this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2025
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[–] clonedhuman@lemmy.world 121 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Investigators were alerted to his accounts after finding an unusually high number of log-ins and failed log-ins from an unfamiliar devices, locations, or networks. That information is tracked by Google, per the affidavit. Other unusual activity was traced through Payne's VPN or network provider.

So, Google stopped him, and his VPN provider. I'd like to know who his VPN provider was.

[–] Hubi@feddit.org 44 points 6 days ago

Investigators were alerted to his accounts after finding an unusually high number of log-ins and failed log-ins from an unfamiliar devices, locations, or networks

I really don't get that part. How did they make the connection?

This is a VERY good question.

[–] frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io 46 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Feels a bit disingenuous after pardoning January 6 convictions for people who not only made the threats, but showed up to do the job. Is threatening politicians not cool anymore? Does he need to make a choir sing patriotic songs or what?

[–] INHALE_VEGETABLES@aussie.zone 12 points 6 days ago

It would be pretty funny if the next president pardons the Tesla arsonists.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 43 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (4 children)

Messages from his burner phone, too, matched the number Payne had listed in his personal contact info while applying for unemployment benefits in February.

If you put your real name on it or associate that phone number with your name, then doesn't that stop meeting the definition of a burner phone?

EDIT: I re-read the wording of the article, and I don't think he used the burner phones number associated with his name as I posted before. The article says this:

"Messages from his burner phone, too, matched the number Payne had listed in his personal contact info while applying for unemployment benefits in February. "

It sounds like he used is REAL phone/number to apply for unemployment, but then at a later time he used is REAL phone to text a message to his burner phone. So the article is saying the "messages found on his burner phone" contained his REAL phone number. This would mean authorities would have had to have the burner phone in hand. So this wasn't the way he was found, simply a way that it was confirmed it was him.

[–] a4ng3l@lemmy.world 38 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Sure he’s dumb but his failure gives an interesting insight into how wide the US dragnet on its citizens is. A mail address used to apply for unemployment has been indexed somewhere « just in case ». Nice.

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Storage and indexing is cheap. From a usability perspective indexing makes sense: call centre staff can tell someone why their unemployment application has been denied/delayed etc.

From a security perspective, Google, Proton, and friends want to track failed login IPs so they can assign (internal) reputation scores to incoming requests.

[–] a4ng3l@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

It’s the sharing & cross enrichment that would bother me. That your unemployment office keeps a CRM with the info makes sense. That LEA has it all and more together with the gods know what else is what I would object to. Same for how service providers store that info; there’s a fine line between storing enough and too much. Or too long. And not everything needs to be tied forever to the customer ; sometimes a hash or whatever does wonder for the legitimate purpose. Storing more is often « just in case I can market the data later » which I’m personally not agreeing with.

[–] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

"No b-because he was a bad guy so we can accuse him of other bad guy stuff too!"

Inb4 police find "a mysterious white power" and never mention it again

[–] naeap@sopuli.xyz 3 points 6 days ago

I guess you mean white powder

White power is clearly very openly rampant in police institutions worldwide - although, I guess, the white powder isn't far away either...

[–] JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 days ago
[–] socsa@piefed.social 2 points 5 days ago

Yeah, not really a burner phone if you don't burn it. Then it's just a second phone.

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 37 points 6 days ago

Well, don't announce it in advance, ffs.

[–] blakenong@lemmings.world 32 points 6 days ago (1 children)

through "killings" of "owners, drivers, and occupants of Tesla Swasticars,"

So if you got one before he went crazy, you’re dead. I don’t think we should be killing the consumer. Teasing relentlessly, sure.

[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 21 points 5 days ago

"He is no longer welcome to be alive"

And

"We are Luigi. We Are One."

This guy is innocent of all charges, but whoever wrote that has a way with words.

[–] peregrin5@lemm.ee 17 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

His desire to execute Tesla owners, while understandable considering how they drive, is a bit extreme. His other goals though. 👌

[–] airportline@lemm.ee 13 points 5 days ago

God forbid men have hobbies smh

[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 13 points 6 days ago

“First amendment” my ass. You can’t say anything without these snowflakes jumping in

[–] hansolo@lemm.ee 13 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

There's not enough info in here to know how Google was involved if he sent the emails from Proton. Proton absolutely does not cotton to illegal shit, and actionable threats would be up there with LEO compliance.

My guess is he was on a VPN and had logins from a Proton account, validated with a burner phone he kept, and was also logging on to a personal Gmail or using some Google service that identifies him while in the same VPN location. Proton and the VPN give up an IP address that corroborates to what Big G tracks to him.

Edit: even a no-log VPN would likely be compelled to confirm a user at an IP address at a certain time. That's not a a "log" per se...

Idiot should have known to change his VPN location between instances and/or use TOR like a big boy, but mental health issues seem to be there driving force, not rationality.

[–] SatanClaus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Any good guides out there for actual privacy to avoid the pitfalls of ahem being an idiot (re: am idiot)

[–] boreengreen@lemm.ee 4 points 6 days ago

Leave your digital devices at home and don't do illegal stuff on them.

[–] hansolo@lemm.ee 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)
  1. Don't do illegal stuff that makes people paid to find you come looking for you.

  2. Nothing done online is anonymous enough that you should do or type anything you wouldn't want to read out loud in a court.

  3. Privacy subreddit and privacyguides.org both are good starting places.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Don’t do illegal stuff that makes people paid to find you come looking for you.

The thing is, the definition of "illegal" will continuously shift until it includes things that you consider innocuous.

"First they came for," and all that.

[–] hansolo@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago

This is the laziest excuse possible for ceeding responsibility to everyone else.

Know the law in the jurisdiction in which you are physically located. Know the reasonable expectations of internet privacy.

If the law and you end up crosswise, and lawyering up isn't a viable option because it won't matter, that means you were fool enough to tempt fate in a place with no rule of law, no civil rights protections, and likely no reasonable expectation of privacy in the first place.

Zero trust means the only person responsible for you is you and anyone else you trust with your life. Whining about it doesn't change anything.

[–] OutForARip@lemmy.ca 12 points 6 days ago (1 children)

So that brings the total up to four good Americans?

[–] mooncake@lemm.ee 11 points 6 days ago

God damn that's unfortunate...

[–] djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Seems like this might be one of the first ones that actually was a bit of a leftist, considering the use of the term "Swasticar," which is a little interesting. Funny how the crazies on the far right seem to consistently get to the point where they're able to obtain a firearm.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Whats missing from the article is any kind of seized evidence that would show he had the means to actually carry out any of this threats. As in, could this just be a "talking tough" keyboard warrior? I'd expect they'd need to find lots of guns, poison, explosives, etc. There isn't any mention of that kind of thing in the article.

[–] LesserAbe@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Yeah, it says they're charging him with something that has a max sentence of five years, seems like it would be a lot heavier if they could show he was planning to take action.

[–] RymrgandsDaughter@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Bruh a declaration? 😒 I s2g social media has made people idiots

[–] opus86@lemmy.today 2 points 4 days ago

Let him cook! All of the thousands of lives Musk and his meme boys have ruined should follow them forever.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

He should run for president