PRISM

[Drewbert]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06..._tech_boycott/

[Avtal]

If you decide to boycott US-based tech companies, Google might be high on your list. But Baidu and Yandex are not free of government interference either.

Avtal

[domainguru]

If you think Skype is "safe", you might wanna think again. Its just too much of an inviting "information pit" not to have the NSA all over it. And now Skype is owned by M$, putting a back-door in wouldn't have been a problem.

Talking of Google .... a couple of months ago I got an email from a parking company, it was like:

"Our upstream provider wants to know everything about you, including phone number and physical address. If you don't provide this info, we'll close your account"

That's how bizarrely one-sided "privacy" has become. Google can demand stuff off you, but demand that they themselves not be named as the people demanding "full information" from you.

I told the parking company to fuck off and to tell Google, I mean "your upstream provider" to fuck off as well.

The world is becoming so Kafka-esque, and there is seemingly little can be done. Every piece of info we send out (probably including this discussion) is being sucked up by the NSA and stored forever.

Enjoy your freedom, while it lasted.

[Drewbert]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM

[sbe18]

ancient cities were built at junctures of rivers for a reason.
commerce and control.

London, Paris, NY, Nanjing, Cairo, Bagdahd, and kolkatta etc.....

Yottabyte ISP's are the new river junctions

[Avtal]

From the article:

Our addiction to US technology and services leaves us vulnerable to the whims of those who make the laws.

It doesn't seem to bother him that his addiction to these services puts all his personal information in the hands of companies whose business model is to sell this information for a profit. So what is his real complaint? That these companies are giving his information to the NSA for free? Would he be happier if the NSA had to pay market rates? At least the NSA won't use the information to clutter his browser with ads.

If I were to start putting my personal information in the hands of private companies, I would choose European companies wherever possible, because European privacy laws make it harder for my information to be sold to others. But that has nothing to do with government snooping.

Avtal

[Rubber Duck]

Enjoy NSA while it lasts.

US economy is all smoke and mirrors.

The reality is that they cannot afford their bloated defence establishment.

And what is more, it does not defend them against the biggest threat. Themselves.

[123]

Originally Posted by Drewbert

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06..._tech_boycott/

I had been complaining about this a few months ago.

Basically G and the others know:

your location 24/7 (via smartphones), what your searched for (at least when you're logged in, saved irreversibly. what content your emails have (via gmail), what you like, what websites you visit (Google Chrome, +1 button) what friends you have, what's your cellphone number is (if you gave it away), your full name in many cases

it is possible or likely that this data gets saved forever.

now with google glasses this might be taken to the next level.

They've been defending this saying we are a company not the governement and we're doing this to make your life easier and for marketing purposes.

but what is the difference between a government agency building such a database and using it or having a private company building the database that can be accessed by the government when they want to?

There is none. Sooner or later there will be abuse.

What is even worse is that the data is likely collected globally so even searches and messages that are being initiated on non-us territory are affected.

[clipper]

This was news when I was at university, before 9/11, and before IDNs existed. Google was about five months old at the time:

The chief executive officer of Sun Microsystems said Monday that consumer privacy issues are a "red herring."
"You have zero privacy anyway," Scott McNealy told a group of reporters and analysts Monday night at an event to launch his company's new Jini technology.
"Get over it."

http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/1999/01/17538

So, the news is, it takes 14 years for people to start caring.

[alpha]

I just don't get it.

If you have nothing to hide, why should you care?

you think the security agencies want to hack in to see your embarrassing FB college photos, or steal your credit card number to buy their office a new printer?

purlease

[bumblebee man]

Originally Posted by alpha

I just don't get it.

If you have nothing to hide, why should you care?

That's an argument which justifies just about everything.

Got a webcam in your bathroom? No? Looks like you've got something to hide...

[alpha]

Originally Posted by bumblebee man

That's an argument which justifies just about everything.

Got a webcam in your bathroom? No? Looks like you've got something to hide...

That's not the same thing.

If for some weird reason I had a webcam in my bathroom, no I wouldn't care.
If for some weirder reason I decided to have a Facebook account, I wouldn't care either if someone from an agency was snooping.

If I chose to share with others, then what's the harm in government agencies snooping in on it.

Now.. it would be very different if you said a government agency was forcing me to have a webcam in my bathroom, or to create and maintain a FB account, just so they can monitor me - but as far as I know, that's not law yet.

[Drewbert]

Originally Posted by alpha

I just don't get it.

If you have nothing to hide, why should you care?

Do you have curtains on your house?

[alpha]

Originally Posted by Drewbert

Do you have curtains on your house?

only in the bathroom. I found that without them, the webcam gets glare - is it better now?

[123]

I just don't get it.

If you have nothing to hide, why should you care?

you think the security agencies want to hack in to see your embarrassing FB college photos, or steal your credit card number to buy their office a new printer?

i think it is more about the bigger picture and the general directions things are moving.

of course with the current situation the average guy will not be affected by this but
consider this:

20 years ago or even today it would have been unthinkable to have the government install a video camera in all houses and record everything.

Now we are getting close to this and no one seems to care.

Or let's say the camera will be installed just over your desk to record everything you write and read. Without your permission or possibility to opt-out.

Does it matter? is it intrusive? Does it violate the privacy of the individual? I would say yes.

So where is the difference? Your PC is just a virtual desk.

And then the bigger picture.

We assume that we live in a modern and a free society. Does one want to live in a society where the government records and monitors everything we do without even admitting it? What does that say about the government? Do they respect their citiziens?

another thing to consider:

most of this is done under the pretense of fighting and preventing terrorism. since the war on terror has become a delusional activity based on mostly immaginary threats how do they justify their actions?

i doubt they can rationally or morally justify it.

so either they do it because they can, they want to and they get away with it or because they are completely delusional and think it's needed for public safety.

[alpha]

Originally Posted by 123

most of this is done under the pretense of fighting and preventing terrorism

so if not that, why do you think they are doing this?

[123]

Originally Posted by alpha

so if not that, why do you think they are doing this?

i don't know the reasons but i would say because technology makes it possible and which security agency wouldn't dream of having full access to everything?

[Avtal]

Originally Posted by 123

i don't know the reasons but i would say because technology makes it possible and which security agency wouldn't dream of having full access to everything?

Nowadays we make it easy. We now each carry a small portable device with built-in camera, microphone, GPS locator, and data connection. Some naive people believe that they have control over when the camera and microphone are active.

Avtal

[Drewbert]

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...ey-cover-world

[alpha]

Originally Posted by Avtal

Nowadays we make it easy. We now each carry a small portable device with built-in camera, microphone, GPS locator, and data connection. Some naive people believe that they have control over when the camera and microphone are active.

Avtal

Does your Tinfoil Hat not protect you from that?