Barrett Brown, the activist and journalist known best for his work with
Anonymous, was recently released from jail after serving a brutal 4-year
sentence. During that time he spent at least 6 months in solitary
confinement, and now that he is released, he still faces 6 months of
house arrest and will owe over $800,000 in restitution fees.
Brown was a controversial figure who became a target for federal law
enforcement due to his support of Anonymous and his aggressive style of
activism and journalism.
During his trial, Brown had a long list of charges stacked against
him and was facing over 100 years in prison. Ultimately, the charge that
actually stuck was a hacking charge that was related to Brown copying
and pasting a link to already hacked WikiLeaks material into a chat room
for other activists and journalists to research. He did not actually
carry out the hack in question, nor is he accused of doing so. He was
simply accused of placing a link in a chat room and sharing information
about an important leak, something that any serious journalist at the
time should have been doing.
Brown was ultimately convicted for the crime of being a real
journalist who was not afraid to expose the secrets and crimes of those
in power. For generations, the establishment has had the media so
tightly controlled to the point where pre-approved journalists are the
only ones allowed to ask pre-approved questions of those in power, and
anyone who prints anything critical of an authority figure or advertiser
is sure to see their career crash and burn.
With the proliferation of Internet activism, a new breed of
journalists have threatened to upset the existing order, and as a
result, they have become targets for character assassination and
imprisonment. The case of Barrett Brown is a prime example of this
development.
The time that Brown spent in prison did not weaken his dedication to fighting against the establishment.
“I’m very much in favor of further leaks and hacks against select
targets, those institutions we believe are engaging in crimes with the
complicity of our government,” Brown recently said.
Brown’s story is told in a new mini-documentary called Relatively Free, which shows his release from prison and travel to a halfway house where he was ordered to stay after his release.
It is worth mentioning that this film was produced by Alex Winter, the actor and director who starred in the classic comedy Bill and Ted.
Winter has recently been focusing on creating films to raise awareness
about free speech, privacy rights and the battle for the internet. Last
year, Winter released a film called Deep Web which chronicled the story of Ross Ulbricht, the man who is facing life in prison for operating the “Silk Road” website.
In his recent TED talk, he discussed his documentary and the Silk
Road trial, and about how the freedom of anonymity on the Internet
affects everyone.
John Vibes is an author and researcher who organizes a number of
large events including the Free Your Mind Conference.
He also has a
publishing company where he offers a censorship free platform for both
fiction and non-fiction writers. You can contact him and stay connected
to his work at his Facebook page. John is currently battling cancer naturally,
without any chemo or radiation, and will be working to help others
through his experience, if you wish to contribute to his treatments
please donate here. This article first appeared here at
TheFreeThoughtProject.com
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