The Most Striking Thing About the WikiLeaks CIA Data Dump Is How Little Most People Cared (qz.com)

Last week, WikiLeaks released a trove of web pages describing sophisticated software tools and techniques used by the C.I.A to break into smartphones, computers, and IoT devices including smart TVs. Despite the initial media coverage, it appears normal people don't really care much about it, reports Quartz. An anonymous reader shares the report: There's also one other big difference between now and 2013. Snowden's NSA revelations sent shockwaves around the world. Despite WikiLeaks' best efforts at theatrics -- distributing an encrypted folder and tweeting the password "SplinterItIntoAThousandPiecesAndScatterItIntoTheWinds" -- the Vault 7 leak has elicited little more than a shrug from the media and the public, even if the spooks are seriously worried. Maybe it's because we already assume the government can listen to everything.

Comments

Because most people already assume the worst

[elrous0]

Most people with half-a-brain already assumed that the CIA, NSA, and FBI were doing stuff like this. This merely confirmed our suspicions.

Re:Because most people already assume the worst

[Fire_Wraith]

It wasn't so much that we assumed they would be doing stuff like this, it's that this is what we expect they would be, should be doing.

To put it another way, what was shocking about the Snowden revelations wasn't that the NSA spied, it was the bulk and indiscriminate nature thereof. We have no problem when the CIA is hacking the phones or computers of some ISIS or Al Qaeda bad guy or some North Korean/etc general. What bothers us is when they start vacuuming up everyone's calls/emails/etc including ours.

If anything, the reports were actually fairly reassuring, because what it shows is that encryption works. They couldn't break it, and had to instead compromise the end device, because if your system is pwned then nothing you do on that system (phone, computer, etc) is secret from the guy who pwned it.

Re:Because most people already assume the worst

[Anonymous Coward]

Here is another not-so-secret revelation that will one day come out in full: The CIA and NSA are using false rape/pedophilia/sexual harassment/etc. charges to character assassinate people who threaten or cross the U.S. Julian Assange, Dominique Strauss Kahn, and Jacob Appelbaum are three of the most famous cases of this, but there are many others. So you might want to be careful about letting strange women into your hotel room if you're revealing U.S. secrets, challenging the supremacy of the U.S. Dollar, or getting in the way of attempts to put a backdoor in Tor.

Re:Because most people already assume the worst

[elrous0]

Are you really so naive as to think they're only using these tools against non-Americans?

Re:Because most people already assume the worst

[meta-monkey]

Well if you want me to be shocked and outraged then you need to show me them using them against Americans. I didn't see anything like that in Vault 7 (so far). The most terrible thing in Vault 7 was their pathetic meme folder. And harboring of bronies.

Now what did bother me about Vault 7 is the CIA hoarding exploits instead of informing software and device makers so they could fix them. The (alleged) purpose of the US military and intelligence apparatus is to defend the people of the United States. They're taking my tax dollars, and I'm not as pissed off about it as I could be because it's supposed to be going towards efforts to defend me from attack. Instead they're using it to attack others. No no no. Defend me first. That's what I'm paying you fuckers for.

But that's not really a concept most of the public thinks or cares about. They cared about the NSA because they were hoovering up their dick pics. Once CIA is revealed to be hoarding dick pics then people will care.

Re: Because most people already assume the worst

[ArmoredDragon]

How can one assume that this is not totally normal? The CIA is a spy agency. That means they spy on people. That would be like saying we should be shocked that Burger King makes hamburgers.

The NSA was a shock mainly because they were spying domestically when they clearly aren't supposed to. So long as the CIA isn't spying domestically, I personally don't care what means they use. Furthermore, the fact that CIA tactics are more analogous to a fishing line than a dragnet (like the NSA prism program was) then they aren't doing anything wrong, and indeed this particular leak is doing a disservice to the US, whereas the Snowden leak was being productive.

They don't want you to know

[Anonymous Coward]

These were things the Obama admin were in charge of. The press doesn't want to cover it

You are wrong

[Anonymous Coward]

EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. I. KNOW. has commented on Vault#7

It is simply not being reported.

Is it apathy? Or helplessness?

[daemonhunter]

What are we supposed to do about it?

The real issue isn't the fact that the CIA/NSA/ [insert bureau here] can do these things. The issue is that they can't be held accountable for it.

We saw this in the financial crash of '08 (albeit in the private sector) as well: no one who is actually responsible for these things will ever see jail time. This won't end anyone's career. There's just not much the American people can do about it, and I think there's a sense among the general populace that they know this, even if only on a subconscious level. It's not apathy. It's a helpless resignation.