Issa is saying he's just now figuring out how bad this stuff is? What kind of a stupid bastard is he?
As far as "good on tech stuff", I distinctly remember him on CNN talking about how Snowden was a traitor who needed to be captured and silenced before he could do more "damage".
Darrel Issa is a scumbag. Some defense/intelligence contractor forgot to drop off his envelope this week, that's all.
I'm really grateful that Techdirt has taken it upon itself to be a major conduit about news regarding the overreach and misdeeds of our national security/corporate apparatus.
I'm sure there are a lot of tech stories that the editors of Techdirt would rather be talking about, but this is by far the most important issue facing us.
I'm surprised, and pleased at some of the places I'm finding links to Techdirt stories about this issue. People ARE taking notice, and this is not just a story of the day that's going to go away tomorrow.
Thank you for spending time on this instead of just passing along another meaningless Apple product roll-out press release, as some tech sources seem to be doing today.
Re: Re: Re: This is supporting evidence that root CA is pwned
If word ever gets out that a certificate authority issued a fake certificate for Google, that CA would risk getting dropped from all major browser makers, and losing all their business.
And the NSA would care about that why?
If I understand you correctly, you still seem to believe there's a line that the corporate/government intelligent regime will not cross. I don't think there is any evidence of such a limitation.
Every new revelation shows that the NSA sees absolutely no limits on what it can and will do.
I run a non-profit and I would never use PayPal for anything important. Now that there are lots of alternatives, I am comfortable pointing our donors away from PayPal until they reform themselves.
It's been over a year now. I won't use PayPal for anything important.
If you look at the growth in payrolls at private universities, the growth has been entirely in administration. If you're in the upper-administration of a university like JHU, you're getting paid like a CEO. And that's the problem. Do you think when Larry Summers was the president of Harvard that he identified more with the professors or with the rich and powerful.
So I don't think it's because of undue pressure on JHU admin that Green got his takedown notice. It was because university administrators, corporate CEOs and powerful people in government are all asshole buddies and look out for one another. I'm sure somebody whispered in somebody's ear, but I doubt it took any persuading.
The think about police states is, if you can get close to the power, you can do very very well. And make no mistake, the administrators at JHU want to be very close to power.
I challenge anyone to make the case that Snowden is not a hero.
I didn't think so at first, but the importance of the stories coming out of the NSA leaks has convinced me that he's done more good for the United States by exposing our government's misdeeds than anyone in elected office.
I consider myself to be on the Far Left, not a libertarian in any way except socially. But the information in these leaks is the best argument for serious oversight and limitation on military/intelligence/corporate/law enforcement power I've ever seen.
"Financial" nothing. After what we've learned, they might have the dean's kids in a cell somewhere.
I think we've passed the point where there is something - some "red line" - that the NSA will not cross. Torture? Natch. Blackmail? You bet. Setting up a fatal "accident"? Almost certainly.
Re: Re: Re: These flailing and misguided email systems
I agree with most of what you've written, but I think we may be closer to a secure web browser (however limited) than you say.
Man, I hope so. It would be a shame to have to completely abandon the internet at this late date. As someone who's used it from its first years, I'm just sick over what's being done to it by corporate/government interests who mean us no good.
I'm glad you're holding people who are trying to build better internet communications to a high standard, but that's only have the problem. We also have to make sure those people are who they say they are. I'm not sure it's possible to be too paranoid these days.
Re: Sheesh. This clown thinks SPYING can be made warm and fuzzy?
So now this clown thinks it's just a matter of workplace conditions? Sheesh.
Didn't read his article, did you?
He's not talking about "workplace conditions" so much as the fact that we keep to goddamn much stuff secret and, we do too goddamn much spying on our own people.
David Ignatius is one of the guys in the mainstream media who gets the scope of the problem. Show at least enough self-respect to read what he says before you go off on him.
Unfortunately, the telecoms and cable companies have seized the internet. Those of us who are old enough to remember the early days of the Internet can tell you that it wasn't supposed to be like this.
So now, basically, it's their network, and if they say your video comes down it comes down.
The best we can hope for now is to create some alternative to the Internet. Something that does not rely on the telecommunications industry. And by the way, that same telecommunications industry is the weak link in regard to privacy. Once this new network comes into being, then we have to make sure it doesn't become just another shopping mall or cable television.
It's too late to deal with the TPP through regular political means. As we've learned from ACTA, only mass protests and civil disobedience makes any difference.
There's only two ways this can go: badly for them or badly for us. The economic elite have shown that their only interest is in making sure people who don't have wealth never get any.
"Hey, we decrypted his hard drive and learned that he was the mastermind behind 9/11, kidnapped the Lindbergh baby and spit on the sidewalk in Midland, Texas in 1998! Crucify him!"
This surveillance state will end very badly for everyone. And the worst part, it's like a runaway train that nobody wants except a handful of bureaucrats and government contractors. It's that last that's most worrisome, because remember, the companies that get contracts from the government to spy on us, also have other private parties for clients. If they find something while working for the government that can really help their private clients, how long you think that "firewall" is going to last? Maybe on their way to looking for terrorists, they happen to come across the fact that approximately 2 million women are doing internet searches on "breast cancer treatments". How long before that information ends up in the hands of prospective employers looking to make sure future employees don't make a lot of claims on health insurance?
I'm optimistic, though, at the number of people from all over the political spectrum who are outraged and furious about this immoral spying. There are going to be some interesting crises when the people running the Surveillance State come up against voters who don't want to live under their noses. How long do you think your "Constitution" is going to keep our society intact when they decide elections aren't convenient. Or good for business.
You don't have to be a terrorist to decide to stop using any of Google's services because of their cozy relationship to the federal surveillance state.
There are options, people. From startpage dot com to mail services that don't roll over on their backs and pee themselves whenever the government gives them a stern look.
I don't see why anyone would use any online service based in the United States, as long as they are leading the world in spying on people who have done nothing wrong.
On the post: Awesome Stuff: Reclaiming Classic Culture
nostalgia
On the post: Twitter IPO Reminds Us That What Starts Out As Trivial And Pointless Can Turn Into Something Amazing
What it is
On the post: Rep. Darrell Issa, Who Voted Against Amash Amendment, Now Wants To Bring It Back For Another Vote
implausible deniability
As far as "good on tech stuff", I distinctly remember him on CNN talking about how Snowden was a traitor who needed to be captured and silenced before he could do more "damage".
Darrel Issa is a scumbag. Some defense/intelligence contractor forgot to drop off his envelope this week, that's all.
On the post: NIST's Ridiculous Non-Response Response To Revelation That NSA Controlled Crypto Standards Process
Keep it up, Techdirt
I'm sure there are a lot of tech stories that the editors of Techdirt would rather be talking about, but this is by far the most important issue facing us.
I'm surprised, and pleased at some of the places I'm finding links to Techdirt stories about this issue. People ARE taking notice, and this is not just a story of the day that's going to go away tomorrow.
Thank you for spending time on this instead of just passing along another meaningless Apple product roll-out press release, as some tech sources seem to be doing today.
On the post: FLYING PIG: The NSA Is Running Man In The Middle Attacks Imitating Google's Servers
Re: Re: Re: This is supporting evidence that root CA is pwned
If I understand you correctly, you still seem to believe there's a line that the corporate/government intelligent regime will not cross. I don't think there is any evidence of such a limitation.
Every new revelation shows that the NSA sees absolutely no limits on what it can and will do.
On the post: PayPal Promises That It's Changing Its Evil Ways In Wrongly Freezing Legit Accounts... But Does So Almost Immediately Again
Don't use PayPal
It's been over a year now. I won't use PayPal for anything important.
On the post: Internet Companies Argue A 1st Amendment Right To Correct False Reports On NSA Spying, Despite Gag Orders
Re: Re: Re: Yeah, to the skeptical, this is pro-corporatist crap.
On the post: Johns Hopkins Demand To Professor To Remove Blog Post Was Over Totally Bogus Concerns
Administrators in Love
So I don't think it's because of undue pressure on JHU admin that Green got his takedown notice. It was because university administrators, corporate CEOs and powerful people in government are all asshole buddies and look out for one another. I'm sure somebody whispered in somebody's ear, but I doubt it took any persuading.
The think about police states is, if you can get close to the power, you can do very very well. And make no mistake, the administrators at JHU want to be very close to power.
On the post: Internet Companies Argue A 1st Amendment Right To Correct False Reports On NSA Spying, Despite Gag Orders
Re: Yeah, to the skeptical, this is pro-corporatist crap.
I agree with you about the legal fiction, but it's a legal fiction that we have to treat as fact because SCOTUS treats it as fact.
On the post: Steve Jobs Is 'Big Brother' And Smartphone Users Are 'Zombies,' According To NSA Cell Phone Tapping Presentation
Heroes and Villains
I didn't think so at first, but the importance of the stories coming out of the NSA leaks has convinced me that he's done more good for the United States by exposing our government's misdeeds than anyone in elected office.
I consider myself to be on the Far Left, not a libertarian in any way except socially. But the information in these leaks is the best argument for serious oversight and limitation on military/intelligence/corporate/law enforcement power I've ever seen.
On the post: Johns Hopkins Tells Security Researcher To Remove Blog Post About NSA Encryption Attacks From University Server
Re:
I think we've passed the point where there is something - some "red line" - that the NSA will not cross. Torture? Natch. Blackmail? You bet. Setting up a fatal "accident"? Almost certainly.
Our government has declared all of us the enemy.
On the post: Awesome Stuff: More Crowdfunding Attempts At Private And Secure Communications
Re: Bitmessage
On the post: Awesome Stuff: More Crowdfunding Attempts At Private And Secure Communications
Re: Re: Re: These flailing and misguided email systems
Man, I hope so. It would be a shame to have to completely abandon the internet at this late date. As someone who's used it from its first years, I'm just sick over what's being done to it by corporate/government interests who mean us no good.
I'm glad you're holding people who are trying to build better internet communications to a high standard, but that's only have the problem. We also have to make sure those people are who they say they are. I'm not sure it's possible to be too paranoid these days.
On the post: Would You Trust Any Organization That Doesn't Trust 4,000 Of Its Employees? What If It's The NSA?
Re: Sheesh. This clown thinks SPYING can be made warm and fuzzy?
He's not talking about "workplace conditions" so much as the fact that we keep to goddamn much stuff secret and, we do too goddamn much spying on our own people.
David Ignatius is one of the guys in the mainstream media who gets the scope of the problem. Show at least enough self-respect to read what he says before you go off on him.
On the post: Fake Cable Ad Apparently Hits Too Close To Home; Bogus Defamation Claim Censors Video In Canada
You broke it, you bought it
So now, basically, it's their network, and if they say your video comes down it comes down.
The best we can hope for now is to create some alternative to the Internet. Something that does not rely on the telecommunications industry. And by the way, that same telecommunications industry is the weak link in regard to privacy. Once this new network comes into being, then we have to make sure it doesn't become just another shopping mall or cable television.
On the post: Desperate To Sew Up TPP Negotiations At Any Cost, Politicians Agree All Future Meetings Will Be Completely Secret
Too late for all that
There's only two ways this can go: badly for them or badly for us. The economic elite have shown that their only interest is in making sure people who don't have wealth never get any.
On the post: DOJ Cracks Suspect's Hard Drives, Quickly Drops Request To Force Him To Decrypt
decryption or description?
This surveillance state will end very badly for everyone. And the worst part, it's like a runaway train that nobody wants except a handful of bureaucrats and government contractors. It's that last that's most worrisome, because remember, the companies that get contracts from the government to spy on us, also have other private parties for clients. If they find something while working for the government that can really help their private clients, how long you think that "firewall" is going to last? Maybe on their way to looking for terrorists, they happen to come across the fact that approximately 2 million women are doing internet searches on "breast cancer treatments". How long before that information ends up in the hands of prospective employers looking to make sure future employees don't make a lot of claims on health insurance?
I'm optimistic, though, at the number of people from all over the political spectrum who are outraged and furious about this immoral spying. There are going to be some interesting crises when the people running the Surveillance State come up against voters who don't want to live under their noses. How long do you think your "Constitution" is going to keep our society intact when they decide elections aren't convenient. Or good for business.
On the post: Evangelist Adorns Biblical Child Rearing Book With 'Modern Family' Portrait He Found Via Google
Don't be too hard on him
That there is some quality assuming. "Hey now, I got it off the Google, so it cain't be illegal!"
On the post: Why Trader Joe's Suing Pirate Joe's May Be Bad News For Ownership
Re:
You best believe 'Farmer Joe's' is on the list, and will soon be getting a cease and desist letter.
On the post: Government's Redaction Fail Causes Exceptionally Grave Damage To Nation's Security
There are options, people. From startpage dot com to mail services that don't roll over on their backs and pee themselves whenever the government gives them a stern look.
I don't see why anyone would use any online service based in the United States, as long as they are leading the world in spying on people who have done nothing wrong.
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