She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her Murder

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by legacyfruit on Monday October 27, 2014 @12:06AM (#8513752)

In the epilogue one of his books (maybe "the drowned and the saved"?), Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi describes giving a talk to a group of schoolchildren. One boy asked him to describe the layout of the camp, and then described how he would have escaped if he had been in Auschwitz. Nothing Primo Levi could say would convince the boy that escape was impossible.

Now I'm not saying that it was impossible for this citizen journalist to hide her identity, but the comments strike me as having a similar tone. People are simply assuming that her capture and death was preventable, because it is psychologically difficult to face the alternative. Namely, that only by accepting personal risk, was this woman able to stand up to the cartels. Even if the technology to protect her identity existed, maybe a person in this woman's situation would be very unlikely to know about it.

Of constructive suggestions are great, although I'm not qualified to judge their technical merit.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by tn13 on Monday October 27, 2014 @01:51AM (#8514071)

It seems that you have reached the heart of the problem. Most of us are miles away from that sort of threat. When the word is out that people are out there looking to murder you, it is immensely stressful. You cant eat or sleep.

If I was in her place I would have fled to a different city taking a few days off from work or simply given up the activism to reduce it to a level where the mob would not have bothered that much.

Note: Those who think that she could have managed to conceal her identity, why dont you take her work forward ? Whatever she did you too could do it from safety of USA. (Rhetorical challenge of course).

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by IndianAstronaut on Monday October 27, 2014 @03:38AM (#8514314)

>"Most of us are miles away from that sort of threat"

The violence here is strikingly close to us. I live in Texas and the violence is really not that far away. The cartels have their tentacles all over the US.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by jpatokal on Monday October 27, 2014 @02:29AM (#8514172)

A few days, and then what? Her job is at home, and so is the mob. Most people can't just hop across a border and start a new life on a whim.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by tn13 on Monday October 27, 2014 @03:40PM (#8517696)

I once picked up fight with a local goon who then threatened to take revenge (which probably meant some thrashing). I was scared, I moved to a different city for a month and things cooled down after that.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by psykovsky on Monday October 27, 2014 @10:03AM (#8515459)

That is their problem. It isn't an impossible problem, it's just that some people don't want a solution, just a patch.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by prawn on Monday October 27, 2014 @01:58AM (#8514094)

And against such a dangerous threat, would you really trust that you couldn't be identified by writing analysis from a committed enough opponent? Not to mention the publicised bounty meaning that you could barely confide in anyone or slip up anywhere.

"There's a woman at my work who often uses that same turn of phrase. Wonder if it's her? $50k would really help me."

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by selimthegrim on Monday October 27, 2014 @12:20AM (#8513807)

Snowden made this point at HOPE X - crypto is not going to obviate having some stones.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by jacquesm on Monday October 27, 2014 @04:02AM (#8514374)

And even Snowden is regularly vilified (right here on HN for that matter) for being a coward because he 'ran away instead of facing the consequences'.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by psykovsky on Monday October 27, 2014 @10:00AM (#8515443)

Oh, he's facing the consequences... maybe not the consequences that certain groups would want him to face, but consequences nonetheless.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by afarrell on Monday October 27, 2014 @02:12AM (#8514133)

Or spine of steel.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by Icybee on Monday October 27, 2014 @04:06AM (#8514384)

Escape wasn't impossible, many people did escape from Auschwitz.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:She Tweeted Against the Mexican Cartels. They Tweeted Her... by glomph on Monday October 27, 2014 @05:52AM (#8514614)

Which book?

[ Parent | on HN ]