So, you saw a UFO. What are your rights?

UFO witnesses are subjected to a lot of pressure. Besides the ridicule, they are subjected to examination from investigators and curiosity seekers. Since UFO cases never seem to die, they seem to be thrust into the spotlight for the rest of their lives.

And it's not just the witnesses. Anyone that was mentioned while the case was being investigated becomes part of the record and can be subject to having their privacy violated, such as neighbors, police officers, reporters and doctors.

Given the climate, some people just choose to not report their experience. There should be some way for witnesses to protect themselves. I don't like anonymity, as I think it allows for too many pranks and hoaxes, but maybe partial anonymity? Allow their story to be told with their names on file, but a pseudonym used in public reports.

The reason I'm thinking about this is I need to beat the bushes while looking into an old case. I have to ask myself, if its fair to bother these people decades later, just because their name is in a UFO case file?

reply to post by CardDown


I've seen a few UFOs. I reported my sightings on ATS and NUFORC.



www.nuforc.org...

I have never been contacted by anyone. Perhaps because of the incredible number of sightings.

I hope I have the right to look at a UFO. Maybe we will owe viewer fees to something It never hurts to ask someone about their experiences but don't post names on the net. I'm actually glad I never saw UFOs. I've seen some weird things but an explanation surfaced within a few days of the events.

reply to post by olaru12

I also reported a sighting on 2012-01-30 from Jackson, MS to MUFON. In my case, I wanted to talk to someone about it, but all I got was an automated email response to my online report. While my sighting was almost certainly a meteor, I wanted a record of it in case someone else reported seeing something.

But, what if your name surfaced somehow and the media reported it? I understand that performers and such are subject to media attention for being public figures, but this is more akin to being a witness of a train wreck or explosion, something where an innocent bystander is drawn into things without ever seeking attention for themselves.

reply to post by CardDown

So, you saw a UFO. What are your rights?

IMESHO, you have a right to speak or remain silent.

beyond that... understanding the landscape of how our government, mainstream science and mainscream media approach the subject? You also have a right to form opinions on the subject without reference to any of them.

Originally posted by olaru12
reply to post by CardDown

 

I've seen a few UFOs. I reported my sightings on ATS and NUFORC.



www.nuforc.org...

I have never been contacted by anyone. Perhaps because of the incredible number of sightings.

That is the typical. They do not do overt investigations. Even when they pick it up on radar, and send in choppers as they have in our sightings, and other crafts.

reply to post by redoubt


I guess my question is really about the ethics of journalism. It used to be that the stories would fade away with the newsprint, but now the witnesses' names are out there for everyone to see forever.

The Internet takes everything to a new level, as articles and videos are permanently archived and the individual has no control how information about them can be exploited.

Uh-oh... be careful...

This is an increasingly touchy subject ("touch" being both a figurative and an operative word here...).

There are laws on the books (definitively in the US, and presumably in other countries as well) that specifically prohibit not only contact with ETI/EBEs, but even regarding the reporting of sightings and such.

You may want to review the "Open Contact Law", sometimes called the "Extraterrestrial Contact Law", which was established by NASA during Apollo as a way to prevent contamination of Earth by any ET pathogens brought back from space/moon/celestial bodies, etc. The law was reportedly rescinded in the early '90s, but a sneaky provision left active allows it to be "reinstated" at any time and without notice (MIB-enforced?).

ATS has several threads about this already, such as ET Contact Act of 2005?. You may want to do a search and check it out...

You may also want to check out a summary on cultural impacts (including political/legal ones) of sightings/contacts with extraterrestrials here.

There has been much written about this topic as of late, especially in light of the aggressive and increasingly successful Earth-like planet hunting being done by the Kepler team and other astrobiologists around the world.



Some alarmists out there are claiming that there are laws and regulations, many of them subjective and purposely written to allow a wide latitude of interpretation, that prohibit even the REPORTING of a sighting to anyone other than the gubmint first -presumably to give them an opportunity to silence you if they wish.


with the recent rash of snooping and covert actions against innocent, unknowing citizens coming to light it would not surprise me if some of these fears or speculations have some bearing in fact.

So... Rights? Ha. You have no rights... Well you have the right to remain silent. Um, well - if they haul you off somewhere for a little friendly chat, you may not have that right either.

Personal accounts--especially when one can directly interact with the witness--are really the most compelling evidence we have. Sure, we have to be careful, and ask the tough questions, but some accounts REALLY stick out.

Especially if one has had their own inexplicable experience and finds reports here and there whose details coincide with yours. Making connections is the beginning of all science.

I've freelanced as a shooter in the entertainment and sports industry for the last ten years, but my background is in affiliate news in one of the larger markets and CardDown asks a very important question both legally and ethically.

I have seen first hand how good folks lives can get set topsy-turvy--not to mention taken out of context--for a news piece.

A true respect for the rights of any sort of witness is job one. We can gain much by personal accounts whether sworn or anonymous, always keeping in mind that no single account can be taken as the absolute truth.

Some of the best personal accounts I have heard, I have heard here on ATS by folk posting under their anonymous avatar. YES, there is a lot of junk to wade through but, seriously, some of them have that ring of authenticity and sincerity and/or something one can relate to.

I had a UFO sighting (with my g/f) a couple years ago. It was one of those "WHY don't I have a camera?!" ones. The thing was at power line level, no mistaking what it was, and then (I simply was not looking... I was too busy being an idiot) the pilot turned on the cabin light, and my g/f saw a *being*. She described it in enough detail that I made a CGI portrait. (thinking back on it, it may have actually landed and we were taken aboard.. Or, she walked up the ramp, and I shot thru like I was fired from a cannon!). My g/f, as unflappable as ever, looked up, and in a tone of voice that would make Spock sound like an emotional train wreck: "oh, look. An alien". There are some missing moments, like how it disappeared suddenly, and we were staring at a car coming down the road. 1 minute later, as we were walking towards the main road, 4-5 cop cars shot down the main road REAL fast.

We reported it to MUFON. The person who interviewed us wanted to wring my g/f's neck for her reaction- or amazing lack of one- to seeing a being! *snicker*

And no one bothered us, contacted us, harassed us... nada. I dont think the aliens will even come back, either- I am sure I am probably the only person on this planet kicked out of a flying saucer.

Just picture it: someone so happy to leave the planet, they bum-rush the airlock of a craft with ETs ready to do some abducting.. Who then realize what the hell kind of a mistake they made.

reply to post by CardDown


I have done this myself with an old case that happened in my home town.
It was an interesting experience.
I was only able to contact three people.
Two of them said they had forgotten about the event until I brought it up.
I have always found that odd because the case was quite dramatic. Big triangle flying slow and low over town. Lots of witnesses.

However, the folks I spoke didn't seem bothered by my questions. For what its worth.

Thanks, guys for your input. I have contacted people before, but not witnesses, usually authors or reporters that covered the original story. Since they were somewhat public figures, I didn't have the same concerns about their privacy. Most were happy to talk about things, and the others were either just unresponsive or politely declined to participate.

If it were me, there is no way, I'd have my name out there as UFO witness unless I had a big hunk of physical evidence to prove it. While I could handle the annoyances and ridicule, I wouldn't want that to spill over to my family and friends. The only way I'd do it is if my identity was protected. The exception is if I were part of a group, if I was with a car or bus load of other witnesses, I'd stand with them, but there's no way, I'd do it alone.

I've seen one myself (black triangle) and I know of no other witnesses so I had the right to remain silent to avoid being branded an overly imaginative loony forever. I scanned all the papers and news reports etc for weeks after the sighting in hopes of finding someone to corroborate my sighting but nothing so I simply kept it to myself for many years. Well actually I'm absolutely certain the air force was aware of it because I saw it chased but their records on such events remain sealed tight for 30 years so I'll just keep on waiting for confirmation.

reply to post by Pilgrum

I hope you did (or will) file an anonymous report to NUFORC or MUFON, just to help document things in case anything ever surfaces.

reply to post by CardDown


It happened in 1986 and, having only a passing interest in the UFO phenomenon at the time, I had no knowledge of any groups to report it to and also I had no intention of drawing attention to myself which could threaten my professional standing. I had never heard of 'black triangles' and my introduction to the subject was the sighting which rules out the suggestion of 'seeing what you want to see' but that still gets suggested at times if I try to discuss it. I'll be quietly satisfied just to see anything corroborating my experience and that 30 year seal gets lifted in just 3 more years so hopes are high.

reply to post by Pilgrum


Actually the chance of your hopes being realised (i.e. information becoming public) must be around 0% considering how its very likely you saw a secret air force vehicle. Think about it, you saw other air force craft following this craft.

In fact there were many sightings of such black triangle craft around that time in the US, Hudson valley sightings spring to mind.

It seems the only rights you have are freedom of speech in the actual report of sighting one. I've witnessed UFOs and reported it on another UFO site. I haven't been contacted by anyone other than the owner of the site thanking me for sharing my experience. I usually don't talk about any unusual happenings unless it is to gather theories of what it could be or mean.

Originally posted by ManInAsia

 

Actually the chance of your hopes being realised (i.e. information becoming public) must be around 0% considering how its very likely you saw a secret air force vehicle. Think about it, you saw other air force craft following this craft.

In fact there were many sightings of such black triangle craft around that time in the US, Hudson valley sightings spring to mind.

I put the odds a little higher than that like, say, 1% because I'm an optimist at times
The object wasn't escorted, it was pursued and seemed to simply vanish as they closed in on it. It also had passed through a controlled air space at night with no lighting whatsoever and must have shown up on radar for the air force to scramble the Mirages kept on standby at Williamtown base for just such a scenario. Must have caused a flap at the airport if it did show up on their radar yet no public reports?

You could get away with a test flight with no lights in the middle of nowhere but this thing passed over the capital city and largest airport at night which would pose a large risk to domestic flights IMHO

For the record: I wasn't looking for a UFO, I was trying to get a glimpse (on a clear moonless night) of Halleys Comet as it was moving out of the solar system and it was hard to spot being just a 'fuzzy' star with the coma behind the nucleus at that time. A short time after my sighting I was in roughly the same location at night when a chopper came buzzing around and shone its searchlight on me for a few seconds. At the time I thought it was just the rescue squad out playing with their new toy at night but a few years of reading threads on ATS has made me wonder about that too. I haven't been abducted or incarcerated so all's well (I think).