The strange case of the anonymous emails

The first email came at 12:41, the second at 5:38. The first was entitled "SPITZER'S ABUSE OF POWER", the second, "Spitzer Caught Spying"; both were sent by updates@nyfacts.net.

The same email went to Phillip at The Albany Project, Jay Jochnowitz at the Times-Union and Liz Benjamin at the Daily Politics. Presumably, more people got it as well.

The emails contained the full version of two slash-and-burn pieces by Fred Dicker of the New York Post, dedicated, as the subject lines suggest, to the Bruno-Spitzer conflict.

Nyfacts.net is, as the TU points out, carefully shielded to mask the identity of whomever put it up. The TU followed up:

NYFacts.net didn’t respond to an e-mail inviting it to tell more about itself. A visit to Web sites with variations of the name turned up blank pages (not “page not found” errors, though). The .com versions led to ads for a firm offering ways to earn money on the Internet.

Moveover, a check of NYFacts.nets’ Internet registry shows that whoever create [sic] it took extra steps to shield its identity. Its registration was dated today Monday, using a special proxy service that offers private registration.

Bruno’s office said it knows nothing about this.

So here's the really funny thing: this email didn't go to any of the regular Daily Gotham email accounts, the ones linked on this site and used in normal correspondence. It went instead to my account on the New Democratic Majority domain. And that's curious.

I use that email address mainly for my correspondence relating to NDM; on Daily Gotham business, I use my Daily Gotham email. However, there is no conceivable way that anyone linked to Joe Bruno could have the email that this went to. That's just not possible.

We've seen several anonymous web sites pop up in New York politics over the last few years. First, there was StopBloomberg.com; then, StopYassky.com. I've corresponded with both, and notably, both of these efforts were Democratic ventures. Given that I've used the NDM email strictly and exclusively for business related to Democratic politics, I'm reasonably sure that whoever is behind this effort is, in fact, a Democrat, more to the point, a politically active Democrat. It's completely impossible that anyone could deduce the particular email address that the NYFacts.net email went to from any context on The Daily Gotham.

The conclusion is clear: whoever sent this knows that the person who uses my NDM account, namely myself, is also the editor of The Daily Gotham. And that in turn is a very small crowd, maybe, at best, sixty or seventy people, all Democrats. Perhaps somebody really needed the money.

Bouldin's picture

| | | |

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Dan Jacoby's picture

Never asssume

First, you assume that everyone involved in NDM and a few other Democratic activities is an actual Democrat and not an infiltrator. Foolish boy.

Second, you assume that none of the e-mails you sent using your NDM address ever got forwarded to anyone "outside" -- again, a totally unfounded assumption.

Third, you assume that nyfacts.net is a serious effort to push a right-wing agenda, which is probably true ... but only probably. It should be noted that if you go to that "website" you get only a blank page. At least, that's what I got -- I shouldn't assume everyone else gets the same thing.

Bouldin's picture

Well, true enough

...but this seems like a continuation of the anonymous web smear series we've seen previously. I actually just got another email Smiling

mole333's picture

Looks familiar

I think I got similar emails. Deleted them unread because I get so much crap I really have to be selective what I even look at!

politiko's picture

Me Too

I got them on an account I only use for stuff like ordering on Amazon.com. I don't use it for politics or personal stuff.

I think this same email address sent me an invitation to the "Fat Cats for Spitzer" anti-Spitzer fundraiser a couple of months ago.

Politiko's picture

Me too

I also got these emails (new one this morning re: The New York Times is Wrong about Spitzer).

The odd thing for me is that the emails come to an address that I phased out of use for anything other than ordering online and stuff like that, years ago. I don't use it for political stuff at all.

I feel like these are the same people who invited me twice (on the same day) to attend the "Fat Cat's [sic] for Spitzer" event a couple of months ago.

brought to you by


Current weather

NY - New York City, Central Park

night-clear
  • Clear sky
  • Temperature: 24.8 °F
  • Wind: Variable, 4.6 mph
  • Pressure: 30.42 inHg
  • Rel. Humidity: 54%
  • Visibility: 10 miles

Visit Our Sponsors

Premium Advertisers


Help Obama Win!

Upcoming events

  • no upcoming events available

Subscribe to our daily digest

In keeping with the "city that never sleeps" tradition, keep up to date with our daily syndication digest.



Powered by FeedBlitz


culturekitchen Media

The Publisher
Liza Sabater

Fresh dissent served daily
culturekitchen

Grassroots News and
Activism for New Yorkers

Daily Gotham

Feminist Bloggers Network
BlogSheroes

A new kind of voyeurism
Voogling

Art + Code + Philosophy
Potatoland.blog

Got any dirt, tips, leads or money for us? Then drop us a line or two at editors [at] dailygotham [dot] com or use our general contact form to reach everybody in the editorial team ASAP.


Poll

Only in New York

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.

— - H. P. Lovecraft

Who's online

There are currently 1 user and 883 guests online.

Online users

Blogroll

Editors and Contributors

Mole's Progressive Democrat
Alien and Sedition
Dan Jacoby

The Indies

Adirondack Musings
The Albany Project
Angry Brown Butch
Atlantic Yards Report
Blue Spot
Buffalo Pundit
Buffalo Geek
Bike Blog
Brooklyn Rail
The Community Alliance
Danger Democrat
DDDB
DragonFlyEye
EverythingNY
Gowanus Lounge
Hell's Kitchen Online
Joshing Politics
Mamita Mala
Mamapalooza blog
More Gardens
Nassau GOP Watch
New York Games
No Land Grab
NY 13
On NY Turf
Peter King Watch
Politics on the Hudson
Open Orleans
Prometheus6
Room Eight
Steve Gilliard RIP
The Oil Drum
Troy Polloi
Rochester Turning
Simply Left Behind
Time's Up
The Working Families Party Man
Power from Truth by Chris Owens

The little big media

Capitol Confidential
Gotham Gazette
Daily Politics
Wonkster
New York Blade
NYC Bloggers
NYC Indymedia
The Politicker
EmpireZone
Power Plays
Spin Cycle

The big little media

Curbed
Gawker
Gothamist
The Politico
City Limits

Everybody Party! blogs

New Democratic Majority
Stonewall Democrats
Working Families Party's WFPBlog

The Brains

The Brennan Center
Reform NY
The Century Foundation
Center for American Progress
Drum Major Institute's DMIblog
edwize
TortDeform

The Movement

New Democratic Majority
Democracy for NYC
DL21C
Act Now
Capitol D Group
New York Democratic Lawyers Council

The Loyal Opposition

Alarming News
News Copy
Ragged Thots
Suitably Flip
Urban Elephants
Serf City

Fun Stuff

City Rag
Jossip
Overheard in New York
Cobalt 6

This list is a work in progress. Are there blogs you believe should be included (maybe your own)? Please leaves us a message through our contact page. Or drop us a line at :

editors(at)
dailygotham(dot)com


Progressive Districts

Progressive States

Alabama
Arizona
California Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Pacific Northwest
Sunbelt