At the root of the network’s provocations

Revolution which is associated with the development of network technologies has changed the speed at which information gave the opportunity to almost every witness of an event to talk about what happened to millions of people on the planet at times faster professional press. It has created a variety of malicious events, and among them there are numerous provocations in computer networks to virtual communication platforms of users.

Today speech will go about their origin in the Russian segment of the World Wide Web that took place a couple decades ago and coincided with the beginning of the network of technological revolution in the post-Soviet space. Advance I bring the readers of the magazine, which unites advocates of culture of the Russian language, apologize for the fact that I was forced to quote very vulgar, and often outright base, the layers of verbal heritage of the era of virtual reality: the roots of such unsightly things you need to know, no matter how vile they may be.

The Era Of FidoNet

Let’s start with a review what was consisted the network technology in the second half of “dashing nineties”: not all of our contemporaries have performance about this. A typical personal computer of those years was weaker than even the simplest modern smartphone: most often it consisted of a 486 IBM processor or the first “Intel Pentium”; it had a hard disk with capacity of up to five hundred megabytes, meager memory, as a memorable portable device was used three – and five-inch floppy disks, and laser drives were considered a luxury. Dedicated cable line could afford mainly companies and organizations, and individual users connected to networks using modem, which was connected to the input of an ordinary desktop telephone: the data rate was disappointingly low, and the number of dropouts was huge. Therefore, for reliability when you need to transport large amounts of information it was easier to go to the owner of the other computer with a box of diskettes or a hard drive: in people, this practice has been ironic called “floppy-net.”

So common now the Internet had not differ democratic character of prices and quality of service, that’s why popular was the alternative — the amateur FidoNet network, or simply “Fido”. It was a non-profit, non-convenience (information was sent mostly at night), was characterized with extremely low-bandwidth (the maximum amount of messages — only eight kilobytes!), and somewhere at the turn of 2004-05 quickly left the scene in the CIS, leaving the memory of the author of these lines intricate room 2:4652/13.1 — I was known with it in echo-conference — a kind of analogues of modern Internet-forums and social networks. Relaying echo-mail areas to the World Wide Web began only in 2000, so huge amounts of information in earlier years irretrievably lost, and now to regain such an interesting and important for the history data we can only on the memories of their participants.

FidoNet network was tied to quite some people: the users, who called themselves “fidonets” were few, and even in such megacities as Donetsk, could know each other in person: to this contributed the tradition of meetings on certain days, accompanied by beer drinking, which, among other things, was considered a universal “currency” in the community. The location of the subscriber was calculated by the following algorithm: the first digit meant the continent, 2 is Europe. The following four figures — the country, region and locality: 4652 — Ukraine (figures 46), Donetsk region, city Makeevka with surrounding areas (figures 52). Follow-up code 13.1 assigned to the owners of the distribution site (they most often were employees of the computer centers of enterprises to the budget which were laid large expenses for long-distance communication) and receiving station: a community member was obliged to inform his colleagues about phone number to which the modem is connected, and this information within the network was considered to be open. Therefore, to find and punish the author of the malicious messages was not difficult, this was facilitated by the fact that to destroy sent in the network was simply impossible: it is known a case where one owner with too rich a sense of humor, after the events of the 11th of September, 2001 on the margins of one of echo-conference expressed a desire to purchase the car of RDX. The next morning, “the joker” gave an explanation of the right keepers, and sometime later — appeared with a grim face to the savings Bank to pay substantial fines for violation of the public peace discharged him by formidable Themis. In “Fido” we had a very peculiar culture of network provocations: it was necessary to be able not only to make daring escapades, but also to avoid the liability.

Phimosis brain

Almost immediately after the appearance of a network FidoNet in the former USSR had any grouping of computer hooligans. A virtual “hangout” for the most inveterate bullies and bad-speakers became echo-conference with a name that speaks for itself — HERE.EVERYBODY.SHIT (abbreviated HES): “Heses” marked the beginning of the current wave of clogging of the Russian language by all kinds of distortions of vocabulary. In particular, their “exercises” at a later time contributed to the emergence of the so-called “language of riffraff”, as well as other forms of verbal garbage. As for behavior, “Heses” were considered relatively harmless, as did “boxing by correspondence” exclusively in their environment, and beyond violent temper did not show. Their ideology this gobbledygook of virtual worlds has not worked out: however, on what high matters think Gopniks? Much worse were the “kaschenyts” parties of echo-conference SU.KASCHENKO.LOCAL (in common parlance — “Kaschenka” or SKL): according to the testimony of a number of sources, this close-knit and aggressive group of provocateurs, pretending to be a inhabitants quite clear clinic, was established in 1998 in the Moscow suburb Podolsk. It is based on oddly enough, who was not beginners, but participants with considerable experience in using network and great authority, many of whom lived in Moscow, Kiev, Kharkov and St. Petersburg. Therefore, there is reason to believe that the movement “Kaschenka” was not spontaneously, as it might seem at first glance, and purposefully it was formed for the sake of someone else’s interests. “Kaschenyts” have created their own jargon, which is called the “kaschrit”: to the origin of the term we will return. People that were not related to network of hooligan community were called “Boklan” or “patyent” (narrative forms of “cormorant” and “patient”): approximately the same value has the word “boob” in criminals. Dehumanization of enemies groups was carried out by setting a very objectionable kind of diagnosis of “phimosis brain”: say, the person who rejects “Kaschenyts’” ideals is so stupid that he is not worthy to be in fido-movement. Organization of riots in echo-conference was called “becoming Kaschenyt”, a massive provocation against a particular individual — “baiting”, and its purpose was “life-giving euthanasia” form of exclusion from participation in the network, and sometimes with more serious consequences, such as problems with the law. The most resonant stories about “baiting” and “becoming Kaschenyt” was “epic” called “Shushpanishady”: its similarity to a prison could be considered “novels”, which tells about the most virtuoso raids and thefts.

“Kaschenyts” had a well-developed methodology of fomenting conflict. Here is an extract from their “Manifesto”, published on the not current site www.kaschenko.ru:

“…in yellow and sports Newspapers, eclipsed in the brains of Baklans cheap detective stories and action movies, hardly can be found something worthwhile. The more they degrade, the easier to manage, the easier it is to use them. Continuing to analyze the facts of their
events, we can deduce some formula of conduct, which even a superficial mastery of the knowledge, producing tangible success in its own line:
1. Require justification even of the smallest trifles, sometimes not paying attention to the main subject. Even if such justification were obtained, distort them, or doubts, telling me that it’s actually not so that it dies and misconceptions. Keep in doubt the competence of opponents in the eyes of others;
2. Deliberately confuse the names of the screamers and phrases, later stating that nonsense has no specific authorship, it is the product of narrow-mindedness and misconceptions. Say, therefore, speaking all nonsense are for you faceless, and you can sometimes be confused, or make a mistake in their names, because too much garbage in my head to hold to anything;
3. At the same time exalt moderators and owners of places of “Kaschenka”. Soon they will stop the shouters;
4. Don’t waste time on responses to large, really incriminating you posts. Just reseat in the spirit of “barely read until the middle of this nonsense, I doubt that someone else was able to overcome this to a greater extent”;
5. Play on the feelings of the crowd; it doesn’t like being put in a stupid light. And when the shouter will be convict, the crowd itself shall devour him;
6. Don’t be afraid to arrange scandals. But try to do it by proxy;
7. Stick the labels and stick to them persistently. Catch in anti-kaschenka, that the opponent is arguing with you just because of the fact that you kaschenyt, not understand the subject, and thereby rolls down to the point of absurdity.
8. Disputes also frequently used expressions a reputable for kaschenyts personalities. The priority is to pay the powers that be. Subsequently underline that the opponent even the words of the moderators and administrators questioned…”

The process of provocation was developed according to the following pattern: first, “kaschenyts” subscribe to echo-conference, and the first few weeks were very decent, sometimes even fawning before the moderators. During this time they either looked after future victim (in this role most often picked up the most active and emotional debate), or thought provoking theme. It was put special requirements: theme is definitely sharp, and the subject of the dispute should not have a unique solution. Then followed a throw-in in the forum, inciting the conflict of the text and addressed to the interlocutors were sent a defiant message-the stupid content. “Kaschenyts” were real network raiders: in case of a successful action of “kaschens” echo-conference either got under control or at least influence, or fell into decay and ceased to exist. Favorite method of “Kaschenyts” was accusing the opponent of anti-Semitism, and it’s worth sharing: tested in those days methods today constitute the technological basis of discrediting the members of the Russian Patriotic movement. For example, in echo-conference dedicated to rock music, sent the following message: “Decl — Mozart of modern times, his dreads — the Passover of our time, and your Viktor Tsoi compared to him is a complete jerk!” Here provocateur played on a “fifth column” of the then popular rap artist and his love of demonic potion, and also in variety style, clearly not the theme of the forum. Rockers were immediately rushed to defend their idol, the answer to that get a replica of ape “Kaschenyts”: “pochemu BU still anti-Semitic? Yes as VI is mousethe goimg’it?” (Arrative forms of phrases: “why are you an anti — Semite? How can you say that?”) Further provocateurs sent out threads of complaints on their victims in all instances, and not only fido-net: hurt that several of my friends. The aim escapades was considered to be reached if provoked were deprived of access to echo-conference, or excluded from the network FidoNet: “Kaschenyts” jargon issued by the forum administration severe punishment was called “sending in gazenvagen” or “a real
furnace of Localhost” — there is cynical speculation around the topic of the Holocaust. By the way, these provocations originated the popular Internet meme “In gazenvagen, zhyvotnoe!” and “Gftopk!”
The provocation was exposed not only to ordinary Internet users, but also public persona. There was a case when “Kaschenyts” organized “persecution” against popular science fiction writer Sergey Lukyanenko. History has not preserved the true motives of the organizers of the antics, which, perhaps, someone even stood, but the answer of the author “Night watch”, succinct and full of malice — “TYCHEM BU still th avice of paysatela?” (Why are you all still Herbs of the writer?) — It was included in the anthology folklore network. The hooligans realized that the victim is too tough, and preferred to retire before it is too late.

The spiral of history

Not to say that “Kaschenyts” was all-powerful: very much depended on the owners of network nodes, defining the policy in a given region. For example, in Kiev almost all the nodes were under the authority of the representatives of the aforementioned groups that ran everything and all. In Donetsk — the exact opposite: small “Kaschenyts’” echo-conferences were available as “read-only”, and the slightest complicity with provocateurs were punished immediately by the presentation of “the wolf ticket” guilty.

Another method of dealing with troublemakers of network was laid in the very structure of FidoNet, which was built on the hierarchical principle. Full membership in the community was started from the owner level distribution node and above the rights of ordinary users to a minimum: it is easily possible to cut off subversive individuals in the grassroots level. In addition, the nodes also have different status: there were those who only kept in touch with end users and logistics centers that passes through the flow of correspondence: the route of the communication it is stated in available to view each line of service information. Therefore, the administrator of a higher level could make a strong-willed decision to redirect logistics channels and nodes, from which came a provocative message or completely overlap access to individual target, or they block outgoing correspondence. To restore order to a lot helped by the fact that the community was widely practiced collective, not individual, responsibility: for the wrongdoing of one subscriber was punished in full not only grass-roots distribution hub, but also a parent.

Sunset of “Kaschenyts” started simultaneously with the decline of the FidoNet network that does not compete with the rising power of the World Wide Web: there is virtual space, no longer tied to specific individuals and geographic coordinates. As a consequence there was no need to enough high-tech provocations interlocutors: it is possible to create any number of network twins, and successfully to mask your location. There are more rudeness and arrogance in dealing with opponents: pack of hyenas’ does not need courage of lion or cunning of Fox.

However, worked out by the group practice provided the basis for a provocative new technology. Kiev “Kaschenyts” actively supported “orange revolution”, becoming her “sitting guard”: however, it is worth noting that ten years ago this role was not as substantial as in the days of the “euromaidan” due to insufficient level of computerization. However, they very successfully fought against the opponents of the “orangists”, mostly by discrediting them.

Going to Internet community fidoers former mobs were a kind of teachers neo Bandera propagandists. Re-read the “Manifesto” of the group, and compare its provisions with the style of communication of the Ukrainian nationalists with their opponents on the forums: the principles are the same. Dehumanization of opponents that actually evolved the way the founders of provocations in virtual reality and not a dream: the authors of the terms “jackets”, “Colorada”, “separatists” have had good “school”. And technology be placed on network sites do not share all their views by Ukrainophobic people with the subsequent denunciations in the security service of Ukraine to Bandera is also not from the sky down: remember how “Kaschenyts” at the time, skillfully played on the Jewish question. It took the experience of taking control of the forums by organizing mass acts of provocation.

History, as we know, develops in a spiral: FidoNet actually became its property, but the concept is the reference to the real personalities, has regained popularity in the form of social networks and blogs. Today, many sites allow commenting on published materials by authorization of the social networks, many popular services have started to practice a confirmation of registration via a mobile connection (in the majority of countries it services are not anonymous), and Facebook, Instagramm and Foursquare use geo-information applications to determine the user’s location. The trend is that sites with the possibility of concealing the identity of the author and are replacing it with virtual characters lose old weight: this is, for example, happened to classic Internet forums, whose main audience now consists of representatives of earlier generations of users of the world wide web. Yes, the chance of destroying incriminating information is also minimized: the blurred from the page, the message often becomes inaccessible to the eye, but is saved on the server.

Consequently, all of us expect a revival of interest in the arts network of the provocations of the past. Tough pressure on the opponent doesn’t give such results as five years ago: get rid of climbing on your page of the cad one touch of a button, therefore, you need more subtle and sophisticated methods. Bullies will again have to ingratiate themselves and to dissemble before put in all their destructive “arsenals”.

PS. Communication with the “Kaschenyts” in FidoNet has made me and many of my fellow of community the habit to be during a stormy debate restraint in judgments and underlined politeness in that you obviously are not impressed. The first is a severe need where the words can be used against those who have expressed them. And politeness takes cities…

Alexander Dmitrievskiy