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How is knowing a crypto is no longer strong not in public interest? We would most certainly like to know if they have broken RSA somehow.

by Achshar 13y ago

ericlavigne 13y ago
This latest leak reduces the NSA's effectiveness at whatever they are doing. That is a good thing if, and only if, the NSA does more harm than good. It tells us nothing about whether the NSA does more harm than good. That is the key point that distinguishes this leak from previous leaks. This leak does more to reduce the NSA's effectiveness than to improve the quality of public debate about NSA policy. (Previous Snowden leaks make me suspect that the NSA does do more harm than good... but I can disagree with Kevin's conclusion and still respect his position.)
- barrkel 13y ago
  It doesn't matter what the NSA does or has done with its capabilities. The NSA could be whiter than white, and but still be unsupportable and reprehensible, simply for building out the capabilities. The vast majority of human history shows the powerful controlling the weak, usually through "legitimate" rule of convenient laws. Democracy, which inverts this with varying levels of effectiveness (the rich can still mostly buy their laws), is an aberration. But what the NSA has built is a turnkey system for an effective subversion of democracy: a database that can find anyone's dirty secrets, or, if necessary, plant the right kind of evidence. It doesn't matter what the NSA has done so far. Sooner or later, someone with evil intent will use it. It's too much power, too centralized, too hidden, too tantalizing, for it not to be used. And what is it all being built for? Stuff that is less risky than you getting in your car. There is zero existential threat to the USA from terrorism. It's not a credible excuse given the danger.
malandrew 13y ago
Exactly. It's probably one of the statements that is of most interest of the public because it is unescapable. When people learned about PRISM and cooperation of companies like Facebook and Google, they could choose to take their business elsewhere. With Lavabit, they could make an attempt at moving their data to legal jurisdictions beyond the reach of the United States government and its allies. However, with this new information, we now have learned that the very foundation of security in most of our software and hardware has been or may have already been compromised. This is as close as you can get to absolute dissolution of trust on the Internet and you need trust for markets to work; not only markets of goods and services but markets for the exchange of information and ideas.

How is knowing a crypto is no longer strong not in public interest? We would most certainly like to know if they have broken RSA somehow.

by Achshar 13y ago

How is knowing a crypto is no longer strong not in public interest? We would most certainly like to know if they have broken RSA somehow.

ericlavigne 13y ago

This latest leak reduces the NSA's effectiveness at whatever they are doing. That is a good thing if, and only if, the NSA does more harm than good. It tells us nothing about whether the NSA does more harm than good. That is the key point that distinguishes this leak from previous leaks. This leak does more to reduce the NSA's effectiveness than to improve the quality of public debate about NSA policy. (Previous Snowden leaks make me suspect that the NSA does do more harm than good... but I can disagree with Kevin's conclusion and still respect his position.)

barrkel 13y ago
It doesn't matter what the NSA does or has done with its capabilities. The NSA could be whiter than white, and but still be unsupportable and reprehensible, simply for building out the capabilities. The vast majority of human history shows the powerful controlling the weak, usually through "legitimate" rule of convenient laws. Democracy, which inverts this with varying levels of effectiveness (the rich can still mostly buy their laws), is an aberration. But what the NSA has built is a turnkey system for an effective subversion of democracy: a database that can find anyone's dirty secrets, or, if necessary, plant the right kind of evidence. It doesn't matter what the NSA has done so far. Sooner or later, someone with evil intent will use it. It's too much power, too centralized, too hidden, too tantalizing, for it not to be used. And what is it all being built for? Stuff that is less risky than you getting in your car. There is zero existential threat to the USA from terrorism. It's not a credible excuse given the danger.

malandrew 13y ago

Exactly. It's probably one of the statements that is of most interest of the public because it is unescapable. When people learned about PRISM and cooperation of companies like Facebook and Google, they could choose to take their business elsewhere. With Lavabit, they could make an attempt at moving their data to legal jurisdictions beyond the reach of the United States government and its allies. However, with this new information, we now have learned that the very foundation of security in most of our software and hardware has been or may have already been compromised. This is as close as you can get to absolute dissolution of trust on the Internet and you need trust for markets to work; not only markets of goods and services but markets for the exchange of information and ideas.