12 Misconceptions People Have About ГОМК
- Since ГОМК is on the Tor network/"darknet" it must mean that ГОМК is involved in criminal activity
That is false. Our involvement is focused on promoting online anonymity (or at least, pseudonymity) and security for musicians, creatives, and just about anyone looking for it. We aim to help protect people's privacy and freedom of speech. We do not actually engage in any illicit activities, documented or otherwise, but we are aware that people can make up tons of allegations about anyone, and anonymous groups and people are often vulnerable to the effects of these allegations. If we do mention anything that could be potentially illegal, it's strictly for informational purposes only. We're very curious people, and it's good to learn something new once in a while, even if it is uncomfortable. However, we do not condone or promote such activities.
- If ГОМК is anonymous, then it must mean that they probably engage in harmful activities behind closed doors
No. Whenever we speak out about something, we always put our name on it and potentially PGP sign it. We are actually more willing to be transparent and open with the public about our activities, compared to other anonymous groups who refuse to take responsibility when someone points out something they did and it's obvious. Most importantly, you can't prove that we have done something wrong unless you have concrete evidence of such. When people claim to have evidence of such things, we will let them know if they are unfounded or not.
- ГОМК is run by (insert similar stereotype about a middle aged man in his mother's basement)
Nope. ГОМК is run by 5 people (kyubok, eun, haneul, minji, sumin), but the reason why it seems like only 1 or 2 people are running it is because each of us have responsibilities outside of ГОМК. Usually, eun is the one to respond to other people's comments. The rest simply have other matters to take care of, but that doesn't mean they are disconnected from ГОМК either. But then again, on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog.
- ГОМК is secretly run by the government/LE to lure in people and gather information about their tactics, techniques, and procedures
We are NOT from the government and/or law enforcement, and we have no intention of doing that. None of us have any government or law enforcement training or education of any kind. Furthermore, we have operated for more than 2 years and so far there is no explicit evidence on our end that anyone is tracking us. We could be wrong, but we're pretty sure we're right. LE doesn't really care about anonymous music groups that are not doing anything suspiciously illegal. They only care about the big guys that are far worse than us. We do take breaks whenever possible just in case, however.
- If ГОМК has made themselves known, then they can't claim true anonymity
Well, actually, there may be some truth to it, but it's not completely accurate either. We have already managed to separate our activities, information, or identities in such a way that there is no connection or traceable link to our actual identities in the real world. For our safety, however, we are not disclosing to the public exactly how. We recognise that putting our names in the public may make us pseudonymous to some degree, but we also have some protection, so...
- ГОМК should/must do porn
No. We have zero interest in that field.
- ГОМК is a bot/spammer/scam
False. We are actually reliant on word of mouth marketing via this blog and any other websites we may be on. But our free advertising is anything but unsolicited, and we try not to cross any lines. We also do not spam any websites. We also don't actually know how bots work, nor does anyone else run one for us, so no, we are not a bot.
- ГОМК steals other people's music
No, we do not engage in any known copyright infringement. We grant to the public a worldwide, non-exclusive, and eternal license to distribute, remix, and modify our music as long as explicit credit is given, with virtually no mandate or requirement to pay any charges, fees, or royalties. We also do not engage in the sale, offer for sale, or provision of any goods or services, as we are non-profit and reliant on cryptocurrency donations at this time. Any resemblance to existing works of music, regardless of their copyright status, is unintentional and completely coincidental.
- ГОМК is begging for money
I understand that some people may view our reliance on donations as begging, but we would like to assure you that we are simply trying to sustain our project through the generous support of those who believe in its value and mission. ГОМК is non-profit and is able to run even without a budget. However, donations can help ensure our long-term sustainability and enhance our services and quality even more. The thing is, there are often hidden costs associated with operations like administrative expenses and marketing. Also, since we heavily rely on each other and ourselves, there is a high chance we may face an emergency that may require additional funding. In the end, our goal is to fulfill our mission, and donations can help us achieve our goals more efficiently and effectively, allowing us to make a greater difference by reaching more people and implementing new initiatives that align with our mission. We want to assure you that we are not expecting or demanding anything from anyone. Donations are entirely voluntary, and we are grateful for any support we receive. By donating to ГОМК, you are helping to support us in what we want and need to do for ourselves and our community. We thank everyone who supports us.
- All art is political, so ГОМК must be too
The truth is that the relationship between art and politics is complex and open to interpretation. However, our music is simply more focused on aesthetics, personal expression, and emotional experience, rather than outright or implicit endorsement of a political ideology. Despite this, it can be argued that even these works can be seen as political in a broader sense, as they may reflect or reinforce certain cultural values, social attitudes, or power dynamics.
- ГОМК should be on Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud etc.
The reason we are not on those platforms is because there is a concern that having a mainstream social media presence may attract some form of invasion of privacy, which isn't really good for us as a private anonymous group. We like to keep it niche here. We are available on funkwhale.
- ГОМК is fake
No, honey, we're real.