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What does the NSA/privacy issue have to do with your switch? I'm curious to know how using free software could possibly protect you from the current NSA issues

by millerm 13y ago

What does the NSA/privacy issue have to do with your switch? I'm curious to know how using free software could possibly protect you from the current NSA issues that have been brought to light. You are still using the public Internet (services such as email, web/http etcetera), which has nothing to do with free software. You are using telephony (well, perhaps you don't have a phone) systems provided by private companies which provide the info to the NSA. Security is still a two way street in every case. Sure, everything I use might be 'secure' but how do you know that every one you collaborate with is just as 'secure' as you? Once you send data to anyone, it's out of your hands. I'm just asking questions. I respect the switch. I've tried several times, but I still like OS X too much to dump it. I know freedom can come at a price, such as having a lessened user experience (in some cases). I really don't feel, and have not been shown, that Apple has been reading all my data and sending it to third parties. So, on the security aspect, I've no reason to get rid of the OS that I work on and that contributes heavily to my income. Now, I use an awful lot of free software but I just can't give up OS X at this time.

greyman 13y ago
I see it the same way. It's completely irrelevant that you don't have a NSA-backdoors, when you are "cached" (see in wikipedia: Room 641A), i.e. all Internet traffic (at least in the U.S.) and all phone calls are collected. We even don't know if they can't crack PGP...do we?
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
steveklabnik 13y ago
As I said in the post, I made the decision to switch beforehand. One of the issues that made me finally do it was mysterious load spikes that would happen on my machine, and I couldn't figure out what was up. Like, "Why are my fans running? Top says my load is at 2, but no process is using more than 2% CPU." With software that is Free, I can be pretty damn sure that there isn't something that's sending something somewhere behind my back. That said, it would not help _directly_ with the NSA situation. They're related because everyone was asking me to write this post up, because they care a lot more about privacy and information freedom in light of recent events. Taking control of my own computer is just one step, it's not 'foolproof' or 'secure' by any means. If anything, the NSA situation just confirmed what I already knew: the executive branch doesn't give a care in the world as to the intent of the law, only the letter. As someone who has... generally unacceptable political views, and expresses them in front of a reasonably large audience on a regular basis, I constantly wonder about things like some of the other stories on the front page.

by millerm 13y ago

greyman 13y ago

I see it the same way. It's completely irrelevant that you don't have a NSA-backdoors, when you are "cached" (see in wikipedia: Room 641A), i.e. all Internet traffic (at least in the U.S.) and all phone calls are collected. We even don't know if they can't crack PGP...do we?

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

steveklabnik 13y ago

As I said in the post, I made the decision to switch beforehand. One of the issues that made me finally do it was mysterious load spikes that would happen on my machine, and I couldn't figure out what was up. Like, "Why are my fans running? Top says my load is at 2, but no process is using more than 2% CPU." With software that is Free, I can be pretty damn sure that there isn't something that's sending something somewhere behind my back. That said, it would not help _directly_ with the NSA situation. They're related because everyone was asking me to write this post up, because they care a lot more about privacy and information freedom in light of recent events. Taking control of my own computer is just one step, it's not 'foolproof' or 'secure' by any means. If anything, the NSA situation just confirmed what I already knew: the executive branch doesn't give a care in the world as to the intent of the law, only the letter. As someone who has... generally unacceptable political views, and expresses them in front of a reasonably large audience on a regular basis, I constantly wonder about things like some of the other stories on the front page.