Info Why we don't use 'SWIM' MEGATHREAD

I noticed that there is a section called "Bluelight etiquette" in the greenlighters_guide and it just discourages behaviors, and doesn't actually promote anything specific. Though after hours of self-debate; this topic will never be resolved and I guess everyone will get as comfortable as they want at their paces.
 
its fucking stupid. if you gotta use SWIM then you shouldnt be talking about what your talking about apparently. personally i dont use swim cuz it aint gonna do a damn thing for me in the end
 
SWIM just seems foolish. I can't imagine a legal case where the lynch-pin is a forum post and the accused will be thinking to himself "If only I had said "SWIM" instead of "I/me"!!

Plus, there should be nothing on here tied to your real life anyway. Not your email, or real name, don't give location or personal information. You can use proxies as well if you're concerned with IP tracing, though there are legal cases in the US involving copyright law that seem to place doubt on whether or not law enforcement can assert that an IP address = a person anyway.

Oh and don't post from public wifi without spoofing your MAC address.
 
Long time listener, first time caller who would like to give something back to the community ... I respect Bluelight's policy on banning SWIM, however, when discussing past criminal activity SWIM is better than using "I." I'm a former criminal defense attorney and I can assure you that I would prefer to convince a jury that SWIM meant someone other than the defendant than "I." It is even better to describe the experiences more creatively, e.g. "a friend," but SWIM is better than nothing.

don't post spammy links to your personal website. you are welcome to participate on BL but please don't try to divert the attention to your own site. -a_c

Note to moderator: writing about your crimes is not illegal in the US, so please don't think I am facilitating crime.
 
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^we encourage people to avoid incriminating themselves, so there really is no need to use SWIM. members should not post about committing a crime or being in possession of drugs.
 
using 'swim' is like pointing an arrow right towards you. it lets the powers that be know you're the guilty one. SWIM hasn't fooled anyone in over ten years.
 
So if it doesnt work and is completely silly... why make such a big deal about people not using it? Just let the baby have its bottle if it's totally ineffective (although I guess it could encourage folks to then discuss things that they wouldnt otherwise as they have this perceived cloak of immunity... hmmm maybe see the point now).
 
So if it doesnt work and is completely silly... why make such a big deal about people not using it? Just let the baby have its bottle if it's totally ineffective (although I guess it could encourage folks to then discuss things that they wouldnt otherwise as they have this perceived cloak of immunity... hmmm maybe see the point now).

You realized one of the reasons, but the other is that it makes it very difficult to read and reply to posts using 'SWIM.' Also 9/10 times someone screws up along the way and says 'I' instead of 'SWIM' making it even more useless and annoying.
 
If you don't want your ip traced use a VPN service. I do and it works great. Right now I am on my mac and don't have it activated but it is always on my windows box. I just don't like my internet provider knowing what I do and/or throttling certain activity. I don't do anything illegal it's just principle
 
It's all going to come down to "are the police wanting to get "YOU"'. SWIM/my "insert animal here"/etc., are not admitting guilt. But, it is admitting someone doing something illegal. We could all probably post our names and true experiences and get away with it. But the moment someone threatens to bomb a school or something, your IP address is going to be traced and you'll probably have the SWAT team at your door in 15 minutes.
But, here's my issue. If SWIM is stupid to use, what SHOULD people be using? I can imagine that as long as it doesn't have the word "Me", "I", or *insert my name here* in it... I should be pretty safe for future backtrack searches..
But, we aren't truly safe on the internet unless our IP's are hidden. And then, using a proxy can actually DRAW attention. Not that it will, but it's possible. It all depends what "the man" is looking for.
 
If SWIM is stupid to use, what SHOULD people be using?
people should use (all too un) common sense:
the greenlighters guide said:
A Brief Guide to Personal Security

Question: Can't the government raid the site and make arrests on anyone who posted that they have done/sold drugs? Would it be dangerous for me to post anything incriminating?
Answer: You can be arrested for past drug sales. That being said, they'd still have one hell of a time trying to get posts into evidence, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't watch you if you foolishly posted something about drug sales.
Please keep in mind that Bluelight is monitored by the police, media, government agencies, etc. Although there is no need to be constantly paranoid, you should always be careful of what you say, and always use common sense when posting. This means that you should absolutely not trust anyone, even moderators or administrators when you meet them just because they are a bluelighter mod/admin. I am constantly surprised about how much people are willing to disclose about themselves. When interacting on Bluelight, using common sense is always strongly urged. Here are some common sense points to remember!
  • Do not buy drugs or sell drugs through Bluelight.
  • Do not ask for or provide drug sources or hookups.
  • Do not mention specific times or places where you plan to meet other Bluelighters. There is much less danger in talking about something after it has happened than when it is still being planned.
  • If you have a picture on here and announce that you will be at a particular event, understand that it won't take much effort for people to find you in a crowd.
  • Do not publicly announce which drugs you plan to bring to an event or a party. Never talk about what you are going to be consuming at a party; this gives probable cause for the party to be raided/shut down.
  • Do not post about any serious crimes you may have committed in the past.
  • Do not post about any serious crimes you may be committing in the future.
  • Do not reveal incriminating information about yourself to random strangers in a chat room.
  • Keep in mind that just like in real life, there are lots of freaks and weirdos on the internet who might be crazy or have bad intentions.
  • Protect your identity by creating a "drug-related" email address where you don't use your real name and location. Use this anonymous webmail account for all Bluelight-related contacts.
  • If you give out AIM/ICQ or homepage information, keep in mind to make your profiles and contact information as anonymous as your Bluelight identity. Remember when using Bluelight that this is a drug-related message board which deals with activities that are illegal. You'd think that was pretty obvious, but some people don't seem to be phased by that fact.
  • Please always be careful of what you put into your user profile. A lot of information can be obtained by simply searching for information based off of these. Adding a link in your profile to your personal website can also be an easy way for people to get information about you such as: your full name, address, phone number, or date of birth.
  • Do not incriminate yourself!
  • Be educated about the law. Drugs are illegal. The laws, policies, and punishments regarding these drugs vary from country to country, and being familiar with what is going on with law enforcement in your area is always a good idea!

Your security is through obscurity, not based on any technical precautions you take. If they want to get to you, they can. They just don’t want to get everyone that rolls at a rave. Of course, if you say something really dumb it might give them more reason to look for you.
And also keep in mind that Bluelighters have been raided in the past on several different continents. It has remained unclear whether or not this is because of Bluelight, but it is always good to remember that posting something foolish could give the authorities the deciding information to raid and arrest you.
Think before you post. Think of yourself, your friends, and your future. It is far better to err on the side of caution than to regret an arrogant/silly comment in the near future!
Bluelight is not here to help you obtain drugs. The administrators of Bluelight take drug dealing very seriously, if we have evidence that you are using Bluelight in this manner you will be banned. Individuals who create accounts to ask for drugs will be banned without hesitation. If people are using Bluelight in this way, it brings the attention of law enforcement/government and becomes a liability to the entire site.
Note that Bluelight staff will strictly enforce rules against buying/selling drugs, and will also try to delete your posts if they might incriminate you. We don't guarantee to do this, but we will try to do so for your own protection. You do not need to incriminate yourself in order to discuss drugs.
alasdair
 
Swim

Long time listener, first time caller who would like to give something back to the community ... I respect Bluelight's policy on banning SWIM, however, when discussing past criminal activity SWIM is better than using "I." I'm a former criminal defense attorney and I can assure you that I would prefer to convince a jury that SWIM meant someone other than the defendant than "I." It is even better to describe the experiences more creatively, e.g. "a friend," but SWIM is better than nothing.
I find this interesting. I share the opinion that if you are discussing something that makes the use of SWIM necessary, you should not be discussing it in the first place. That said, it seems SWIM would be better than nothing/ "I or me". On another note, in my state, being aware of someone committing or planning to commit a crime and choosing to not discourage or report that crime can make you an accomplice to SWIM's crime in the first place. This leads me to think that discussing any such behavior as hearsay would be advantageous. "I heard someone speaking at a party about...." seems to satellite a person from the topic they are speaking on better than SWIM, or my friend, etc. This could all be wishful thinking, but seems logical. I am not the criminal type, so maybe it's neither here nor there, but drugs are illegal, so discussing them needs to be approached with care. robarthur9 - being a defense attorney, do you find any sense in what i am getting at? Just curious. Thanks. Be safe all.

 
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Admitting to drug use can prevent you entry to the US if you're not a citizen, and they can and do look through peoples phones. Say you had posted using I and they saw the page you can be denied entry and banned permanently. It's not just a case of prosecution so therefore is not "completely useless" to post under anything other than I.

"The most common examples of this are when the Port of Entry Officer asks “have you ever smoked pot?” or “have you ever been arrested, charged or fingerprinted?” If you answer yes, and describe anything which would suggest that you may have committed an serious offense, you can be deemed inadmissible even if there is nothing in your database record. There are also examples of people being prevented from visiting the country when they had made prior public acknowledgements of illegal drug use and those statements ended up in their FBI or RCMP record."
http://www.ezbordercrossing.com/the...s-that-will-make-you-inadmissible-to-the-u-s/
 
I did too on my first post, and kinda got scolded. I wasn't worried about being protected, but I have seen the term on many other sites and thought that it was protocol on all these types of these forums. I no longer use it.
 
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