'Zersetzung was a technique used in the GDR by the secret police (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the Stasi). Its goal was to deter individuals from political activity and to disrupt opposition movements by creating existential uncertainty.
Each action was tailored to fit the individual character of the target(s). Human weaknesses were identified in order to exploit them. Be it family problems, mental health issues, homosexuality, alcohol addiction, professional ambition, fear of losing one’s children – the Stasi targeted each individual’s most vulnerable point.
Rumours and manipulated photographs were spread in order to create mistrust and confusion. Dissidents were confronted with threatening situations such as arbitrary interrogations or damage to their personal belongings.
Career advancement was blocked, family and other relationships were destroyed, travel bans were imposed. The Stasi might also try to criminalise or defame its victims as informants. In a number of cases, after many years of Zersetzung, individuals were forced to emigrate.
Wrecking people’s careers was a common method of Zersetzung.'
By Udo Grashoff, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, UK
Inside the dark web:
‘The truth is there is a lot of evil out there’
Conor Pope on the Irish people fighting crime on the internet,
and how to protect yourself
A “regular” murder can be arranged for $45,000, while making a victim disappear without a trace costs $60,000. A straightforward crippling is $12,000 but if the aim is to “uglify” a person – or have acid thrown in their face – the price rises to $18,000. A beating costs $3,000. A rape is $8,000.
This menu of murder and mayhem is among the more distressing things cyber-security expert Paul Dwyer summons from the dark web from his darkened office outside Malahide, but it's by no means the only indication of just how vile people can be.
Millions of images of children being abused constantly change hands in this murky marketplace, and websites aimed at encouraging vulnerable teenage girls to starve themselves before committing suicide are easy to find.
Sat Oct 13 2018 - 06:00
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