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Re: Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back

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Oregonian Haruspex wrote:

> On 2014-02-12 18:36:48 +0000, Koen 
Lefever said:
> 
>> The protests against SOPA were an 
exclusively American matter, for the
>> obvious reason that it was about a US 
law.
>> 
>> Yesterday was more of an international 
affair: the NSA, GCHQ and their
>> ilk spy on everybody.
>> 
>> Still, the action did not get the 
attention it needs.
>> 
>> There was not enough publicity 
beforehand: if it had not been posted
>> the day before here on comp.misc, I 
would not have even noticed it at
>> all. And I am somebody who cares and 
was involved in
>> www.academicsagainstsurveillance.net, 
so I guess hardly anybody knew
>> about it.
> 
> I'd wager that one reason why people 
didn't notice is that their
> favorite web sites weren't doing 
anything.  During the Stop SOPA days,
> many web sites like Wikipedia and 
Reddit were throwing banners up and
> reminding people to call their 
representatives.  I didn't see any
> evidence of this this time around.
> 
> Another reason may be a combination of 
feelings of helplessness and
> apathy.  We Americans have learned that 
while we can shuffle our
> oligarchical class around a bit, 
nothing really changes.  Those that
> get voted out retire into high-paying 
business jobs where their
> influence can be put to profitable use, 
and the new blood has little
> hope of even getting on a major ticket 
unless they have sold their
> souls already.  With such an obviously 
corrupt system, what can be
> done?  So it's back to beer and 
football, fuck it.  And the foreigners?
>  Pfftt, our government clearly thinks 
they'd rather have a few pissed
> off at the spying, than give up this 
ability.  Merkel got a bit pissy
> (rightfully so) but I don't see her 
doing anything proactive aside from
> getting a new phone.
> 
> Academics are maybe against 
surveillance on principle, but would any
> school refuse all the federal grants 
they get here in the USA?  If you
> want to take Uncle Sam's money you are 
also bound to jump when he says
> so.
> 
> Let me ask you personally, what lengths 
are you willing to go to in
> order to protect yourself against 
surveillance?  Are you willing to get
> rid of your cell phone if you have one?  
Willing to stop using Google
> and Facebook?  Willing to stop using 
main-line operating systems all of
> which have undoubtedly been pre-
backdoored via National Security
> Letter?  I'm not asking to be difficult 
or an asshole, just curious.
> 
> I'm in the process of setting up my own 
email servers (redundant
> geographically distinct systems) and 
once this is done I intend to cut
> the cord with Google completely.  I've 
already mothballed my Facebook
> account, after slowly putting up many 
Facebook profile pictures that
> aren't me but look vaguely like me, in 
order to confuse the facial
> recognition profile, I DFE'd everything 
from Reddit thanks to a handy
> Firefox extension, and my web browsing 
is moving more and more to a TOR
> platform - though I don't trust simply 
because it is a military project
> and therefore likely backdoored by 
default, it will at least stymie
> lots of commercial spying.
> 
> I guess my point is that, if I want to 
be against surveillance, I have
> to stop enabling it personally and 
spread the word because this is all
> individuals can really effectively do 
any more.
My cellphone is exclusively for emergency 
use and has yet to make a single 
call...prepay with no registration. I use 
no Google services whatever and have 
never had a social networking site 
account...never was willing to accept the 
privacy loss. I use GNU/Linux and a BSD 
flavour with no Microsoft or Apple 
machines in my house. I use a VPN for 
most of my Internet traffic and Firefox 
with a number of privacy enhancements as 
my browser. All in all I don't feel that 
I've lost anything worth having thanks to 
these choices and have gained some degree 
of protection for my privacy and 
anonymity.
 BTW my email is from my own site, hosted 
outside of the UK and in a country that 
is a lot less willing than most to play 
ball with the NSA or GCHQ...I host my own 
proxy there too.

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Thread

Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back RS Wood <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2014-02-12 14:03 +0000
  Re: Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back Koen Lefever <koen.lefever@gmail.com> - 2014-02-12 10:36 -0800
    Re: Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back TrueSatan <true_satan@fastmail.co.uk> - 2014-02-12 21:43 +0000
    Re: Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> - 2014-02-12 13:44 -0800
      Re: Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back TrueSatan <true_satan@fastmail.co.uk> - 2014-02-12 22:02 +0000
        Re: Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> - 2014-02-12 14:34 -0800
          Re: Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back TrueSatan <true_satan@fastmail.co.uk> - 2014-02-12 23:02 +0000
            Re: Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back Oregonian Haruspex <bob_davis_retired@yahoo.com> - 2014-02-12 22:44 -0800
      Re: Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back Koen Lefever <koen.lefever@gmail.com> - 2014-02-12 14:31 -0800
  Re: Feb 11: The day the Internet didn't fight back Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> - 2014-02-13 09:27 -0500

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