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Snowden Rallies Privacy Advocates In New York City
An anonymous reader writes 'Mass global surveillance "isn't just an American problem, this is a global problem," Edward Snowden told the Personal Democracy Forum (PDF) conference in New York on Thursday. Appearing via video call from Moscow, Snowden spoke with John Perry Barlow, cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, in front of a crowd of hundreds gathered in downtown Manhattan. Barlow announced the launch of the Courage Foundation, an organization dedicated to financially supporting Snowden's considerable legal battles. "I'm afraid we've descended to this point," Barlow said, "But why do animals lick their genitals? Because they can. Why do governments do this? Because they can't lick their own." "They're licking ours," Snowden quipped, "and taking pictures."'
According to Lister in Red Dwarf it is because dog food tastes so crappy.
The governments are licking genitals and taking pictures? I believe it. This is already happening in the United States. The NSA is contracting to certain disreputable film studios based out of Los Angeles.
Southpark has already done plenty of political satire peppered with dick and fart jokes. If Snowden doesn't want to come across as a tinfoil hat loonie, he should probably tone down the juvenile humor a notch. It's frequently said that those who resort to insults do so because they can't hold an intelligent debate.
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DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
Let's vote him in and he can pardon himself. Problem solved.
Somehow I don't think the government licking my balls really conveys the right idea of the bad things they're doing. That's generally the kind of thing you'd tell someone you don't like to do because it demeans them and pleasures you, not the kind of thing someone oppressing you does to you of their own choice.
Well, maybe it's different for men and women, their stereotypical experiences and perceptions at least. A bunch of pervs wanting to lick a woman's genitals against her will gets more into the territory they're probably trying to convey here.
-Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
"I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
This isn't reddit or 4chan, why are you using their social mannerisms here?
Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
Thank you Mr Snowden for everything you have done.
We always suspected, but never really knew how bad things really are until now.
Again, I thank you.
I was channelling my inner Linda Richman, but if this is what floats your boat...
Then I realized, he's managed to turn the focus of the world back onto the invasion of our selves, social and personal, by governments.
So I'd ask: "why then, is the response so anaemic?"
Who we are used to be about our bodies, our family, our social interactions day to day. Suddenly as technology began to increase our reach - we found all forms of communication first monitored, then censored by governments, and their corporate proxies.
I don't deny them the right to protect themselves, but it seems to me that 'they' are 'us'. We all want status, and security, so we aim for money (counters printed by them), power (positions, and authority rationed out by them), and I don't know a single business leader or politician who doesn't defend themselves by setting up legal structures to deflect blame or absolve themselves.
What we need perhaps is to take the tools of the internet and create something new - looking at BitCoin and its resilience in the face of massive corporate and government opposition I think what worries them is they'll first cede control of the coinage, and then cede control of the courts.
Coins are important - we used to rely on governments to stand by their currency but with BTC and related currencies we can now create unforgeable, and publicly verifiable money. No need for banks, and their associated parasites.
Courts are also vital - well aware that people are tried in public as much as in private - both the etiquette and the frameworks for legal accountability are shifting towards the individual. I'm heartened by the approach of the EU, and glad that Google is moving forward to implementing privacy carefully and thoughtfully.
Sorry for writing so much, please let me know what you think privacy will be like in 5-10 years - and critically - if you think we'll be able to be private citizens again, or is it already too late?
Thank you.
lol @ 4chan "social mannerisms" faggot
Indeed.
Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
We can but hope that goverments in charge see it's better to spend $$$ on looking after people, rather than killing them. I remember wondering why on earth Obama got one but I guess it shows how the people that decide on this are not really basing it on reality. I mean he got it a month after taking office! I guess people were just relieved that the bushy war machine has been decommissioned (although Obama has his work cut out as the military use up a fair proportion of taxes and seem to have a lot of control on American politics.. a good slice of the pie see me ).
With 4.3 million personnel, the federal government licks its genitals pretty much all the time.
I think you underestimate just how much I just dont care.
Things bad happen all the time. The mass domestic spying hasn't stopped anything. You and people like you are going to be the ones to blame when we gotten rid of rights one by one to the point where we have another civil war or we live in a totalitarian state.
'Mass global surveillance "isn't just an American problem, this is a global problem,"
No shit!
Why do we use reddit and 4chan socail mannerisms here?
Discuss.
I'm all for regulation of mass surveillance. After the Snowden incident I started using a password manager and made sure my pgp key was up to snuff. But I wonder how many other more important secrets he had to tell the Russians to get amnesty, how many ships sank because of his lose lips.
I'm getting all verklempt. Topic!
Snowden is neither snow, nor a den.
Talk amongst yourselves.
"They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
Lol...enough non-americans here....who can't be called traitors in any case..
US used to be "Land of the Free"...with very strong conditions not allowing the government to become a tyranny, among: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution prohibits "unreasonable searches and seizures." Seizure – the taking of private information"
Apparently you are the traitor to your own constitution...I guess it will be come down between Snowden's Constitution and Obma's Constitution
and to speak with Benjamin Franklin... "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both"
Famous last words:"but...."
Nothing says "Your Forces are not big enough" like blotting out the sky with your fighters (and breaking windows with your flyby).
Any person using FTFY or editing my postings agrees to a US$50.00 charge
Nobody cares. The media just wants something to write about.
I'm disappointed the NSA isn't doing more, and wasn't able to prevent leaks like this.
You and people like you are going to be the ones to blame the next time something bad happens. What have you ever done?
And people like you are the reason why our Bill of Rights is routinely sodomized.
The problem isn't that we haven't had a worthy candidate or a dire enough situation this whole time; the problem is that we can't convince the average person to stop voting for "lesser" evil.
There will never be true peace in the world as long as there are communist states and religions who are taught to kill non believers by any means necessary. Political correctness keeps us from spying on those who are truly Dangerous. That is IMO and im sticking to it.
Jack of all trades,master of none
The founding fathers were also branded traitor. I feel I am in good company.
You can just assume that he disclosed nothing to Russia: it is plausible and there is no indication to the contrary.
The important point, that you are straying from is that there is a group of people that are gaining so much leverage on the society that it'll no longer be a democracy. Or much less than it is right now. And here's a hint: they're not russians.
By the way, he has NO lose lips. All that he disclosed, he disclosed on purpose, carefully weighting the results. Don't imply the contrary
Given that they would do such to secure his stay, it would be the simplest explanation to say he did.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
Given that Snowden's endangered the country in ways not unlike Bergdahl, bringing him to court is the only way to get the truth. That, and overwhelming evidence against him still is a fair trial - while he thinks he's entitled to an unfair trial in his favor.
For that, I stand with America by standing with the efforts to bring him in. If anything, it should also mean that anyone that meets him (or gains knowledge of exact whereabouts) but does not turn him is fit to be considered aiding a fugitive.
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
As much as people want him to be freed and exonerated, you can only poke the bear so much before he will kill you. He only got to poke it once, though, but maybe he'll face a fair trial if he goes up against an international tribunal rather than one in the US.