# US Secret Service tracking and investigating BBS users

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-secret-service-tracking-and-investigating-bbs-users/96915>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 4, 2001, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-secret-service-tracking-and-investigating-bbs-users/96915 "2001-12-04T23:03:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-secret-service-tracking-and-investigating-bbs-users/96915/1 "2001-12-04T23:03:37Z")

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I thought I should pass along some initial (although fragmentary) reports that the US Secret Service is tracing and interrogating users of internet bulletin boards.  
On [kuro5hin.org](http://kuro5hin.org) someone posted a link to a US Gov website with a report on Smallpox and Anthrax, in a thread entitled “Smallpox: an Attack Scenario.” He claims to have been interviewed by 2 SS agents who came to his workplace.

Here is the inital allegation:

> **[Nintendo Declares GCN Most Popular Console Ever - Slashdot](https://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=24310&cid=2634875)**
>
> Thank our lord Jesus Christ that John Ashcroft is monitoring the internet and can detect secret terrorist weapons such as 'mind bullets' in the hands of dangerous terrorists like 'Commander Taco'. 
> 
> Just for the record I was interviewed by two secret...

And a bit of background:

[http://www.kuro5hin.org/?op=displaystory;sid=2001/11/19/154435/89](http://www.kuro5hin.org/?op=displaystory;sid=2001/11/19/154435/89)

So I admonish people to be careful about what they post. Someone can innocently post a link to a US Gov website and end up on a list of terrorism suspects.