learned that Professor Beinin had filed a complaint, however, it agreed to remove the photograph from the cover of its booklet and to make no further use of it. The parties have now agreed to resolve their dispute with no admission of liability.”
This case did not affect the doctrine of fair use one bit as it was settled out of court with no admission of liability. That’s Common Law 101.
I wasn’t defending whoever created the profile – I honestly think it was totally lame. That having been said, would you be equally critical of @NYTimesBronner? That account uses the name “Eitan Bronner” as well as a photo lifted from Tablet/Mediaite but obviously provided by Bronner.
Seriously Richard, relax a bit there. I wasn’t attacking you, just adding perspective.
Online harassment is a terrible problem. It’s especially terrible when Jews do this to Jews!
However, two wrongs do not make a right, and I think you are wrong in your attempt to out David Appletree. I don’t just mean morally and ethically wrong, but I think the info you have somehow acquired might be inaccurate. What is your source?
As a pro-Palestinian anti-Zionist supporter of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, I support online anonymity for anyone who desires it, even if I find their views and alleged actions repugnant.
I have followed the David Appletree and JIDF for a long time now. If your information is accurate, I fear he might change his views on online anonymity (which match my own) and may start targeting me, and others like me!
If he finds out who I am and shares my anti-Zionist views with my Zionist employers, I will probably be out of a job. For this reason, I urge you to reconsider what you have done here.
I didn’t “out” him. There is no possible way I could know his identity without it having already been publicly exposed. I wasn’t the first & won’t be the last to offer his name. I believe that people should have the right to choose to be anonymous if they wish, but not if they want to be political activists. And especially not if they wish to sling lies and calumny against others as he did against me. They should stand behind their statements & not shield themselves as he and Aussie Dave do among others.
I don’t believe for a second that you’re anti ZIonist or support EFF. Nor do I believe the malarkey about yr safety being put in jeopardy. I don’t know what you’ve been smoking or drinking, but it must be some powerful stuff.
So you’re against the right of anonymity of political activists throughout the Arab and Muslim world who would be killed if they blogged under their real names. And you’re against the right of anonymity of Anonymous and other political entities that share our views.
If this is your stand, don’t complain when it comes to bite you in the ass. This post proves your a hypocrite when it comes to basic human rights of anonymous free speech.
Trying to put Jews at risk because they hurt your feelings is hardly making the world a better place.
Uhm…. there is no basic human right of anonymous free speech there Abraham. That’s why entities like Anonymous and other groups go to great lengths to protect their anonymity, but if laws are broken, governments have tremendous power to lift the veil of anonymity. And you can’t confuse the right to anonymity (as it were) with the right to privacy – the “right to be let alone” as described by Warren and Brandeis in 1890. Privacy rights are a big complicated mish mash and don’t really apply to this discussion. Also I think it’s kind of disingenuous of you to pretend you’re some kind of Electronic Intifada dude when clearly you’re not. Why can’t you make an argument based on its own merits without resorting to patently ridiculous and unnecessary subterfuge? Richard may very well be trying to have his cake and eat it too – so why the shenanigans?
He said he supported the Electronic Frontier Foundation, not Electronic Intifada (an honest mistake on yr part). EFF is an NGO protecting online free speech. But clearly you are right & Anonymous ‘Lyin’ Abraham doesn’t support EFF. He just saw that I feature the group in my sidebar & exploited the connection to make a political pt. He’s likely a friend of Brotsky masquerading as an anti Zionist. That’s what these people do. They use subterfuge, lies & other outrageous practices to practice their pro-Israel hasbara knavery.
I said nothing of what you claim. I certainly didn’t mean to say that political bloggers under physical threat living under dictatorship should reveal their identity. But political bloggers like Brotsky who live in a free country with reasonably good security, & who lie about the views of others like myself should damn well be prepared to have their identity exposed. You by the way have also lied about yrself claiming you are anti ZIonist & support EFF, when clearly you don’t. I don’t appreciate people who obfuscate or lie or distort facts or their own biographies or beliefs as you & Brotsky do.
By the way, my own personal safety and that of my family is threatened on almost a daily basis & death threats have been reported to the FBI. Yet I maintain my own public identity because I stand behind what I believe. Others should too. Posting my address, phone # & that of my wife’s work is not “hurting my feelings,” it is allowing the mentally deranged or psychopathic members of the pro Israel far right an attempt to do real physical harm to me & my family. This isn’t academic. This is real life.
On the one hand it is of course criminal to impersonate another person’s or group’s site, and it should be prosecuted, as it is copyright breach and infringement, on the other hand…. it shows the importance and news-worthiness of the site.. when the opponents start copying the info….. and are using the name…….
Perhaps they acknowledge the importance of Tikum Olam….
Thanks so much.
anonymous abraham,
you said:
Trying to put Jews at risk because they hurt your feelings is hardly making the world a better place.,
Sorry, but you’re out of line. Nobody who is an activist, journalist or blogger of any note should be anonymous. You mentioned Arab bloggers above, but you are not then aware there are plenty who blog openly about dangerous subjects.
Frankly, if this David Appletree/ Brotsky character is anonymous, he cannot be of any value where it matters. He is probably anonymous so he can harass people like he did Richard,
I have followed the David Appletree and JIDF for a long time now. If your information is accurate, I fear he might change his views on online anonymity (which match my own) and may start targeting me, and others like me!
What are you talking about? You let a thug like this have the upper hand, he’s bullying, and you let him get away with it? If he ‘targets you’ then sue him.
Richard,
The reason these David Brotsky type characters get away with it, is because you guys don’t sue.
Sue him.
If it were me, there would be law suits so fast their heads would be spinning.
Having been sued & threatened w lawsuits by a number of people including Aussie Dave of Israellycool, Ami Isseroff and David Yerushalmi, & understanding how the legal process can be used to stifle free, political speech, I believe lawsuits should be an absolute last resort & only pursued in extreme circumstances. You need very strong grounds to sue someone.
Adrian: Sigh. Copyright infringement is not a criminal offense per se, nor is it considered theft. The enforcement of copyright is the responsibility of the copyright holder in a civil and not criminal action. But yes, like I implied earlier, by creating a fake twitter “Perhaps they acknowledge the importance of Tikum Olam….”
Chayma: If there was copyright infringement, it didn’t last very long and so how much damage can be claimed? Not worth suing I don’t think.
He still maintains the old impersonating site on some other Twitter apps I’ve discovered.
Well, if copyright infringement is not a criminal offense explain please why the people committing copyright infringement are sentenced to jailtime….. (and no, I am not only speaking of US-based courts, copyrights are protected under international law and not only US-laws). And for your information: a copyright holder can only file a complaint against someone or something that is infringing his or her right, it is up to the prosecutor to decide on prosecution. Civil action is AN option yes, but infringement on copyright IS an criminal offense per se! Theft of someone elses property is a crime!
I didn’t know that. I’d always assumed copyright was solely a civil matter with financial penalties alone. Thanks for clarifying.
What the heck are you talking about Adrian?? Can you please provide me with any instance of someone going to jail for copyright infringement in any normal country? Certainly not in the US where criminal prosecutions of copyright violations are pretty much limited to commercial situations and where remedies are limited to fines, not jail time. Please see http://copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html#506 for further clarification.
You claimed copyright infringement was solely a civil matter. He pointed out that it could be a criminal matter as well. He made a perfectly reasonable correction of yr error.
Sorry but Adrian said “jail time.” There is no jail time and the largest penalty is limited to $2500. But yes, in cases of commercial use of copyright material there is a provision for criminal proceedings. That doesn’t apply at all to the case at hand however. My knowledge of US law isn’t exhaustive, sorry! I’m not American. 🙂
Jailtime (as I recall 1.5 years) was given in a case concerning copyright infringement in the Netherlands in 1998, as well as a jailtime sentence was given in France (again, as I recall 6 months) were a writer had taken material without approval for his own product.
I assume you will agree with me that France as well as the Netherlands are “normal” countries.
Pea,
Not copyright, I was talking of defamation of character, by impersonating. But then again, Brotsky can claim it was a spoof since Twitter isn’t strict about it’s laws of impersonation.
Richard
Ami Isseroff has passed away, just in case you didn’t know. I’m surprised to hear he wanted to sue you? I’d have thought your thinking was in line with his.
I know that Ami died. I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but I found him to hold quite obstreporous, cantakerous & schizoid political views. He was not a nice person (nor am I I suppose when people attack me). But he was just not nice. I’m not even sure you could call his views liberal. They were centrist w pretensions of being liberal. And if you crossed him he could be very mean. Others may’ve had better relationships w him than I. I found him an odd man out.
Heh. Nice try, but you are wrong about the real identity of David Appletree. Where did you get your false information from, Encyclopedia Dramatica? You provide absolutely no backup for your false claim.
It is a fact that David Appletree purposely feeds false information to people he feels he cannot trust. The fact that this false info spread proved that certain people couldn’t be trusted.
Furthermore, you blame the JIDF for a lot of crap they didn’t do. This post is just a childlike response to a debate you lost against JIDF on Twitter. You’re a fool. And a loser.
“John Smith” eh? I think your initials are D.B. & you are yet another sockpuppet for David Appletree/Brotsky. You’re like that old Hollywood ersatz Chinese flick about Fu Manchu: Man With 1,000 Faces! You are the man with 50,000 sockpuppets.
So anyone who defends Appletree is his “sockpuppet,” I see. And anyone who follows the JIDF on Twitter or Facebook is a “sockpuppet.” I guess everyone who supports the JIDF financially is a “sockpuppet” too, according to your theory. Are all the various people who comment and like various posts on the JIDF fan page socketpuppets too? Is the IDF a sockpuppet of the JIDF? Cause according to the JIDF website, Appletree spoke alongside the IDF Spokesperson’s dept.
Anyway, you have yet to answer the question: what/who is your source? Encyclopedia Dramatica? All that’s clear you’ll publish any lie that comes your way about any pro-Israel advocate. Oh, and that anyone who supports DA is a “sockpuppet.”
Interesting bullshit theories here. It figures that you’re supported by Islamic terrorist sympathizers and Holocaust deniers.
You’ve been banned for violating the comment rules. Lies are unacceptable here though they’re quite welcome at JIDF which is where they, and you belong.
I’m an information analyst, and my expertise happens to be psychological profiling. Everything about you, from your uncreative choice of name, to your style of speech, to your belief that David Appletree is a psychic, to your ending off with an insult, matches your profile with that of every JIDF shill I’ve DoXed.
FYI, as per our belief that everyone must answer to the law, we have launched a deep probe into the JIDF’s activities. You are not quite as untraceable as you’d like to believe.
You are wrong about the identity of the founder of the JIDF, FYI.
If you report to Twitter, and send them an ID proving you are who you say you are, and they will take the impersonator down… especially as they stole your profile image. We had a similar shbing with someone impersonating a Nobel Laureate (you are in good company)