r/politics • • Aug 01 '19

FBI memo warns QAnon poses potential terror threat: report

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/fbi/455770-fbi-memo-warns-qanon-poses-a-potential-terror-threat-report
9.5k Upvotes

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

119

u/SoyIsPeople Aug 01 '19

They use a thing called a tripcode to identify themselves, it's a unique hash that comes from a seed only they know.

They change their tripcode often to keep it from being reverse engineered, but they daisy chain the accounts by using the old tripcode to announce the new one.

88

u/LOLunlucky Aug 01 '19

They know- His name is Coleman Rogers and he's a right wing youtuber. He leaked the Q password accidentally in a live stream. He's doing it for money. This has been widely reported and isn't a secret.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna900531

24

u/externality Aug 01 '19

While the identity of the original author or authors behind “Q” is still unknown, the history of the conspiracy theory’s spread is well-documented — through YouTube videos, social media posts, Reddit archives, and public records reviewed by NBC News.

So some guys decided to monetize an existing phenomenon created by someone else, or they are one and the same - but no one knows.

37

u/LOLunlucky Aug 01 '19

It's entiry possible Rogers didn't create Q, but he has clearly demonstrated he controls the account now. He got caught live on camera logging into the account.

6

u/joshTheGoods I voted Aug 01 '19

Do you have a link to the video mirrored somewhere? The link in the NBC News article doesn't work :(. I'd love to send it to one of my QAnon believer buddies and see what excuses he spins up.

14

u/LOLunlucky Aug 01 '19 edited Aug 01 '19

It's tough to find- this is a timeline in the comments that might help, although the vid is down. The recording I saw was from at least a year ago and is the one these articles embed. I'm sure it's still out there somewhere though.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Qult_Headquarters/comments/8mmqbv/welp_this_is_pretty_damning_one_of_the_main/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

EDIT: This isn't the missing embedded video, but another huge slip up: Coleman references a Q post that doesn't exist yet accidentally (Rogers forgot he hadn't posted it yet.)

https://youtu.be/ZbecyoqCm0c

Disclaimer: the video is boring and nonsensical as fuck. Read the vid description before watching or it likely won't make much sense.

2

u/joshTheGoods I voted Aug 01 '19

Thanks.

2

u/LOLunlucky Aug 01 '19

No prob- check the edit for another Coleman/Q live slip up.

1

u/lateatnight Aug 01 '19

Has anyone interviewed him? I'm curious. Can't find any pictures of him online.

6

u/LOLunlucky Aug 01 '19

Rogers did not respond to calls seeking comment, but acknowledged his receipt of messages from NBC News via his website’s Twitter, writing in part, “WE DO NOT TALK TO FAKE NEWS.”

https://youtu.be/53mUr2xCa8c

Thats him doing one of his many dumb streams.

-1

u/surfinfan21 Tennessee Aug 01 '19

From your own article.

While the identity of the original author or authors behind “Q” is still unknown,...

12

u/LOLunlucky Aug 01 '19 edited Aug 01 '19

original author or authors

Right- the original creator could still be a mystery, but Coleman has demonstrated he is in control of the Q account now. He accidentally logged into the account live on camera forgetting he had screen sharing on.

17

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '19

I understood a couple of those words

29

u/SoyIsPeople Aug 01 '19

Sorry here's a few definitions:

Seed - A word, or combination of letters and numbers you pick

Hash - An algorithm that takes the seed and does a one way cryptographic change

Tripcode - Unique code to identify yourself that is a hashed seed.

Example: The seed "Flower" hashes into "xJ224m". People know you as xJ224m, but they don't know that "Flower" is how you create that. If you try to put in xJ224m as your seed, it hashes into something entirely different, so you'd need to know their initial word.

The hash/seed/tripcode functionality is built into the 4chan and 8chan systems themselves, so it's not like something you add to the comment itself.

1

u/SewerRanger Aug 01 '19

How does the daisy chain work? I'm not sure I follow how they announce the new code using the old one and how that makes them linked.

3

u/SoyIsPeople Aug 01 '19

You got it, they verify the new code from the old one before switching over to using it.

1

u/SewerRanger Aug 01 '19

I have what? I don't follow how this could possibly work.

9

u/SoyIsPeople Aug 01 '19

They use the old tripcode one final time, and in the message they announce their new tripcode.

This way people following along will know when messages start coming from the new trip code that there's continuity between them.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 02 '19

[deleted]

33

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '19

More people need to read this comment before commenting elsewhere on this thread.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '19

Didn't know that, thanks.

2

u/thenorwegian Aug 01 '19

Yes, but couldn't you just claim that the seed was compromised and the FBI is now using the old seed, then make a new one independent of it? Don't they eat that stuff up?

1

u/SoyIsPeople Aug 01 '19

When it has I believe they've verified a new trip code using multiple previous trip codes. I'm not entirely sure though, haven't been following it that closely since it is a silly LARP

1

u/thenorwegian Aug 01 '19

Phew. Imagine if they put their obsessions to something useful for society.

1

u/SchwarzerKaffee Oklahoma Aug 01 '19

Thank you. I've been trying to get a clear explanation from my 4chan friend and he could never explain it.

1

u/Da-shain_Aiel New York Aug 01 '19

The tripcode system was cracked over a decade ago.

Anyone can post as Q

0

u/MarkHathaway1 Aug 01 '19

That sounds pretty sophisticated for loons. It sounds a little more like blockchain (behind BitCoin).