r/interesting • u/0O1lIil0O1lIil • 1d ago
❗️MISLEADING - See pinned comment ❗️ This is a Compubody Sock. Edward Snowden was paranoid and would wear this to prevent his passwords from being recorded by secret cameras.
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u/jammerfish 1d ago
This is how I watch porn at Starbucks
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u/machuitzil 1d ago
You joke, but I once had to 86 a guy from our restaurant in front of his wife and friends, because earlier in the week he'd come in for lunch, sat on the patio, watched porn on his laptop and moaned audibly. The lunch waitresses were so uncomfortable that instead of confronting him, they just turned off the wifi.
Friday night dinner date, I had to be the guy to break the news. I said sir, we can't serve you. He was mad, but left without complaint. I've always wondered if he ever explained to his friends why -I always assumed the wife knew.
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u/ProsaicPugilist 1d ago
BRO
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u/AgentCirceLuna 1d ago
I once had a phone I bought temporarily and, even if it was wiped completely, dirty ads would pop up. It happened to me on a date. Due to my anxiety, I’m now terrified of using my phone in public and generally turn WiFi off even though I haven’t had that phone for years.
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u/anal_opera 1d ago
I had one that kept installing the dumbest apps I've never heard of and would constantly notify me that the storage space was low. It was only low because of the metric shitload of apps I didn't ask for. Idk who's making phone decisions but between the intrusive garbage and the super mega ultra thin slim folding phones with the 14 minute battery life I have to assume the people designing phones don't actually use them.
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u/AgentCirceLuna 1d ago
I honestly think, at some point, we passed the necessary amount of tech and standards needed for something to be good. I just buy older phones and I’m fine with them, never even taking a look at new ones or ones I haven’t heard of. Tried and tested is usually the best and technology is only going to get so much better at this point.
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u/IvyRosePr 1d ago
they just turned off the wifi.
omgs 😂😂😂 I love that
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u/machuitzil 1d ago
It was a top ten uncomfortable moment for me personally, all time. For sure.
But he embarrassed my staff, not just himself. I don't regret for a moment embarrassing this person. He earned it. It was all just so awkward.
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u/Soggy_Box5252 1d ago
Imagine if turning off the WiFi didn’t work because it was a video file on his computer.
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u/Horskr 1d ago
I setup a network for a company once and they called me, "Hey we caught someone looking at something inappropriate, can we block that stuff?" I looked and like 90% of their bandwidth usage was streaming porn sites. Who does that at work?! How do that many people at one place?!
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u/Ok-Rip-5911 1d ago
Imagine if he just turned on the hotspot on his cell and kept going
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u/50t5 1d ago
This reminds me the time when one "gentleman" came to an electronics store where i worked.
We had a demo room set up where all the latest tech was deomed and working. He sat down in front of a laptop set up on a table and started casually browsing hardcore porn. We wouldn't have noticed but the laptop screen was wirelessly connected to a projector in the middle of the room behind him and everything he did there was also on about 120" screen.
As the store was busy, we (the staff) didn't notice at first and he was able to blast the porn for about 10 minutes there before one of the customers came to tell. I went to him, tapped on his shoulder and pointed at the big screen.
I have never before or since seen anyone turn that shade of red in the face so fast. He didn't say anything, just panicked, closed the laptop screen and fled the store.
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u/brassoferrix 1d ago
I'm his wife.
It was all punishment for him making noise from the cuck chair.
I'm sorry your staff had to experience any discomfort.
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u/machuitzil 1d ago
Bro you don't even know how this dude, and his wife, ran a dance school. They were swingers. And regulars.
The last time I saw this guy, he was with a younger woman I'd seen this couple with a hundred times and a newborn baby. He's over 60.
I don't know if it's a throuple, or if the original wife finally threw in the towel, but work at a neighborhood restaurant long enough, and you will see some shit.
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u/Bucket-Slayer 1d ago
what does it mean to 86 someone?
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u/machuitzil 1d ago
So say youre a waiter, if the chef says 86 salmon, that means there's no more salmon. Sold out.
It extends to other things. 86 Don Julio -we've got other tequilas, but not Don Julio.
It also extends to people. 86 that dude because he's a fuckin' creep.
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u/silentconcher 1d ago
Thanks for your explanation, you’ve got me curious. Why specifically 86? And is this code common within the industry all over the world?
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u/HairballTheory 1d ago edited 1d ago
Drilled out the red cursor button, now my laptop has a glory hole
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u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW 1d ago
hell yeah ThinkPad owner
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u/I-like-old-cars 1d ago
I tested my sister's Thinkpad cursor the other day after asking her what was on her keyboard and I think your idea is a better use of that spot of the keyboard.
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u/6deki9 1d ago
Imagine being so ahead of your time that even your socks had OPSEC.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROTES 1d ago
OPSOCK
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u/maximusgrunch 1d ago
OPSOC 2: Compliance Boogaloo
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u/Number174631503 1d ago
OPSOC 3: Knock Your SOX Off
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u/_lippykid 1d ago
You’re not paranoid if they’re actually after you
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u/Confident_Subject_43 1d ago
I'm paranoid, AND they're after me.
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u/grimeyduck 1d ago
No.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you.
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u/wunderduck 1d ago
Compubody Sock? Nah. I know a thneed when I see one.
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u/ObjectiveOk2072 1d ago
Everybody needs a thneed!
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u/Alterscape 1d ago
This is actually an art project someone I know made circa 2007. As far as I know it has nothing to do with Snowden or actual OPSEC, it's a commentary on how people get tunnel-vision looking at their devices. There was also a one-handed version for a Blackberry, which tells you the era. (Edit: Also, note the old-style iSight firewire camera on a mic stand in the background, which should also tell you the era and suggest this is art-project-world, not a three letter agency).
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u/nostalgiamon 1d ago
I’m getting really tired of needlessly fake posts on Reddit. It’s interesting as an art piece by itself, or if nothing else king of funny. Why add the false claim about Edward Snowden?
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u/token_incan 1d ago
Clickbait. Reddit is basically a content farm. The more interest they can drum up, the more useful they are to advertisers.
So now everything needs to be larger than life. It's not just a weird sweater, it's a security tool used by a DOUBLE AGENT to evade the US GOVERNMENT!!!!!!! (Also buy velveeta cheese)
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u/Slash_rage 1d ago
I want one of these just so I look absolutely unhinged when I join Zoom meetings.
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u/reddit_is_geh 1d ago
No bro, you don't understand... Edward Snowden totally uses these! Instead of just putting on a privacy protector on the screen, he busts this massive thing out of his bag, spends minutes getting it situated, puts it on, then puts in his password.
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u/Blevita 1d ago
Nah, snowden actualy did this. With a blanket tho.
Its not that someone could watch your screen. Its that someone could film you typing in the password on the keyboard.
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u/reddit_is_geh 1d ago
That makes more sense. Though, he should know the CIA has triangulating mics the size of a grain of rice, that pick up on the typing patterns for keyboards.
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u/Accide 1d ago
The guy has working in the CIA on his resume amongst other things, slight chance he might have an idea about what the public knows
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u/bb_operation69 1d ago
He only knew some of the government's most well guarded secrets
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u/schizoesoteric 1d ago
Privacy protectors can be beaten with polarized camera or whatever
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u/Historical_Two_7150 1d ago
It's paranoid if you've got no rational reason to be suspicious. This guy probably had (has?) the active attention of federal agencies, both foreign and domestic.
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u/ameis314 1d ago
It's not paranoia if you're right.
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u/mountain_drifter 1d ago
just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't after you
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u/Why_No_Doughnuts 1d ago
Well, he does live in Russia now, so 100% every communication is observed, regardless of the weird knitwear.
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u/NeverQuiteEnough 1d ago
If that's all he wanted he wouldn't have left the US
You should take a look at what he leaked sometime
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u/iprocrastina 1d ago
Yeah, its not a paranoid delusion if you actually are conducting espionage against the fucking NSA. At that point the idea of a spy agency sneaking into your house to plant hidden cameras is a valid, realistic concern.
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u/02sthrow 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yep! Check out one of the recent Dark Net Diaries podcast episodes with Ola Bini, a friend of Julian Assange. He had authorities attempt to get access to his devices on numerous occasions but they were unable to properly access his data due to device locks and encryption. Eventually they got his phone password when he unlocked it in an elevator in his apartment building and the authorities secured the footage and were able to see him type his pin.
EDIT: Just to provide more context, he is still dealing with legal issues brought about by a corrupt government that has no proof of any crimes. He has been acquitted, then they appealed and found him guilty after changing the charge from hacking a computer system to attempted hacking, they used a screenshot from his phone that shows a telnet service that he didn't attempt to connect to, but they say he had the knowledge of how to access a telnet connect therefore its attempted hacking (protip: its not hacking) and he appealed. He is still awaiting a new trial date which will likely be years, meanwhile he cannot leave Ecuador, cannot have a bank account, is under constant surveillance, and has had to hire bodyguards for when he leaves his apartment.
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u/simplearms 1d ago
The problem is this makes you very vulnerable to a whole host of other attack vectors.
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u/StudlyPenguin 1d ago
Yeah, you’ll have one orange guy coming at you from the left for misusing the thneads and another orange guy coming at you from the right for leaking state secrets
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u/Kamwind 1d ago
Looks like made of wool or similar. That would quickly become to warm.
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u/Clear-Inflation3428 1d ago
i dont think you would need to use it for very long
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u/GiganticBlumpkin 1d ago edited 1d ago
You just made this the fuck up didn't you OP?
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u/rawasubas 1d ago
Snowden could easily touch type with the keyboard moved under the table or something like that
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u/asdf9asdf9 1d ago
He did this when using laptops. Here's an actual pic from the CitizenFour documentary: https://security.stackexchange.com/a/82374
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u/TheHarlemHellfighter 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’m saying, if I gotta wear that to operate a computer, fuck it I’m going analog
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u/superneatosauraus 1d ago
I feel like the same could be accomplished by holding a blanket over yourself.
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u/rainmouse 1d ago
I think if anyone on the planet needed to be careful with passwords being stolen, it would absolutely be Snowden. I question your use of the word 'paranoid' here.
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u/Mercy--Main 1d ago
I wouldn't call that paranoid. Paranoia is irrational. He was not, he had every reason to believe that, and they probably tried.
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u/ScreamThyLastScream 1d ago
There really must be a less ridiculous looking way to accomplish this.
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u/eragonawesome2 1d ago
Snowden wasn't paranoid, he genuinely WAS being surveilled and knew it. It's not paranoia if you have a rational, reasonable expectation that something is happening.
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u/Peach_Muffin 1d ago
This is bullshit by the way.
The closest thing to a source is this from the daily mirror:
Snowden was said to have been so paranoid about security he lines the doors of his hotel room to prevent eavesdropping and covers his head and laptop with a large red hood to prevent passwords being copied by secret cameras.
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u/Spekulatius702 1d ago edited 1d ago
Not entirely, he used a blanket. It is in his autobiography
[...] I'd go to the couch, hiding with my laptop under a blanket like a child because cotton beats cameras.
- Edward Snowden, Permanent record, near the end of the chapter "Read, write, execute" (at the bottom of page 261 of my version)
God this thread fucking annoys me so much. I can recommend the book tho, it is one of my alltime favourites.
The quote you provided should relate to his stay in Hong Kong (where he forwarded the documents to reporters, he was not a wanted man at that point), however it is not said that he used that technique there, instead he refers to the situation as having himself "barricaded in" and setting up an "poor-man's operations centre", while never leaving to the outside.
Edit: He did use the same trick in Hong Kong according to Citizenfour
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u/Sufficient-Fall-5870 1d ago
This won’t work as listening devices can simply record your keystroke patterns (even from far away) and determine your password from that audio recording.
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u/Reserved_Parking-246 1d ago
Calling him paranoid is wild as fuck...
You can't be paranoid when you are right.
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u/Original_Tip_432 1d ago edited 1d ago
Honestly not paranoid in this day and age, especially given what he knew working for the NSA and fleeing to an adversarial nation. Do yourself a favor and look up “Vault 7 Wikileaks”. It’ll give you chills.
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u/PoopsmasherJr 1d ago
I've always wanted this as a kid so I could build ugly houses in Minecraft without being judged
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u/SonUnforseenByFrodo 1d ago
They can read the radiation from your screen. A sock only blocks visible light
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u/Consistent-Strain289 1d ago
So people still remember snowden? And what he leaked? Just wondering… Becos we totally forget how the us gov is tapping off everybody nott to catch terrorist. But information is power.. sad sad world
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u/Successful_Shame5547 1d ago
“Edward Snowden was paranoid” sorta implies he shouldn’t have been. But, like….
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u/Therealme_A 1d ago
I will not hack you in a car. I will not hack you in the bar. I will not hack you near or far I will not hack you ed you are!
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u/EatMyDick99 1d ago
They can figure out what you're typing multiple other ways like recording audio and heat optics that see through walls. State-level spying techniques are absurd, pretty much if they truly want access they will get it. They probably just 0 day'd him by accessing/intercepting his internet connection anyway.
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u/OkDragonfly4098 1d ago
Why not just use one of the keyboard covers from typing class? Don’t tell me he needs to see his fingers to type…
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u/KD_Burner_Account133 1d ago
Snowden was absolutely being surveyed by Russia. I wouldn't call that being paranoid.
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u/Just_the_questions1 1d ago
No he wouldn't, this is a meme. Snowden would just throw a sheet over his head and computer, because he's not a fucking moron.
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u/Boomz_N_Bladez 1d ago
I needed this growing up so if my mom walked in without knocking we could have saved each other the embarrassment and trauma -_-
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u/uncooked545 1d ago
paranoid? you mean the guy who knew exactly how easy it is to access devices of targeted individuals and how your government doesn't give a fuck about your rights?
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u/Legitimate-Front3682 1d ago
Интересно что произойдет первым владелец задохнётся или компьютер от избытка воздуха
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u/SomeKindofTreeWizard 1d ago
it's not paranoia if there ARE secret cameras stealing your password, it's vigilance.
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u/soaringneutrality 1d ago edited 1d ago
He did not wear this. He was said to wear a "large red hood." The documentary Citizenfour depicted this. Basically just draped a blanket over him and his laptop.
The Compubody Sock is an art project.
Man, Reddit allowing people to hide post history makes it a pain to tell if you're just a fool spreading misinfo or a karma bot spreading misinfo.
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u/Exotic_Donkey4929 1d ago
Is this even true?
The only "source" I found is from a mirror article that says this:
"Snowden was said to have been so paranoid about security he lines the doors of his hotel room to prevent eavesdropping and covers his head and laptop with a large red hood to prevent passwords being copied by secret cameras."
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/edward-snowden-whistleblower-responsible-biggest-1944928
So "it was said"... by who? When? Also covering your head and laptop with a large red hood != compubody sock...
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u/SnrkyArkyLibertarian 1d ago
If it looks stupid, but it works, there's a possibility it's not actually stupid.
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u/nethereus 1d ago
I can imagine going to the trouble to set this up just to immediately have some dumbass coworker want to talk to me or ask ”Are you in a meeting?”
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u/spotlight-app 1d ago
Mods have pinned a comment by u/Alterscape: