[IAC++] -eminent intellectuals- Introduction Kit

Dear Venkat

IAC will try and seriously answer as many of your points as possible.

1. This is a NEW mailing which IAC-HQ had to open after Team-Arvind hackers using Indian Government computer networks massively spammed and took down the "indiaagainstcorruption" mailing list on which 70% of this group were subscribers. Since ours was not an easy mailing list to attack, the hackers had to shut down the main sympa servers for over 10 hours after an unprecedented cyber war which is still being investigated in the USA. After that they somehow managed to access a weak password for that list and have squatted on it for over a month. All email IDs, however, were long secured and did not fall into their hands.

2. In the circumstances, all your old settings "like digest mode", "no email" etc. have been deleted. IAC apologises to you and everyone else similarly affected for our mistakes.

3. We are determined NOT to be a spam mailing list or to have unwilling subscribers, that would be self-defeating to our main purpose of getting IAC's messages into your inbox. We are also clearly explaining how to leave this list, and we will provide assistance to everyone who wants to leave.

4. The number of emails emanating from the previous IAC list was the result of a security flaw in the sympa mailing software, whereby even non-members could spoof members and be allowed to post. As we are today the largest sympa mailing list in the world, a dedicated sympa list manager is on this list to ensure that such situations don't repeat. Today, you will not get more than a few emails from us.

5. This is the IAC mailing list of IAC-HQ. We are above the petty politics and organisational squabbling over workers, funds, brand-names, IAC websites, bank accounts etc. by local leaders like Anna, Arvind, Kiran etc. which is plaguing the IAC movement and confusing the workers and enriching a few individuals personally.

6. Everyone notable in IAC is subscribed to this mailing list. All the IAC names you have mentioned are on the list, usually with multiple IDs. Many new faces/IDs from Team.Anna-v2.0 are to be added once they sort out their temporary organisational and infrastructural problems. Many local chapters are unwilling to come on board because of confusing messages, propaganda, mischievous phone calls, etc reaching them. We are sure that in time everyone will distribute mails from us once they realise that we are not interested in dividing the IAC movement or taking sides or misleading them into choosing sides or leaking their details.

7. The manager of this list is myself with 4 volunteers (sometimes they answer in my name). The owner of this list is Ashish Kumar Kappoo ("Ash") - RTI activist and senior network & cyber security expert who has even run very large mailing lists for the GoI (as honest patriots there is no conflict of interest). We are also advised by the  moderators of Humjanenge RTI mailing list which helped us when our list was not functional.

8. We do not indiscriminately add emails of every person who signed on IAC websites or each and every local IAC worker. This list is dedicated for only communicating with the intellectual cream of India and the IAC middle and top members. There are separate mailing lists for iac-media, iac-campaign, workers etc. which are run by other IAC teams(factions). Sometimes the message gets confused. For instance IAC-HQ did not send out a press release yesterday on relinquishing IAC's brand names and resources. It is not in our interest to do so since the resources are ours in any case.

9. Every message to this list is "moderated". Since one of the IAC Teams is going "political" we are careful that no false or contradictory messages should be sent from IAC lists or  Facebook pages which will be misused by IAC's opponents.

10. IAC HQ does not have a functional Facebook page. We believe Facebook poses a major security threat to the lives and privacy of citizens who register there. IAC HQ similarly believes that the "Twitterati" phenomenon is intellectually shallow and contrary to the long term goals of the movement.

Ajay

On Mon, Nov 12, 2012 at 1:03 PM, Venkatanarayan Krishnan <vn.krishnan@gmail.com> wrote:

With due respects to all the list member and managers. I am worrying that this list is getting to be a source of spam. I was earlier signed up for this list without asking my permission. Since I have been in the active list of IAC messages, I really did not mind that. But with the amount of mails emanating from the list, it quickly became unmanageable and I changed my preference to "Digest only". Somehow miraculously or otherwise my preference was changed automatically to "Receive individual mails". 

Out of frustration, I had unsubscribed from the list. Yet again I somehow seem to be automatically signed on again. 

I understand the need for communication and the need for the list but without the sanctity of personal preferences being honoured, there is a danger of this turning into a source of spam.

Having established this, I would like to know a few more information:

--> Whom is this list belonging to? Is this part of the political wing of IAC or is this part of the Annaji's team? I assume that this is part of the Political wing (headed by Shri Arvind Kejriwal).

--> Who is the manager of this list? 

--> What is the basis of selecting the members for this list? I see a generic "why you are on the list" but to my knowledge there were millions of supporters who had signed up at the IAC website. Are all those who signed up automatically signed up for this list? I believe that many names are missing out in the list. Did you have a chance to talk to the local chapters of IAC and ask for their volunteer base which can be included into this?

--> What is the purpose of this list? Is this to have a discussion about what is happening or discussion on what needs to be done? Are there any moderations done for this list?

--> Are you planning to include information about the latest "revelations" or dharnas in this list? I see that nothing pertaining to the revelations have been revealed in the list. If we are to get the scoop only from the media, then there is pretty much no point in discussing or being part of this list

--> Is anyone from the "core-team" (Messers, Arvind Kejriwal, Prashanth Bhushan, Manish Sisodia) appraised of what is being discussed in this list? 

I thank you in advance for the answers to my query. I further request that this list be managed in a responsible way so as not to let any dissonance arise out of this. We have worked too very hard in the past and a half-hearted or non-serious approach rankles a lot.

Sincerely,

Venkat

On Mon, Nov 12, 2012 at 12:33 PM, IAC INFO <info.indiaagainstcorruption@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi,

I'm Ajay Dixit, National Cybermedia Co-ordinator for the IAC Campaign HQ, to welcome subscribers back to the IAC (India Against Corruption) movement's Intellectuals mailing list. The IAC is an apolitical people's social movement to "cause" change in society.

IAC wishes all list members and their family a VERY HAPPY DIWALI and welcomes all our subscribers back to our new list after the Indian Government hacked and closed our previous servers last month.

As an eminent professional / intellectual, you probably want to first know :-

1) "Why am I here ?"
2) "How was I added to this mailing list ?"
3) "I'm very busy, why should I stay or listen to you ?"
4) "How do I leave ?"

If you want to leave or unsubscribe NOW, here's a link to do so.
https://lists.riseup.net/www/signoff/iac

Simply enter your email ID carefully, and click within the confirmation email "sympa" will send you.

Answers:

1) You are here because

a) You added your name and email to a local IAC chapter, or

b) You donated to somebody claiming to be from IAC, or

c) A close friend or co-worker has suggested you "could" be interested in knowing more about IAC beyond the sound bytes of television headlines, fake studio debates and fake leaders, or

d) A office-bearer of your professional association or officers welfare association has opened his member's list to our internet servers, or

e) You are already subscribed to an IAC mailing list which will be merged soon with this IAC master list by Anna Hazare ji's expressed desire that repetition of the cyber hacking incidents of last month and conflict between IAC groups or divisions should be avoided.

2) You were added to this list manually by unpaid IAC volunteers. It is possible you were inadvertently added to our mailing list through a typing error. If so, here is another way to leave (and we are very sorry to have inconvenienced you).

Send an email to
iac-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net
You will get a confirmation email asking if you want to leave

3) It is precisely because you are a busy professional or senior retiree with vast life experience, that the IAC HQ Intellectuals Cell needs you NOW. As a doctor, scientist, engineer, pilot, journalist etc, we know you don't get the time to pursue the small scams we all face every day. The IAC wants to change that FOR you, and we want absolutely nothing in return except that you read a few short and eye opening emails from the IAC occasionally. We value the limits of your time and inbox as much as you do.

4) If you haven't left so far, this is the compendium of all the decent ways to leave/unsubscribe from the IAC mailing list.

A) https://lists.riseup.net/www/signoff/iac
You will get a confirmation email asking if you want to leave (usually from "sympa")

B) Send an email to "iac-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net"
You will get a confirmation email asking if you want to leave

C) Send a blank email to me with the subject "I want to leave". This is the least preferred option because we are volunteer driven and it could take a week.

FINALLY, we request you, as a courtesy to other list members, don't send CC's of your emails to strangers on this list. 


AJAY