6 ms·

I Feel Naked

45 points by raldu 11y ago

MCRed 11y ago
Who is behind this? Is it the EFF? Because it should be the EFF. I gave money to them years ago to do exactly this kind of lobbying, but they haven't been doing much that I can see-- except posting a lot of blog articles. The EFF seems to have gone the way of greenpeace. (I once gave greenpeace a bit of money and then they spent 10 times that hounding me over the next 5 years for more.)
- sukilot 11y ago
  You realize that you are complaining that EFF takes your money and does real work in the legal system , instead of blowing it on ad campaigns fornthemsef.
- icebraining 11y ago
  They've sued the NSA, and the case has been running until this year (not sure if it's finally dead, though): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_v._NSA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_v._NSA EDIT: They also sued the DEA regarding mass surveillance just last month: https://www.eff.org/press/releases/human-rights-watch-sues-dea-over-bulk-collection-americans-telephone-records https://www.eff.org/press/releases/human-rights-watch-sues-d... They also develop the HTTPS-Everywhere addon and file Amicus briefs on other court cases (e.g. Raynor v. State of Maryland). See https://www.eff.org/issues/privacy https://www.eff.org/issues/privacy
  - chimeracoder 11y ago
    > They've sued the NSA, and the case has been running until this year (not sure if it's finally dead, though): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_v._NSA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_v._NSA It's worth mentioning that the EFF sued the NSA long before the Snowden leaks were revealed. They've been fighting this fight far longer than most people realized just how important it was. They've also been involved in suits against the NSA after the Snowden leaks as well, but it's not even like they just jumped on the bandwagon. They've been committed to this fight for ages.
- leeflannery 11y ago
  The EFF recently successfully petitioned the USPTO to invalidate Personal Audio's patent claim on podcast technology: https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-busts-podcasting-patent-invalidating-key-claims-patent-office https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-busts-podcasting-pate...
- kajecounterhack 11y ago
  The EFF has been involved in a number of lawsuits to lobby for and protect our rights. They've been offering legal support to a number of defenses including targets in Bitcoin, DRM, and CFAA prosecutions. I haven't seen gratuitous spending on the part of EFF for marketing / promotional purposes -- they seem like one of the organizations who utilize their resources well.
- copsarebastards 11y ago
  You'd rather see the EFF support slacktivist programs than pursue court cases that create legal precendent (which is what they are doing)? Yeah, no thanks.
nhayden 11y ago
I'm not sure what this is supposed to do. You're showing a congress a list of people who disapprove of privacy violations. Then what? Congress knows people disapprove and they don't seem to care. I dislike slacktivism like this. I feel that it's damaging because it wastes attention and effort that could be put to good use. Instead of taking a photo of yourself and writing a hashtag, become an informed and educated voter who actually votes, votes for people who represent the majority of your beliefs (don't be a single issue voter), and votes for someone who has a track record of governing as they promised they would. Encourage others to do the same. It's literally the only thing that will fix these problems.
- derefr 11y ago
  That's a nice thing you can do for yourselves as US citizens. What can I do as a non-US citizen to help out? I don't want to see your large-militaried country become an authoritarian regime any more than you do. :)
  - nhayden 11y ago
    Are you concerned about privacy in your own country? You should be voting for leaders who don't allow the US to put their fingers in your pie. As an individual you should be taking steps to protecting your online activity and data.
  - sukilot 11y ago
    Develop, deploy and promote open-source encrypted communications tech, with strong secret keys. Vote and agitate for depowering your federal govt, in favor of local government
- kajecounterhack 11y ago
  > I dislike slacktivism like this. I feel that it's damaging because it wastes attention and effort that could be put to good use. I don't think it's a waste of attention. This is also something you should share after you've done -- the hope is to raise awareness. In addition, they want to put faces to the constituents who are against privacy violations. Ethos is a valid appeal. "Slacktivism" is a word that devalues small contributions on the part of constituents who might otherwise do nothing to express their voice. Behind every group of "slacktivists" is a passionate group whose goal is to make unheard voices apparent. To decry "slacktivisism" is to decry the work of those people, to say it doesn't matter when in reality it has a measurable effect. E.g online activism against SOPA/PIPA, Aaron's Law, these are outgrowths. > become an informed and educated voter who actually votes... Encourage others to do the same. It's literally the only thing that will fix these problems. The people running these campaigns are doing exactly that, encouraging people to vote if they can. Barring that, signing petitions is the next best thing. Anecdotally I've become better informed because of projects like these, and in doing so become a better voter.
uladzislau 11y ago
That's a truly creative and bold effort on the issue of everyone's right to the personal privacy. Applause!
api 11y ago
Meta, but a question I ponder often: These turn key totalitarian infrastructures have broad bipartisan support, especially among old hat insider politicians like Clinton and Feinstein. What is the motivation? Is it just the typical thing bureaucracies do to try to grow their size and power? Or is there a capital-R Reason there is such a global push to put these things into place. Do the inside players at the top know something? I've toyed around with two speculations. One is that there is concern over natural resource depletion leading to serious economic collapse in the mid-term future, and these systems are there to deal with the mass unrest of a "permanent recession." Another is that present day oligarchs simply know their history. Major transformations in communication tend to be followed by serious social upheaval and a changing of the guard. The printing press more or less indirectly beheaded quite a few European royals. Any other speculations? Informed ones would be particularly interesting.
- nhayden 11y ago
  Having access to every communication made by most of the population is a hugely powerful tool. People in power want to stay in power. They know they can run these surveillance programs with impunity, so why not do it? It doesn't cost them anything. If you gave anyone the ability to get insider information on something deeply important to them, they would almost certainly take it.
- discardorama 11y ago
  > Do the inside players at the top know something? Maybe it's the other way round: maybe the people doing the surveillance know something about the inside players?
  - api 11y ago
    That is distinctly possible-- the cart pulling the horse. There's a lot of money in these programs, not to mention the possible profits in insider trading and corporate espionage.
  - sukilot 11y ago
    That's excuse making. The Clinton's have had plenty of misdeeds exposed, they still have millions of dollars and no one cares. They aren't being cowed to silence by the NSA.

45 points by raldu 11y ago

MCRed 11y ago

Who is behind this? Is it the EFF? Because it should be the EFF. I gave money to them years ago to do exactly this kind of lobbying, but they haven't been doing much that I can see-- except posting a lot of blog articles. The EFF seems to have gone the way of greenpeace. (I once gave greenpeace a bit of money and then they spent 10 times that hounding me over the next 5 years for more.)

sukilot 11y ago
You realize that you are complaining that EFF takes your money and does real work in the legal system , instead of blowing it on ad campaigns fornthemsef.
icebraining 11y ago
They've sued the NSA, and the case has been running until this year (not sure if it's finally dead, though): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_v._NSA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_v._NSA EDIT: They also sued the DEA regarding mass surveillance just last month: https://www.eff.org/press/releases/human-rights-watch-sues-dea-over-bulk-collection-americans-telephone-records https://www.eff.org/press/releases/human-rights-watch-sues-d... They also develop the HTTPS-Everywhere addon and file Amicus briefs on other court cases (e.g. Raynor v. State of Maryland). See https://www.eff.org/issues/privacy https://www.eff.org/issues/privacy
- chimeracoder 11y ago
  > They've sued the NSA, and the case has been running until this year (not sure if it's finally dead, though): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_v._NSA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_v._NSA It's worth mentioning that the EFF sued the NSA long before the Snowden leaks were revealed. They've been fighting this fight far longer than most people realized just how important it was. They've also been involved in suits against the NSA after the Snowden leaks as well, but it's not even like they just jumped on the bandwagon. They've been committed to this fight for ages.
leeflannery 11y ago
The EFF recently successfully petitioned the USPTO to invalidate Personal Audio's patent claim on podcast technology: https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-busts-podcasting-patent-invalidating-key-claims-patent-office https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-busts-podcasting-pate...
kajecounterhack 11y ago
The EFF has been involved in a number of lawsuits to lobby for and protect our rights. They've been offering legal support to a number of defenses including targets in Bitcoin, DRM, and CFAA prosecutions. I haven't seen gratuitous spending on the part of EFF for marketing / promotional purposes -- they seem like one of the organizations who utilize their resources well.
copsarebastards 11y ago
You'd rather see the EFF support slacktivist programs than pursue court cases that create legal precendent (which is what they are doing)? Yeah, no thanks.

nhayden 11y ago

I'm not sure what this is supposed to do. You're showing a congress a list of people who disapprove of privacy violations. Then what? Congress knows people disapprove and they don't seem to care. I dislike slacktivism like this. I feel that it's damaging because it wastes attention and effort that could be put to good use. Instead of taking a photo of yourself and writing a hashtag, become an informed and educated voter who actually votes, votes for people who represent the majority of your beliefs (don't be a single issue voter), and votes for someone who has a track record of governing as they promised they would. Encourage others to do the same. It's literally the only thing that will fix these problems.

derefr 11y ago
That's a nice thing you can do for yourselves as US citizens. What can I do as a non-US citizen to help out? I don't want to see your large-militaried country become an authoritarian regime any more than you do. :)
- nhayden 11y ago
  Are you concerned about privacy in your own country? You should be voting for leaders who don't allow the US to put their fingers in your pie. As an individual you should be taking steps to protecting your online activity and data.
- sukilot 11y ago
  Develop, deploy and promote open-source encrypted communications tech, with strong secret keys. Vote and agitate for depowering your federal govt, in favor of local government
kajecounterhack 11y ago
> I dislike slacktivism like this. I feel that it's damaging because it wastes attention and effort that could be put to good use. I don't think it's a waste of attention. This is also something you should share after you've done -- the hope is to raise awareness. In addition, they want to put faces to the constituents who are against privacy violations. Ethos is a valid appeal. "Slacktivism" is a word that devalues small contributions on the part of constituents who might otherwise do nothing to express their voice. Behind every group of "slacktivists" is a passionate group whose goal is to make unheard voices apparent. To decry "slacktivisism" is to decry the work of those people, to say it doesn't matter when in reality it has a measurable effect. E.g online activism against SOPA/PIPA, Aaron's Law, these are outgrowths. > become an informed and educated voter who actually votes... Encourage others to do the same. It's literally the only thing that will fix these problems. The people running these campaigns are doing exactly that, encouraging people to vote if they can. Barring that, signing petitions is the next best thing. Anecdotally I've become better informed because of projects like these, and in doing so become a better voter.

uladzislau 11y ago

That's a truly creative and bold effort on the issue of everyone's right to the personal privacy. Applause!

api 11y ago

Meta, but a question I ponder often: These turn key totalitarian infrastructures have broad bipartisan support, especially among old hat insider politicians like Clinton and Feinstein. What is the motivation? Is it just the typical thing bureaucracies do to try to grow their size and power? Or is there a capital-R Reason there is such a global push to put these things into place. Do the inside players at the top know something? I've toyed around with two speculations. One is that there is concern over natural resource depletion leading to serious economic collapse in the mid-term future, and these systems are there to deal with the mass unrest of a "permanent recession." Another is that present day oligarchs simply know their history. Major transformations in communication tend to be followed by serious social upheaval and a changing of the guard. The printing press more or less indirectly beheaded quite a few European royals. Any other speculations? Informed ones would be particularly interesting.

nhayden 11y ago
Having access to every communication made by most of the population is a hugely powerful tool. People in power want to stay in power. They know they can run these surveillance programs with impunity, so why not do it? It doesn't cost them anything. If you gave anyone the ability to get insider information on something deeply important to them, they would almost certainly take it.
discardorama 11y ago
> Do the inside players at the top know something? Maybe it's the other way round: maybe the people doing the surveillance know something about the inside players?
- api 11y ago
  That is distinctly possible-- the cart pulling the horse. There's a lot of money in these programs, not to mention the possible profits in insider trading and corporate espionage.
- sukilot 11y ago
  That's excuse making. The Clinton's have had plenty of misdeeds exposed, they still have millions of dollars and no one cares. They aren't being cowed to silence by the NSA.