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Edward Snowden: the World Says No To Surveillance
An anonymous reader writes: Two years after his whistle-blowing, Edward Snowden finds that his action had profound effects on political decision making and on citizen's understanding of privacy issues. He writes in the NY Times, "In a single month, the N.S.A.’s invasive call-tracking program was declared unlawful by the courts and disowned by Congress. After a White House-appointed oversight board investigation found that this program had not stopped a single terrorist attack, even the president who once defended its propriety and criticized its disclosure has now ordered it terminated. This is the power of an informed public. ... We are witnessing the emergence of a post-terror generation, one that rejects a worldview defined by a singular tragedy. For the first time since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we see the outline of a politics that turns away from reaction and fear in favor of resilience and reason."
I feel like they're sensationalizing what is essentially a game of musical chairs -- the data is still being collected (by law). The spying is still happening.
This. Ended the program? Bullshit.. We outsourced the program, the same way the government routinely does with anything it wants but can't legally do itself.
That said, I'll still take this over what we had last week. But don't think we won the war yet - Not by a looong shot.
Now, the next step - what in the hell do we actually do about it aside from individual protection? Sure, recent congressional actions (Thank you, Sen. Paul!) have put an end to at least one program... problem is, another grew to take its place (basically, the FBI is picking up where the NSA is allegedly leaving off).
I don't think we will ever trust them on this subject again. Individual protection is the only way, and that is exactly why we have so many government officials saying encryption needs to go.
He really seems to live in his own bubble of self-delusion. The majority of Americans: (1) do not know about NSA surveillance, (2) do not care and (3) have no fucking idea who Edward Snowden is. Just this week, the USA Freedom Act reauthorized these programs, and the only politician who seems to care? Rand Paul, the most hated man in the Senate. I'm sorry, but the consequences of Snowden's leaks have been minimal, and, if the world is saying anything about surveillance, it's not no, it's "Yeah, okay. Whatever."
"would have rivaled the old East German Stasi"
Are you kidding me? When was the last time you feared for your life because you said the president is doing a crappy job? How many of your relatives or friends have disappeared into the night?
OH SHUT UP, YOU FUCKING IDIOT.
The UK is part of Europe and internet is CENSORED over there. Everything you do online is logged.
In France ENCRYPTION IS ILLEGAL, to the point that there is a special version of Windows there that disables encryption.
Why do Europeans have a tendency of making fools of themselves trying to look superior to the USA? (And no, i'm neither north american nor european)
Edward Snowden knowingly gave the world this information at enormous personal cost. Only if enough of us stand up, stop debating minutiae, and demand that it stop will Mr. Snowden's sacrifice have been worth it.
The spying is still happening.
That's right... Nothing has changed. And Mr. Snowden hasn't been watching the elections recently. Right wing nationalism is all the rage and making a big comeback. Mass media says a lot about surveillance, but at election time the people still don't give a shit.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
You're taking your knowledge about the former East Bloc from 80s US series, I take it?
The Stasi was far more subtle than this Stalinist browbeat methods. They also didn't have to, there were far more efficient and sinister means at their disposal. If you were on "the list", you were just being bullied. It was subtle, but usually direct enough that you knew that you should "correct" your behaviour. E.g. you didn't get promoted anymore and if you ask, you were informed that your "performance" doesn't warrant it. Things you received from Western relatives got "lost" in transport miraculously. They went so far to inconvenience your friends so they would turn away from you to "get back on the good side", provided that simple slander didn't already do the job. It went as far as turning your friends and more so even your coworkers against you. How do you think it is, if your friends don't know you anymore and your coworkers know that making every moment you spend at work a living hell will earn them brownie points with the higher ups?
And so on, so forth. A totalitarian state has many powerful ways to make your life absolutely miserable without even talking to you directly, let alone "making you disappear".
The huge advantage of this whole scheme is that you can't even complain about it. The state? Noooo, the state has nothing against you. You're just a lazy worker, that's all. And quite unlucky too. And somehow you really don't know how to deal with people if everyone at work hates you.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Again, why do you need to feel superior? Seriously. OP is discussing SURVEILLANCE and you talk about healthcare?
The Onion had it right: Frustrated NSA Now Forced To Rely On Mass Surveillance Programs That Haven’t Come To Light Yet.
Without real oversight, we can write, repeal, or expire whatever laws we want. It won't make a difference.
An interesting anagram of "BANACH TARSKI" is "BANACH TARSKI BANACH TARSKI"
What 'left leaning' party?
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
"As long as cryptography is only used for authentication and integrity purposes"
Which means you can't encrypt the content of a message.