5 ms·

from one of the comments: > Bruce, it is getting depressing to read your posts. You don't prescribe any kind of resolution such as calling your congressperson.

from one of the comments: > Bruce, it is getting depressing to read your posts. You don't prescribe any kind of resolution such as calling your congressperson. (I hope they were being facetious with this remark)

snowwrestler 13y ago
Why? Calling members of Congress is incredibly effective, especially in large volumes. Organizing politically has always been the way to create real, durable change in the law. It's how the U.S. got labor, civil rights, and environmental protections enshrined in the law despite well-funded opposition. I know it's very cool these days in Internet-land to consider the system too broken to engage, but that seems to me to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
- smacktoward 13y ago
  It's effective on an individual level, but just telling people "call your congressperson" doesn't scale. Most people are too busy to individually monitor each bill, vet it on privacy, and decide whether or not a call is needed. So to really effect change you need an organized movement or interest group that can pool the voices and resources of all those people together into something so big it can't be ignored. Currently the only group like that I know of on technology & privacy is the EFF, but so many corporate giants have an interest in eroding your privacy that you'd need to bulk up their funding base considerably to make them able to take those giants on directly. (Or go the other direction, people-power rather than money-power, and develop a base of activists who are willing to march for privacy.)
  - stinkytaco 13y ago
    I think you are right, but organized movements only work with grassroots efforts. It's up to organized movements to mobilize a grassroots base to effect change. We've seen how successful this is in political campaigns (the Republics were hurt in numerous elections by their lack of "ground game"). Additionally, and I mention this elsewhere, this is really a social problem, not technological. If the government (or corporation or powerful individual) wants to get me (via surveillance or anything else) the only thing that's stopping them from doing so is social norms and the laws those norms reflect. Without those, no amount of technology will keep me safe. With them, we can hope for a normal existence with all its requisite benefits (i.e. technology). The only way for us to protect ourselves is through political and social action.
- vhost- 13y ago
  Can you cite some sources with data that proves calling members of Congress is effective? I don't know if it is or not and I see those words spoken a lot without any sort of proof.

snowwrestler 13y ago

Why? Calling members of Congress is incredibly effective, especially in large volumes. Organizing politically has always been the way to create real, durable change in the law. It's how the U.S. got labor, civil rights, and environmental protections enshrined in the law despite well-funded opposition. I know it's very cool these days in Internet-land to consider the system too broken to engage, but that seems to me to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

smacktoward 13y ago
It's effective on an individual level, but just telling people "call your congressperson" doesn't scale. Most people are too busy to individually monitor each bill, vet it on privacy, and decide whether or not a call is needed. So to really effect change you need an organized movement or interest group that can pool the voices and resources of all those people together into something so big it can't be ignored. Currently the only group like that I know of on technology & privacy is the EFF, but so many corporate giants have an interest in eroding your privacy that you'd need to bulk up their funding base considerably to make them able to take those giants on directly. (Or go the other direction, people-power rather than money-power, and develop a base of activists who are willing to march for privacy.)
- stinkytaco 13y ago
  I think you are right, but organized movements only work with grassroots efforts. It's up to organized movements to mobilize a grassroots base to effect change. We've seen how successful this is in political campaigns (the Republics were hurt in numerous elections by their lack of "ground game"). Additionally, and I mention this elsewhere, this is really a social problem, not technological. If the government (or corporation or powerful individual) wants to get me (via surveillance or anything else) the only thing that's stopping them from doing so is social norms and the laws those norms reflect. Without those, no amount of technology will keep me safe. With them, we can hope for a normal existence with all its requisite benefits (i.e. technology). The only way for us to protect ourselves is through political and social action.
vhost- 13y ago
Can you cite some sources with data that proves calling members of Congress is effective? I don't know if it is or not and I see those words spoken a lot without any sort of proof.