Continued at
yay. In the global scheme of things far more suffering is caused by abusive governments than by terrorists.
Ummm…because exponentially more people work for governments than are terrorists?
Yes, I think that the authoritarianism that has taken root since 9/11 is far more of a threat to our way of life than terrorism is. I am hoping that this will at least start a conversation on the issue and get people to take notice of what is happening.
What percentage of the people who use these services are doing so to hide crimes or illegality? I am not sure facilitating child molesters, drug dealers, and other criminals is worth preventing possible government intrusion.
Is the Constitution the Constitution or is the Patriot Act the Constitution - legally, I don’t know how this was allowed to pass in the first place let alone remain …
Chilling.
Ahh, another from the “nothing to hide” brigade. Since you have nothing to hide, I’ve called the NSA, FBI, CIA and your local police and sheriffs departments. They asked me to tell you that they’ll be over tomorrow between noon and four to install the cameras in every room in your house, including three in the shower and two in the toilet bowl, plus a backscatter device in the bedroom so you can’t hide under the sheets like a filthy terrorist or child molester. They also ask that you put together a list of all of your usernames and passwords.
You’ll be very safe, I’m sure, and all at such a modest cost.
Let’s say I invent a customized invisibility cloak, and decide to sell it via my website. If the government asks me for my sales records, or access to my new invention that will allow one to see people wearing my cloak, should I comply? Would it be prudent to sell it in the first place? Who do you think would be the main consumers of such a product?
What do you mean “ask”?
Rules as between gov and the people it represents are governed by laws, usually very hard-fought and hard-earned laws.
Ah, another from the “idiot’s guide to irrational slippery slope arguments”. Fact is privacy and safety, law, order, etc. exist a as balancing act. There is a huge excluded middle between cameras in your house, and reading an email with a warrant or court order. The fact that you seem to think they are analogous notwithstanding.
Okay. Feel free to substitute “orders”. Please answer the other questions though.
… you could almost think the US Constitution no longer exists …
do the phrases “secret courts” and “first amendment rights” not ring any alarm bells?
This is very disturbing. I always thought that if the government of the US were to be subverted it would be by the acts of theocratic populists, not by such totalitarian excesses as have been engendered by the ill-named PATRIOT Act.
What should we as citizens do? Should we write our congress-critters? Should we write our President? Should we write strongly worded declamations on a message board?
The idiocy is on your side. He didn’t say they were equivalent. He was calling you on the fact that you just assumed that the company was home to child molesters et al. You thus stated that you think the only reason people might want privacy is that they’ve done illegal things.
Ergo it becomes okay for us to ask you to give up your own privacy, and notice how you suddenly don’t think that you have to have done something illegal to want privacy. Granted, he went a little overboard in what he asked, but it still got the desired response, so I don’t see a problem.
You really do not seem to have thought through anything about this. Even I could come up with a better reason not to care–what they are shutting down for would not seem to fall under the newly revealed program. The government has always been able to serve warrants to get digital data on suspected criminals, and you can’t get more suspected than Snowden.
And you could argue that the whole thing may be classified because it involves some military secrets or something. We have no way of knowing why they can’t tell us what they are doing.
You don’t need to say something that you’d expect to see on a YouTube comment.
For the record:
There are too many disconnects … how about working to restore the concept of the elected representing the people that elect them - that’s not going to begin to happen until corporations and other vested interests are taken out of election campaigning.
I didn’t assume anything, although it is a pretty likely assumption given nature of their business.
No, I implied that it is one main reason people want to encrypt their emails. Which is perfectly logical, and borne out by the facts. It’s not the only reason, which is why I asked:
“What percentage of the people who use these services are doing so to hide crimes or illegality? I am not sure facilitating child molesters, drug dealers, and other criminals is worth preventing possible government intrusion.”
Do you contend that such people don’t routinely utilize services such as this?
You don’t know that. They apparently can’t even discuss what the government asked for, and for what reason they did it. I guess you can assume the worst, but my original question still applies. What percentage of their user base is just hiding behind the privacy argument in order to facilitate crimes? If it’s 5%, then maybe you would have a point. That becomes less convincing it is 40% or 60%. This is a balancing act here.
Step one: quit reelecting the assholes responsible for this garbage. Supporting these attacks on the American people should be a death sentence for your career. And don’t give me any bullshit about the Republicans being worse. That sort of stupidity is exactly why the CIA loves Obama, because he puts a friendly face on the same old monster.
Like trying to track down a wanted fugitive and self-confessed traitor to this country which Lavabit has been providing aid and comfort to, whose continued status as a free man is a threat to the lives of Americans around the world, perhaps?
Haha that was a good one.