17-year-old Bitcoiner faces prison for tweeting about... You guessed it! Bitcoin

[nextgencoin]

If he had worked for HSBC he could have laundered $billions for Mexican drug cartels (nutcases who also chop people to pieces) and got away with no criminal charges....

Just a dumb kid who tweeted something stupid, at most he should get some kind of community service.

Seriously send him to the groups he claims to support with a live link GoPro strapped to his head and make a reality show, 'Mohahamed meets the Terrorists'. I'll watch.

[Gleb Gamow]

The focus of this article is hardly about Bitcoin.  I do not see any spin whatsoever being cast about Bitcoin.  There's nothing here that intentionally casts BTC in a negative light, and omitting any mention of BTC would necessarily omit from the article the reasons for which the boy was actually charged.

The article is about an ISIL sympathizer who tried to directly provide information that could be used to propel terrorists activities using social media.  That's it.

Don't worry, the other periodicals with pick up the mantle: http://fusion.net/story/149244/teen-who-tried-to-give-isis-bitcoin-advice-pleads-guilty-to-supporting-terror/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=thisisfusion&hootPostID=0c30f1d9d59b1b6e1963372f01d33f25

“New developments in Bitcoin have allowed marketplaces that run on whatever law system the individuals choose,” he wrote. “This instantly allows for shari’ [Islamic Law] only compliant markets that cross all borders, nation state regulations, send money instantly, and are untrackable by kafir governments.”

Amin also blogged for a site called Coin Brief. The site has since removed his articles, but a Google Cache snapshot shows Amin’s pieces included a story on OpenBazaar, the Bitcoin-based “police-proof” website that just raised $1 million from venture fund Andreessen Horowitz.

Yeah...some journalists are bound to start veering towards irrelevancy.  Still, this new reference doesn't seem to spin much, either.  The first half you mention is a direct quote from the kid's posting.  The second half arguably starts fueling one's imagination, but I'd say it also (arguably) doesn't.  It's information that highlights that his tweet wasn't a one-time promotion, and that he sought alternative avenues to distribute his information.

However, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few truly-sensationalist articles come from this event.

I'm curious:  In your opinion, how slanted to you personally believe these articles are?

Edit:  If you want to read some slant, check out my BTC Mag article on early payment processors  

Slanted just enough, with some periodicals slanting more than others.

Here's a CNN video on YT with Bitcoin mentioned that I just linked in the OP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RvKNc2N6OU

[dishwara]

@OP. Read the full article from your link. The 17 year old not facing prison for tweeting bitcoin, but for, i posted full article from your link below.

A 17-year-old Virginia teen faces up to 15 years in prison for blog and Twitter posts about encryption and Bitcoin that were geared at assisting ISIL, which the US has designated as a terror organization.

The teen, Ali Shukri Amin, who contributed to the Coin Brief news site, pleaded guilty (PDF) Thursday to a federal charge of providing material support to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

FURTHER READING


ISLAMIC STATE TAKES TO SOCIAL MEDIA, HAS ABOUT 46K TWITTER ACCOUNTS
ISIS supporters preferred tweeting with Android over iPhone and Blackberry.
Dana Boente, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said the youth's guilty plea "demonstrates that those who use social media as a tool to provide support and resources to ISIL will be identified and prosecuted with no less vigilance than those who travel to take up arms with ISIL."
According to the defendant's signed "Admission of Facts" filed Thursday, Amin started the @amreekiwitness Twitter handle last June and acquired some 4,000 followers and tweeted about 7,000 times. (The Twitter handle has been suspended.) Last July, the teen tweeted a link on how jihadists could use Bitcoin "to fund their efforts."

According to Amin's court admission (PDF):

The article explained what Bitcoins were, how the Bitcoin system worked and suggested using Dark Wallet, a new Bitcoin wallet, which keeps the user of Bitcoins anonymous. The article included statements on how to set up an anonymous donations system to send money, using Bitcoin, to the mujahedeen.
In August, the youth tweeted that the Khilafah—Islam's political system and messenger—needed an official website "ASAP" and that ISIL should stop releasing propaganda "in the wild" and instead should consider using JustPaste.it.

"Through various tweets, the defendant provided information on how to prevent the website from being taken down, by adding security defenses, and he solicited others via Twitter to assist on the development of the website," according to his signed admission.

On his blog, the boy "authored a series of highly technical articles targeted at aspiring jihadists and ISIL supporters detailing the use of security measures in online communications to include the use of encryption and anonymity software, tools and techniques, as well as the use of the virtual currency Bitcoin as a means to anonymously fund ISIL."

Sentencing for the honor student at Osbourn Park High School of Manassas is scheduled for August 28. The boy remains jailed.

Amin's lawyer, Joseph Flood, said his client's motivation was religion and distaste for the Syrian government. "Sometimes people feel frustrated in their inability to effect change against a government committing atrocities," Flood said. "He was blogging on the Internet. It's as simple as that."

Amin is also accused of radicalizing an 18-year-old Virginia youth, Reza Niknejad, who traveled to Syria in January to join ISIL. Niknejad was charged Wednesday with conspiring to provide material support to ISIL and conspiring to kill and injure people abroad. Amin admitted that he helped Niknejad get a mobile phone, assisted him with travel, and hooked him up with ISIL supporters overseas.

He also said he delivered a letter from Niknejad to his family. The letter said that Niknejad "did not plan to see his family again." [\quote]

[bryant.coleman]

He is facing prison time for supporting the Islamic State (IS), and not for tweeting on Bitcoin. Still I don't know whether he will get any real prison sentence, as he didn't directly ended up supporting the ISIS. But there is no doubt that he is an ISIS synpathizer. May be he'll get a suspended sentence or a warning from the jury.

[S4VV4S]

Full blown police state is coming.. God damn there isn't a single fucking place on this earth you can go and be free from oppression..

That is so true...
Confirmed by Edward Snowden too.

I do have one question:
How comes all of these groups that oppose or are against the U.S. keep using american social media to tweet or whatever?

[Fabrizio89]

Well you know, terrorism

[Lorenzo]

I do have one question:
How comes all of these groups that oppose or are against the U.S. keep using american social media to tweet or whatever?

Actually they have been branching out towards using alternative social media services:

In August 2014, Twitter administrators shut down a number of accounts associated with ISIL. ISIL recreated and publicised new accounts the next day, which were also shut down by Twitter administrators. The group has attempted to branch out into alternative social media sites, such as Quitter, Friendica and Diaspora; Quitter and Friendica, however, almost immediately worked to remove ISIL's presence from their sites.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant#Propaganda_and_social_media

As for why they prefer to use Twitter, it's probably because they are the most popular social media platform and therefore the most effective one. You wouldn't want to put your crowdfunding project on a site that nobody visits, for example.

[Kprawn]

You are presenting this, as if he was only tweeting about Bitcoin and then arrested for that... That is simply not true.

Did you miss this part?
"Amin is also accused of radicalizing an 18-year-old Virginia youth, Reza Niknejad, who traveled to Syria in January to join ISIL. Niknejad was charged Wednesday with conspiring to provide material support to ISIL and conspiring to kill and injure people abroad. Amin admitted that he helped Niknejad get a mobile phone, assisted him with travel, and hooked him up with ISIL supporters overseas."

He lives in a country, who are at war against the ISIL. In most other countries, his actions would be seen as treason. {If it was the other way around, he would have been dead... not in prison}

Deal with it... He is a traitor, living in the USA. His actions may cause the death of US citizens. He did not just tweet about Bitcoin... He supplied information on how to use Bitcoin to fund the USA enemies.

He should be seen as a enemy of the Bitcoin community too.. This brings bad press about Bitcoin to everyone trying to promote Bitcoin for legal use.

[Xialla]

He supplied information on how to use Bitcoin to fund the USA enemies.

yes. except negative connotations for bitcoin, I honestly don't see anything surprising here..

[Gleb Gamow]

OCTOBER 2, 2014 BY MAHER ZAIDI: ISIS Don’t Need No Stinking Bitcoins

Although the creators of Dark Wallet don’t advocate the actions of ISIS, they are firmly opposed to censorship of technology.

Amir Taaki, one of the main programmers behind Dark Wallet, said that “You can’t stop people using technology because of your personal bias. We stand for free and open systems where anybody can participate, no matter who you are.”

[bryant.coleman]

Deal with it... He is a traitor, living in the USA. His actions may cause the death of US citizens. He did not just tweet about Bitcoin... He supplied information on how to use Bitcoin to fund the USA enemies.

I still don't understand why the American government gives assylum to all these terrorists. Take the example of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan. They arrived in the United States from Chechenya, due to their classification as "refugees fleeing the Russian terror". If you play with fire, you get burned.

[Lorenzo]

OCTOBER 2, 2014 BY MAHER ZAIDI: ISIS Don’t Need No Stinking Bitcoins

Although the creators of Dark Wallet don’t advocate the actions of ISIS, they are firmly opposed to censorship of technology.

Amir Taaki, one of the main programmers behind Dark Wallet, said that “You can’t stop people using technology because of your personal bias. We stand for free and open systems where anybody can participate, no matter who you are.”

That's good to see. I believe this is the same stance taken by those who run the Freenet Project as well.

Deal with it... He is a traitor, living in the USA. His actions may cause the death of US citizens. He did not just tweet about Bitcoin... He supplied information on how to use Bitcoin to fund the USA enemies.

I still don't understand why the American government gives assylum to all these terrorists. Take the example of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan. They arrived in the United States from Chechenya, due to their classification as "refugees fleeing the Russian terror". If you play with fire, you get burned.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev immigrated to the United States in 2002 when he was just eight years old. There was really nothing to indicate that he and his brother would become terrorists and his family had no links to terrorist groups or religious extremism.

[newflesh]

If he had worked for HSBC he could have laundered $billions for Mexican drug cartels (nutcases who also chop people to pieces) and got away with no criminal charges....

Just a dumb kid who tweeted something stupid, at most he should get some kind of community service.

Seriously send him to the groups he claims to support with a live link GoPro strapped to his head and make a reality show, 'Mohahamed meets the Terrorists'. I'll watch.

lol I don't think a reality show would last longer than one episode, he'd probably get blown up on his first attempt making IED's. At least it would be in full HD, most ISIS propaganda videos look like they were recorded on a potato.

[Lorenzo]

If he had worked for HSBC he could have laundered $billions for Mexican drug cartels (nutcases who also chop people to pieces) and got away with no criminal charges....

Just a dumb kid who tweeted something stupid, at most he should get some kind of community service.

Seriously send him to the groups he claims to support with a live link GoPro strapped to his head and make a reality show, 'Mohahamed meets the Terrorists'. I'll watch.

lol I don't think a reality show would last longer than one episode, he'd probably get blown up on his first attempt making IED's. At least it would be in full HD, most ISIS propaganda videos look like they were recorded on a potato.

Hmm... I always got the opposite impression.

The few ISIS propaganda videos I've seen looked very professionally done (close to Hollywood standards in fact) and highly polished in terms of editing and production.

[newflesh]

If he had worked for HSBC he could have laundered $billions for Mexican drug cartels (nutcases who also chop people to pieces) and got away with no criminal charges....

Just a dumb kid who tweeted something stupid, at most he should get some kind of community service.

Seriously send him to the groups he claims to support with a live link GoPro strapped to his head and make a reality show, 'Mohahamed meets the Terrorists'. I'll watch.

lol I don't think a reality show would last longer than one episode, he'd probably get blown up on his first attempt making IED's. At least it would be in full HD, most ISIS propaganda videos look like they were recorded on a potato.

Hmm... I always got the opposite impression.

The few ISIS propaganda videos I've seen looked very professionally done (close to Hollywood standards in fact) and highly polished in terms of editing and production.

Ahh right, never really watched many jihadist vids apart from the occasional grainy upload on Youtube, maybe I was just watching some oldschool Al Qaeda footage. Weird to think they've got their own production studio somewhere...

[ThEmporium]

EDIT: Here a CNN Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RvKNc2N6OU

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/06/jihadist-us-teen-faces-prison-for-blog-tweets-about-encryption-and-bitcoin/

Dana Boente, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said the youth's guilty plea "demonstrates that those who use social media as a tool to provide support and resources to ISIL will be identified and prosecuted with no less vigilance than those who travel to take up arms with ISIL."

According to the defendant's signed "Admission of Facts" filed Thursday, Amin started the @amreekiwitness Twitter handle last June and acquired some 4,000 followers and tweeted about 7,000 times. (The Twitter handle has been suspended.) Last July, the teen tweeted a link on how jihadists could use Bitcoin "to fund their efforts."

But, if you're a US banker...

But, if the teen would've tweeted how US dollars could be used to fund said efforts...

If Amin indeed found guilt and if he accepted the allegations against him, then the law can take it's own action. I do not know why these young cubs are spoiling their career by following this trash ISIL, to be honest to all the energetic teens, heed to me that, ISIS was created by KSA, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, their kids are enjoying with beers n girls. And the Rich Arabs wants other innocent muslims careers get spoiled. ISIL in not in the favor of Islam and Muslims. They are in the favor of Saudis. Nowadays Arabs are not pious like Ancient God Fearing Arabs. These current saudis can go fearlsess to such extent to even sell their faith to buy the Dollars.

[Elwar]

[spazzdla]

It would seem shit is going to go down like rome... armies sacking their own cities to get paid.. this time it will be cops and the army.....

The future is so very grim.

[SebastianJu]

I already thought it might be the case that the boy simply was a critic of bitcoin and wanted to warn from "dangers". Though reading that article makes it clear that he really supported the IS. Provided numerous tutorials on how to help them and it looks to me that was exactly his intent.

Hm... even though he did... should this be punishable?

[QuestionAuthority]

Terrorism is what I feel when a cop stops me for speeding and walks up to my car with his hand on his gun. Every time this happens I cross my fingers that he hasn't had a bad day and decides to shoot me instead of giving me a ticket.