Page 239 - Hunter - The Vigil

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C CHAPTER FOUR: SPECIAL RULES AND SYSTEMS
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SOCIAL NETWORKS
Web sites such as MySpace, Facebook,
LiveJournal and Twitter allow people
to form online communities about
shared hobbies and interests. Hunters
effectively share the perfectly
sensible hobby of wanting to rid
their world of monsters, and so
it’s only common that they use these
networking sites to facilitate cross-
cell communications. Whether they hide
in the member’s area of the Iowa Cat
Fanciers group or wear a public face
similar to the wizard-hunting Mercury
Club, all hunters need to keep safe
in their online interactions. Though
many shout these rules to all other
hunters they encounter, only a few
actually practice what they preach.
Don’t use your real name. Also,
Don’t use your real name.
don’t refer to where you are beyond
the nearest major city and your state
or country. Despite everything, social
networks are only as secure as the
people who host them. Assume from the
start that a monster can read what you
say, and plan accordingly.
Don’t use your home computer. The
Don’t use your home computer.
IP address assigned to each Internet-
connected computer gives a local area
(even if it’s just “AOL/Northern
Philly”). From there, a determined
hacker can break into the Internet
provider’s systems and match that
IP to a specifi c customer, including
name, address and bank account
details. Use a public terminal, Wi-
Fi hotspot, or a prepaid cellular
access card for a laptop.
Do share information.information. Lurking
Do
share
on a community and never sharing
anything may look suspicious. Share
plans, tactics and strategies for
dealing with monsters. Make plans or
blueprints for improvised monster-
hunting technology — Makezine.com is
a good format to follow.
Don’t piss people off. Stupid as
Don’t piss people off.
it sounds, hunters are already a
paranoid lot, and driving a wedge
between yourself and other hunters
online is the easiest way to fi nd a
pissed-off cell of hunters tracking
you down as a liability.
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