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# The Global Intelligence Files

On Monday February 27th, 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files, over five million e-mails from the Texas headquartered "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The e-mails date between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal's Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The emails show Stratfor's web of informers, pay-off structure, payment laundering techniques and psychological methods.

## Fwd: Re: Fwd: S-weekly for Comment - Placing the Anonymous vs. Zeta conflict in context

Released on 2012-03-02 01:00 GMT

Email-ID | 1302136
Date | 2011-11-02 18:18:02
From | megan.headley@stratfor.com
To | ryan.bridges@stratfor.com

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Fwd: S-weekly for Comment - Placing the Anonymous vs. Zeta
conflict in context
Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:14:05 -0500
From: kyle.rhodes <kyle.rhodes@stratfor.com>
To: Maverick Fisher <fisher@stratfor.com>
CC: Eric Brown <eric.brown@stratfor.com>, Megan Headley
<megan.headley@stratfor.com>, scott stewart
<stewart@stratfor.com>
Some quick ideas -today's crazy busy for me again
"Anonymous" Threats In Context of Mexican Cartel Violence
Anonymous, Cartel Conflict in Context of Ongoing Violence
Anonymous vs The Cartels: New Chapter in Mexican Drug Conflict
On 11/2/11 12:02 PM, Maverick Fisher wrote:
Thoughts?
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: scott stewart <stewart@stratfor.com>
Date: November 2, 2011 11:15:37 AM CDT
To: Maverick Fisher <fisher@stratfor.com>
Subject: Re: S-weekly for Comment - Placing the Anonymous vs. Zeta
conflict in context
I'm a terrible advertising person.
Mexico: Examining the Anonymous/Zeta Cartel Conflict
From: Maverick Fisher <fisher@stratfor.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2011 11:05:04 -0500 (CDT)
To: scott stewart <stewart@stratfor.com>
Subject: Fwd: S-weekly for Comment - Placing the Anonymous vs. Zeta
conflict in context
Any thoughts on tweaking the title?
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Megan Headley <megan.headley@stratfor.com>
Date: November 2, 2011 10:54:14 AM CDT
To: Maverick Fisher <fisher@stratfor.com>
Cc: Kyle Rhodes <kyle.rhodes@stratfor.com>, Eric Brown
<eric.brown@stratfor.com>, Mike Marchio <mike.marchio@stratfor.com>
Subject: Re: Fwd: S-weekly for Comment - Placing the Anonymous vs.
Zeta conflict in context
Hey Maverick,
You're right about this weekly. Yes, I think Mexico / Cartel should
both be in the title if possible. Not sure if EB has other
suggestions.
Megan
On 11/1/11 2:47 PM, Maverick Fisher wrote:
Very good weekly -- I'm sure this is going to get a lot play given
the topic, so let's be sure to pick our title wisely. I'm OK with
Stick's title, but do you think Mexico or Cartel should be in
there?
Begin forwarded message:
From: scott stewart <stewart@stratfor.com>
Subject: S-weekly for Comment - Placing the Anonymous vs. Zeta
conflict in context
Date: November 1, 2011 1:11:00 PM CDT
To: Analyst List <analysts@stratfor.com>
Reply-To: Analyst List <analysts@stratfor.com>
Placing the Anonymous vs. Zeta Conflict in Context
On Oct. 31, the online activist collective Anonymous posted a
message to the internet in which it stated that it was
continuing with its campaign against the Mexican criminal
cartels and their governmentsupporters despite the inherent
danger.
The messageurged inexperienced activists who might not be
practicing proper online security measures to abstain from
participating. It also urged individuals associated with
Anonymous to not conduct physical pamphlet drops, participate in
protests, wear or purchase Guy Fawkes masks, or use Guy Fawkes
imagery in their internet or physical world activities. Guy
Fawkes was British Catholic conspirator who was involved in a
plot to bomb the British Parliament in 1605, and who has become
somewhat of an Anarchist icon in the United Kingdom. The British
celebrate Guy Fawkes Day each year on Nov. 5, and the day has
special meaning for the anarchists.
It is not coincidental then, that in their Oct. 6 video,
Anonymous set Nov. 5 as the deadline for Los Zetas to release
the Anonymous associate who was allegedly kidnapped in Veracruz
by Los Zetas. The Anonymous associate was reportedly abducted
during an Anonymous leaflet campaign called Operation
Paperstorm.
The Oct. 31message acknowledged that the operation against Los
Zetas, dubbed "# OpCartel" is dangerous and noted that the
collective would be assembling a hand-picked group of known and
trusted associates to participate in a special task force to
execute the operation. It asked supporters to use a software
widget they had developed in order to anonymously pass
information pertaining to drug trafficking to the task force,
which will then distribute it.
With Nov. 5, approaching, and at least some elements of
Anonymous not backing down on their threats to Los Zetas, we
thought it would be useful to provide some context to the
present conflict between Anonymous and Los Zetas and to also
address some of its potential implications.
Context
First it issignificant to understand that the epicenter of this
event is Veracruz, which has been a very busy place over the
past few months in terms of Mexico's cartel wars. The port city
also serves as a critical transportation hub for the narcotics
smuggling activities of the Los Zetas cartel. Because of this,
Stratfor has identified Veracruz as
[link http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20111024-mexican-drug-war-update-polarization-continues ] a
bellweather city thatwill help determine the trajectory of the
Los Zetas cartel in the coming months.
One of the big recent developments in Veracruz was the Sinaloa
cartel's push into the Zeta stronghold using the
[link http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20110928-mexico-security-memo-zetas-defensive-veracruz ] Cartel
de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), which using the name
Matazetas (Zeta killers) conducted some high-profile body dumps
of over 50 alleged low-level Zeta operatives on Sept. 20 and
22. On Oct. 25, Mexican Marines arrested Carlos Arturo
Pitalua-Carillo, "El Bam Bam," who was Los Zetas plaza boss in
Veracruz. This means that in Veracruz at the present time, Los
Zetas are feeling pressure from both the Government of Mexico
and the CJNG.
Into this dynamic flow, we had the Anonymous internet collective
begin to take action in Veracruz in August. In response to what
Anonymous saw as the state of Veracruz supporting the Los Zetas
cartel, they launched Operation Paperstorm, in which activists
associated with the Anonymous collective distributed leaflets
throughout Veracruz claiming the state government supports Los
Zetas. They conducted major leaflet distributions on Aug. 13,
20, and 29. They also released videos to the internet on Aug. 26
and 29, condemning the State of Veracruz. (According to the Oct.
6 Anonymous video, Los Zetas allegedly kidnapped one of the
activists involved in Operation Paperstorm.)
Activities outside of Veracruz have also played a part in
setting the stage. On Sept. 13, two people were tortured and
killed and their bodies hung from a pedestrianoverpass in Nuevo
Laredo, Tamaulipas state. Signs left with the bodies signified
that Los Zetas had killed the pair because they had posted
information pertaining to Los Zetas on blogs that specialize in
reporting on the Mexican cartels. On Sept 26, the body of
Marisol Macias Casteneda was found beheaded in a park in Nuevo
Laredo. Macias who worked for a local newspaper allegedly
posted on cartel blogs using the nickname "Laredo Girl." A
message found with her body noted that she was killed by Los
Zetas due to her online activities.
Following the death of Laredo Girl, Anonymous claimed
responsibility for a distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack
conducted against the official website of the state of Veracruz.
Although she was killed by Los Zetas in Nuevo Laredo Tamaulipas,
Anonymous said their attack on the Veracruz state website was
because of the death of Laredo Girl.
It is also important to recognize that Anonymous was also
unhappy with the State of Veracruz over the decision of the
state to prosecute two individuals who had posted false
kidnapping reports on Twitter on Aug. 25. The false reports
alleged that a group of children had been abducted from a
Veracruz school and the panic caused by the report allegedly
resulted in some two dozen traffic accidents as terrified
parents rushed to the school to check o n their children. The
so-called "twitter terrorists" were initially charged with
offenses that could have carried a 30-year sentence. Anonymous,
which has absolute freedom of speech on the internet as one of
its foundational principles, took umbrage with this stiff
penalty for the Twitter case - especially because it stood in
stark contrast with the impunity many cartel figures enjoy in
Mexico.
Following the Oct. 6 release of the video in which Anonymous
threatened Los Zetas if they did not release the kidnapped
anonymous activist, Stratfor began to focus on the story, and in
light of the approaching Nov. 5 deadline, decided to publish an,
[link http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20111028-mexicos-cartels-draw-online-activists-ire ] analysis
of the topic, which was released on Oct. 28.
Following the release of our analysis, the topic has received a
great deal of media coverage. This publicity has generated a
very interesting response from Anonymous -- one that emphasizes
the fast that it is a collective of people and not an
organization. As some Anonymousactivists were backing off the
issue, erasing online user accounts, suggesting that the
operation against Los Zetas had been a hoax and claiming that no
activist had been kidnapped, other activists suggested that the
campaign should be suspended. Still other activists became more
strident and determined in their posts, urging that the campaign
continue. Since Anonymous is a collective, activists can pick
and choose which actions they will participate in. that means in
his case that those activists who want to refrain from the
campaign will and those who want to participate will continue
it.
This will to continue was manifested on Oct. 29, the personal
website of Gustavo RosarioTorres, the former attorney general of
the Mexican state of Tobasco was hacked and defaced with a
message from Anonymous Mexico stating that Rosario was
aZeta. It was also reflected in the tone of the Oct. 31
message. Some activists associated with Anonymous clearly feel
compelled to continue with the campaign due to the outpouring of
public support they received in the wake of the media coverage.
According to the Oct 31. Video statement:
"we received many expressions of support and solidarity as well
as the voices of people crying for help. We must remember that
we are on the side of the people, and we cannot let down the
people, especially in critical moments like the one they
currently live in."
We therefore anticipate that some Anonymous activists will
continue the campaign. We also believe that Los Zetas will
respond.
Revenge of the Sith (Yes Kamran, I agree with Isa that Star Wars
is better than Star Trek)
The variouscartel groups in Mexico have long used the internet
as a place to trumpet their triumphs on the battlefield and to
taunt and even degrade their enemies. The cartels have posted
videos of them torturing, executing and beheading members of
opposing cartels. They also frequently monitor narco blogs and
sometimeseven post on them. As demonstrated by the blogger
killings in Nuevo Laredo in September, Los Zetas appear to
possess at least some rudimentary capability to trace online
activity to people in thephysical world. It is not known if they
employ their own team of dedicated cyber experts or if they rely
on sources within the Mexican government - although the most
likely answer is probably a little of both.
In past Anonymous actions, like the Dec. 2010 attack against Pay
Pal following the Wikileaks case, governments in the U.S. and
the UK have arrested numerous individuals associated with
Anonymous who allegedly participated in the attack. In June
2011, Turkey arrested dozens of activists associated with
Anonymousactions conducted against the Turkish government for
its efforts to establish a national internet filtering system.
Los Zetas, like the other Mexican cartels, do not take affronts
lightly. Even if Anonymous is not able to provide information
that will damage Los Zetas smuggling operations, the very fact
that this group has decided to challenge Los Zetas publicly will
result in some sort of response. The big question is: do
theypossess the capability to effectively trace the organizers
of the Anonymousaction against them?
One problem with an entity such as Anonymous is that it is
intentionally amorphous - it is also as transnational as the
internet, and it would not be surprising if many of those chosen
to participate in the operation against Los Zetas are located
outside of Mexico in locations such as the U.S. and Europe which
are outside the immediate reach of Los Zetas.
But the amorphous nature of Anonymous can also cut the other
way. If Los Zetas pick up and execute some random patrons from
an internet cafe, behead them and place Guy Fawkesmasks on their
heads, it will be very difficult to prove that they
were not associated with Anonymous. As Anonymous noted in their
Oct. 31 video, this is dangerous business.
The Big Picture
One thing to watch as the Anonymous operation continues is the
way in which the Mexican public reacts. Many people in the
Mexican middle and upper classes have been deeply affected by
the criminal cartels and theviolence the practice. We talk to
many people in Mexico who are fearful of being kidnapped. In
many communities, especially places like Juarez, Torreon,
Monterrey and Veracruz, businessmen are being caught in a
terrible bind. On one hand, they are receiving ever-increasing
extortion demands from the cartels, while at the same time their
business revenues are dwindling because people are afraid to go
out due to the violence associated with those same cartels. This
is forcing many businessmen out of business. It is also creating
a great deal of frustration and resentment.
At the same time, Mexico has become one of the most dangerous
countries in the world for journalists, and many media companies
practice heavy self-censorship to protect themselves. In the
wake of the September blogger killings some of the narco blogs,
like Blog del Narco, have also exhibited strong signs of fear
inspired self-censorship. This means that the legitimate press
is not able to be of any real aid to the Mexican people.
Mexican citizens are also frustrated with their government,
which is well-known for corruption. This is the sentiment
feeding Anonymous' original campaign in Veracruz. This
frustration has lead some people to begin to talk about
vigilante groups to fight the cartels - though that has been
attempted before in Mexico and as we saw in the case of
[link http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20090714_mexico_la_familia_michoacana_expands_its_attacks ] La
Familia Michoacan, which originally began as such a vigilante
group, vigilantism frequently does not end well.
This is where Anonymous may fit in. With Mexican citizens unable
to rely on their government, the media or even armed vigilante
groups for assistance, they may embrace Anonymous and come to
view its form of cyber vigilantism as an outlet for their
frustration -- and a safe way to pass oninformation pertaining
to cartel activities. If this occurs, we may see people not
just in Veracruz and other Zeta controlled areas providing
information to Anonymous, but citizens from all over the
country.
Also, in the same way that cartels leak information
togovernments in an effort to use them as weapons against their
rivals, we could also very well see groups such as the Sinaloa
cartel provide information on Los Zetas to Anonymous. This of
course would provide even more reason for Los Zetas to strike
out against the activist collective.
If the Anonymous information campaign does indeed take off, and
if Anonymous is attacked by Los Zetas, the activists could
resort to releasing sensitive information to the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration in an attempt to damage Los Zetas.
This would be an incredible irony in light of the way Anonymous
has viewed itself as an opponent of the U.S. government in cases
like Wikileaks.
--
Maverick Fisher
Director, Writers and Graphics
STRATFOR
221 W. 6th Street, Suite 400
Austin, TX 78701
T: +1 512 744 4322 | F: +1 512 744 4334
www.STRATFOR.com
--
Kyle Rhodes
Public Relations Manager
STRATFOR
www.stratfor.com
kyle.rhodes@stratfor.com
+1.512.744.4309
www.twitter.com/stratfor
www.facebook.com/stratfor