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> More importantly, on contentious issues HN will still reward quality participation. Describe 3 good arguments in favor of the NSA you've seen on HN.

• scrollaway 10y ago
  Their contributions to crypto software, as controversial as they may be, would exceed 3 arguments alone. And as much as a lot of us here (myself included) think they're a net negative on the world, that doesn't mean they don't come with positives. They may not catch all threats but it's highly doubtful they catch none. I'd wager that if you broke it down to the core elements, people aren't against the NSA but against the techniques they use: lack of transparency, gag orders, mass surveillance, etc. And just to give you an actual third separate argument, the NSA existing keeps security in check. The threat of an entity that turns theoretical attacks into actual attacks means you can't get away with the "it'll never happen" excuse when building a secure system.
  • drewcrawford 10y ago
    I'm not asking you to generate arguments a hypothetical NSA proponent might use, from a person who assures us (s)he finds them unconvincing. Far from evidence against groupthink, that's evidence in favor of it. I'm asking you to recount specific instances when an NSA proponent did make arguments here, that they themselves held, at the risk of their own social capital.
    • scrollaway 10y ago
      I didn't pull my reply out of thin air, these are arguments I have seen on HN.