Btw. are you a US citizen? Do you feel personally responsible for what your fellow citizens did there? Have you already packed your stuff and moved to Brazil?
I'm totally aware that asking these questions there is a chance >0 that you are actually not American and/or already living in another country. Let's just agree that you can still follow the intended purpose: People in a huge group don't really feel responsible for what other people on the other end of the world do unethically for the same group.
All of you programmers working on "cool" technology understand that this is going to be turned against your own children? Doesn't matter, does it? We all had a good time!
Its really amazing to watch iron chains form from digital crystals. Did we learn nothing about history while our young people studied algorithms? Did taking "Computer Science" classes seclude us from the reality of how all of this would be used?
We should feel some shame and remorse. If you're in this industry, start telling us here everyday what you've done so that some can have a chance to deal with the coming digital dictatorship. It will be worldwide, it will be unjust, and people will not be able to run away from it because it will cross borders.
They lied to you when they told you they "needed" it for safety reasons, or for the children, or other soundless reasons to deceive you into building invisible prisons.
>Did we learn nothing about history while our young people studied algorithms? Did taking "Computer Science" classes seclude us from the reality of how all of this would be used?
Obviously the answer to your questions is, "Enough people don't learn those lessons, don't believe it will apply to them, or simply don't care."
The time for analysis and hand-wringing was years ago, now it's just a pump-and-dump scheme at every level. The fools just think they have a place to run to, and that's the big flaw in the plan.
In other news: West funds oppressive Arab states. Really, if we didn't want them spying on people, we shouldn't be giving them all that oil money. Funding terrorists is illegal, why is funding oppressive governments OK and then it's suddenly not OK when they spend that money to oppress people?
Importing goods from non-democratic countries is not an all-or-nothing proposition. The externality created by giving non-democratic countries cash issued by democracies can be partially corrected by assessing a unilateral scaling tariff on imports, in proportion to the level of human rights abuses created by the country of origin.
So anyone that drives a car, buys anything that contains plastic, uses fertilizer, crayons or detergent is a "sponsor of terrorism" and an "oppressor"? That's absurd.
> if we didn't want them spying on people, we shouldn't be giving them all that oil money
Yes, but if we did something reasonable such as enact scaling import tariffs on exports from non-free countries in proportion to their level of human rights abuses as measured by a legislative scorecard of objectively observable public criteria, the neoliberals would claim that they learned tariffs were bad in Econ 101 and therefore that domestic tax policy on importers must be set by the WTO.
2014 while working in US federal info sec, one of my coworkers had a boyfriend employed by BAE working on surveillance software. I was surprised to learn that BAE produced such software. She explained to me that while certain laws prohibited US citizens from spying on each other, foriegn countries are exempt from those laws, so it is apparently common for surveillance software developed in the US to be deployed targeting the US by US allies who work with the US government.
Yup, while it's technically illegal for the NSA/etc to deliberately intercept American communication, it's an open secret that they work in cooperation with other nations who spy on us and give the data back to the US via programs like ECHELON.
They also bend the rules as much as legally permissable. They can't deliberately intercept domestic-only traffic, but anything that goes overseas is fair game for a bulk tap, and you don't really have control of how your packets are routed.
Rather than just whine about lax security practices, here is an nginx config file that will get you a pretty high score on scanners like Mozilla's Observatory.
If you work on things that involve sexuality, health, or finance and you don't enable these types of protections you're risking lives or financial ruin.
Also if you see a shortcoming please let me know, I created this in a bit of a rush and I'm always happy to learn more.
My schedule is packed and it's better to share something than nothing, no?
The point is to show how little is needed to protect against the type of encryption thwarting tools these guys likely employ, and to give people a starting point from which they can learn more from.
"While the sales are legal, human rights campaigners and cyber-security experts have expressed serious concerns these powerful tools could be used to spy on millions of people and thwart any signs of dissent."
Whilst true, why does this point seem to matter for other countries governments than our own?
By no means am I excusing the excesses of my government or its western allies, though I would like to point out that we won't execute someone for blasphemy like some of those other nations.
Ultimately is the motive that countries have even to improve the state of other countries? I mean, it should be. Less places that have a chance to becoming a democratic capitalist utopia is a win for the old guard like the west right? We seem to have done well with it.
If you have time, watch Bitter Lake by Adam Curtis: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02gyz6b (also available on youtube if you are outside the UK - though seems mildly edited)
Shows the tangled complicity in each others affairs that exists between UK, US and the Arab countries, and some of the background behind them and the leverage that we have over each over.
Readit News
Facebook only a few months ago began helping Pakistan "fight blasphemy", sending a team to the country.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39300270
Only for a man to be sentenced to death for committing blasphemy on Facebook a little while later.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40246754
Facebook say they are not responsible for this but it's obvious they have blood on their hands.
If you work for Zuck I'd love to hear your take on this.
I'm totally aware that asking these questions there is a chance >0 that you are actually not American and/or already living in another country. Let's just agree that you can still follow the intended purpose: People in a huge group don't really feel responsible for what other people on the other end of the world do unethically for the same group.
Dead Comment
Its really amazing to watch iron chains form from digital crystals. Did we learn nothing about history while our young people studied algorithms? Did taking "Computer Science" classes seclude us from the reality of how all of this would be used?
We should feel some shame and remorse. If you're in this industry, start telling us here everyday what you've done so that some can have a chance to deal with the coming digital dictatorship. It will be worldwide, it will be unjust, and people will not be able to run away from it because it will cross borders.
They lied to you when they told you they "needed" it for safety reasons, or for the children, or other soundless reasons to deceive you into building invisible prisons.
Obviously the answer to your questions is, "Enough people don't learn those lessons, don't believe it will apply to them, or simply don't care."
The time for analysis and hand-wringing was years ago, now it's just a pump-and-dump scheme at every level. The fools just think they have a place to run to, and that's the big flaw in the plan.
Yes, but if we did something reasonable such as enact scaling import tariffs on exports from non-free countries in proportion to their level of human rights abuses as measured by a legislative scorecard of objectively observable public criteria, the neoliberals would claim that they learned tariffs were bad in Econ 101 and therefore that domestic tax policy on importers must be set by the WTO.
They also bend the rules as much as legally permissable. They can't deliberately intercept domestic-only traffic, but anything that goes overseas is fair game for a bulk tap, and you don't really have control of how your packets are routed.
https://gist.github.com/zachaysan/89d40b3214160ce9d59a2b9136...
If you work on things that involve sexuality, health, or finance and you don't enable these types of protections you're risking lives or financial ruin.
Also if you see a shortcoming please let me know, I created this in a bit of a rush and I'm always happy to learn more.
The point is to show how little is needed to protect against the type of encryption thwarting tools these guys likely employ, and to give people a starting point from which they can learn more from.
Whilst true, why does this point seem to matter for other countries governments than our own?
I say we put out the big fire first.
http://www.salon.com/2016/10/03/u-s-paid-p-r-firm-540-millio...
Deleted Comment
Deleted Comment
Shows the tangled complicity in each others affairs that exists between UK, US and the Arab countries, and some of the background behind them and the leverage that we have over each over.