Mathematicians Push Back Against the NSA

First time accepted submitter Parseval (3632761) writes "The NSA and GCHQ need mathematicians in order to function — they are some of the biggest employers of mathematicians in the world. This New Scientist article by a mathematician describes some of the math behind mass surveillance, and calls on other mathematicians to refuse to cooperate with the NSA/GCHQ while they continue to surveil the entire population. From the article: 'Mathematicians seldom face ethical questions. We enjoy the feeling that what we do is separate from the everyday world. As the number theorist G. H. Hardy wrote in 1940: "I have never done anything 'useful'. No discovery of mine has made, or is likely to make, directly or indirectly, for good or ill, the least difference to the amenity of the world." That idea is now untenable. Mathematics clearly has practical applications that are highly relevant to the modern world, not least internet encryption.'"

Comments

Re: Mathematicians Have Always Had To Consider Eth

[cold fjord]

I assume you didn't bother to read any of that since it was from a court in Belgium. The thing that is made up here is the claim that "the NSA threw away the Constitution." Since they are still subject to the control of the President, Congress, and the courts, that doesn't seem to be true.