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09/15/2003 Archived Entry: "Announcing QuietBuy.com (for privacy in purchasing)"

TIM WINGATE HAS JUST ANNOUNCED QUIETBUY.COM, a service for anyone who wants to buy politically incorrect books, tapes, CDs, or other legal merchandise in privacy and without a paper trail.

With the Un-Patriot Act giving federal agents easy access to our reading materials (and darned near everything else we do), Tim saw a way to put an extra layer of privacy protection between you and your bookseller. Or survival goods dealer. Or countersurveillance technology dealer. Or between you and other transactions that might make you look like a suspicious character in the paranoid eyes of the Homeland Security Gestapo.

Details of how it works are on the QuietBuy Web site. But basically, you send a money order and paper-only info on your desired transacton to QuietBuy. QuietBuy makes the purchase (which can be shipped to them, then sent on to you, or which can be shipped to a mail drop of your choice). The purchase is made on your behalf, but not in your name. QuietBuy keeps NO electronic record and "loses" its paper records after 30 days.

You can't use QuietBuy to purchase weapons, illegal merchandise, or pornography. It's mainly to guard your right to read. It's NOT to help you engage in illegal activities, including "conspiracy." It's NOT to help you get your jollies without the wife or the neighbors getting a clue. And don't even ask QuietBuy to do something illegal for you. But anything else ... it's up to you.

It's not cheap. $25 per transaction, plus extra shipping charges if QuietBuy receives the package and forwards it to you. However, there's no limit to the number of items you can order from the same supplier in one transaction. You and several friends could even combine your orders and pay just the single $25 "quid pro quo" fee.

My initial reaction was still, "Well, why not just use a money order and a mail drop and save the $25?" and "How can we be sure they'll really 'lose' our records?" But when I queried Tim, he came back quickly with some pretty good answers. Which you can see by clicking ...

On whether QuietBuy can be trusted to guard your privacy, he pointed to his track record in the fight for liberty (for example Dump Jim Ryan. and his Web site and articles.) He added

The other reason is that I have no reason to keep the records after the covenant has been fulfilled. Further, NOTHING will be kept electronically so there are no hard drives to download. We are in a secure location that is "dynamic entry" resistant so there would be plenty of time for the orders to spontaneously combust in the special temporary file container. ;-D

On spending that extra $25 he said,

Using QuietBuy is an extra layer of security and anonymity for those who want it.. There would be no direct association for the buyer with the package from the supplier. Using an alias at a drop address is a good idea period. However, if a warrant based on section 215 PATRIOT Act was issued by a FISA court to say, Paladin Press, they would have to surrender their shipping records however the warrant orders. If the snoops want to know where and to whom all orders for 101 Things to Do 'Til the Revolution was shipped, they could get them and they would start tracking from there. Anyone who knows how investigations work knows that the snoops will canvass an area thoroughly until they turn up a contact point. Another 215 warrant issued and Pak Mail or someone else will have to turn over the info of who rented the mail box. Or, somebody at "whereever" will point out "Joe Blow," who shows up every Tuesday to check for packages or mail, to the investigators. With QuietBuy the trail would stop dead at QuietBuy. The last time I checked it is still legal for me to buy as many books, CDs, Tapes as I want and send them to where I want.

As always, it's caveat emptor when dealing with a new business. But if you want an extra layer of privacy for your most high-security transactions, QuietBuy.com may be an option.

Posted by Claire @ 06:49 PM CST
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