Goatse Fires Back, But Who The Heck Are ‘They’?

The FBI is investigating and AT&T is spinning. Now, Goatse is hitting back at Ma Bell, and Apple, calling the carrier irresponsible and dismissing claims that the security group acted maliciously.

Goatse Security, in a letter that also describes an unpatched security hole in Mobile Safari, has responded to AT&T’s claims that the group acted maliciously in exposing a security hole that revealed the email addresses of 114,000 3G iPad user email addresses.

“When we disclosed this, we did it as a service to our nation. We love America and the idea of the Russians or Chinese being able to subvert American infrastructure is a nightmare. We understand that good deeds many times go punished, and AT&T is trying to crucify us over this. The fact remains that there was not a hint of maliciousness in our disclosure. We disclosed only to a single journalist and destroyed the data afterward. We did the right thing, and I will stand by the actions of my team and protect the finder of this bug no matter what the cost.”

And, here we have problems — lots of them. First, who are, for example, THE Chinese (1.2 billion people, speaking over 200 recognized languages, living in a nation as geographically large as the US) and can Goatse (or anyone) draw a nice linear picture between these perpetrators, a specific crime and their victims?

A Harder Light

Truthfully, I do see China’s government as an enemy of the US. However, I don’t see THE Chinese or Jews or Russians or Socialists (sorry, teatards) or even freaking Masons in such broad, abstract terms as enemies.

Again, if you’re gonna throw around allegations, put some meat on those bones for the adults to chew.

Next, and this is perhaps the real underlying issue in attempting to make sense of these incidents — what’s the difference between Goatse and THE Chinese? The only time real people ever hear about this stuff, it’s from “security researchers,” like Goatse, that look and talk (race baiting profiles aside) just like bad guys.

In fact, if you linger around these issues, you will notice that good guys and bad guys are often in fact the same people. How particular individuals get grouped often depends on the issue and, by my own inexpert reckoning, the day of the week.

Seriously, who was Kevin Mitnick and who is he now? How about Adrian Lamo?

A Bad Taste…

Further, if the words “Robert Mapplethorpe” cause you to choke back vomit, you definitely don’t want to know what the word “Goatse” means or refers to. I suppose the people behind this lascivious wink and a nudge think it a very clever way to elicit a reaction and make associations that tie into the whole insecurity, infection, corporate indiscretion meta they self-reportedly are trying to raise awareness about and manage.

The problem here being that most people, whether they are right or wrong in reacting thusly, are going to remember choking back their breakfast, perhaps unsuccessfully, and not the point those clever Goatse boys were trying to make.

And, here’s the final calculus — I know AT&T. I know people that work for them, use their services, collect retirement checks, etc. Though the corporation, as such, is a bunch of bastards, the real people I associate with them aren’t.

Who is Goatse? As things stand right now, in the very best light I can imagine, they are a group of people with serious image problems…

What’s your take?