Comments on: Government and secrecy http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/ Temporarily Torontonian Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:08:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: . http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-97904 . Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:22:42 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-97904 <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2010/09/27/obama-administration.html" rel="nofollow">Obama administration wants encryption backdoors for domestic surveillance</a> Xeni Jardin at 11:58 AM Monday, Sep 27, 2010 In a New York Times article today by Charlie Savage, news that the Obama administration is proposing new legislation that would provide the U.S. Government with direct access to all forms of digital communication, "including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct 'peer to peer' messaging like Skype." Obama administration wants encryption backdoors for domestic surveillance

Xeni Jardin at 11:58 AM Monday, Sep 27, 2010

In a New York Times article today by Charlie Savage, news that the Obama administration is proposing new legislation that would provide the U.S. Government with direct access to all forms of digital communication, “including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct ‘peer to peer’ messaging like Skype.”

]]> By: a sibilant intake of breath » Blog Archive » Banning photography reduces our security http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-27539 a sibilant intake of breath » Blog Archive » Banning photography reduces our security Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:38:37 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-27539 [...] Government and secrecy [...] [...] Government and secrecy [...]

]]> By: a sibilant intake of breath » Blog Archive » Camera phones and police brutality http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-4950 a sibilant intake of breath » Blog Archive » Camera phones and police brutality Tue, 21 Nov 2006 16:44:41 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-4950 [...] As I have said again and again here: protection of the individual from unreasonable or arbitrary power – in the hands of government and its agents – is a crucial part of the individual security of all citizens in democratic states. In a world where normal activities increasingly take place within sight of CCTV cameras, it’s nice to see that recording technology can also work for the protection of individuals or - at least - improve the odds of things being set to rights after abuse takes place. [...] [...] As I have said again and again here: protection of the individual from unreasonable or arbitrary power – in the hands of government and its agents – is a crucial part of the individual security of all citizens in democratic states. In a world where normal activities increasingly take place within sight of CCTV cameras, it’s nice to see that recording technology can also work for the protection of individuals or – at least – improve the odds of things being set to rights after abuse takes place. [...]

]]> By: a sibilant intake of breath » Blog Archive » Republican torture ‘compromise’ http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-3891 a sibilant intake of breath » Blog Archive » Republican torture ‘compromise’ Tue, 26 Sep 2006 22:39:39 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-3891 [...] I have written more on this theme here. [...] [...] I have written more on this theme here. [...]

]]> By: Milan http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2159 Milan Fri, 19 May 2006 17:41:38 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2159 Bruce Schneier also has a good entry on <a href="http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/05/the_value_of_pr.html" rel="nofollow">The Value of Privacy</a>. Bruce Schneier also has a good entry on The Value of Privacy.

]]> By: Milan http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2136 Milan Thu, 18 May 2006 17:53:14 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2136 The same friend who suggested the previous article has suggested another: <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-donohue18may18,1,5350147.story?ctrack=1&cset=true" rel="nofollow">Battlefield: U.S.</a> Pentagon spies are treating the homeland like a war zone. By Laura K. Donohue Los Angeles Times. 18 May 2006 I'll comment on it later. I need to keep working on essays right now. The same friend who suggested the previous article has suggested another:

Battlefield: U.S.
Pentagon spies are treating the homeland like a war zone.
By Laura K. Donohue
Los Angeles Times. 18 May 2006

I’ll comment on it later. I need to keep working on essays right now.

]]> By: R.K. http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2108 R.K. Tue, 16 May 2006 22:45:22 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2108 Our friend Jon Stewart makes many similar points quite wittily in <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/media_player/play.jhtml?itemId=69088&ml_collection=&ml_context=show&ml_gateway=&allowMotherload=true&ml_comedian=none&poppedFrom=_shows_the_daily_show_index.jhtml&" rel="nofollow">this video</a>, entitled "Log of War." It's not right at the beginning, but waiting is worthwhile. Our friend Jon Stewart makes many similar points quite wittily in this video, entitled “Log of War.” It’s not right at the beginning, but waiting is worthwhile.

]]> By: R.K. http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2107 R.K. Tue, 16 May 2006 22:32:04 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2107 But they're building a _freedom_ tower! How bad could they be? Seriously, I'm scared too. But they’re building a _freedom_ tower! How bad could they be?

Seriously, I’m scared too.

]]> By: Milan http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2112 Milan Tue, 16 May 2006 19:33:15 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2112 Incidentally, I disagree with Mr. Falkenrath on almost every point. He says: "[A]ccording to USA Today, the telephone records voluntarily provided to the NSA had been anonymized." This is nonsense. If the records couldn't be traced back to particular phones and, ultimately, particular people, there would be no intelligence value to this program whatsoever. This program does violate the privacy of Americans and, by my thinking, violates reasonable limits on the kind of power government can exercise against citizens. Falkenrath's argument that the voluntary nature of the information exchange, on the part of AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth is equally weak. The fact that an unconstitutional and illegal act was engaged in 'voluntarily' is no defence at all, for either of the people involved. Nixon's goons breaking into the Watergate Hotel was presumably something they did voluntarily: a fact that is entirely irrelevant to its legality. Because there is no transparency in this system, we have no reasonable way of knowing what uses it is being put to. As the ABC example demonstrates, this could easily be things that are only tangentially related to terrorism, if at all. We have no reason to believe this system isn't or wouldn't be used to investigate all manner of things which the government has an interest in, but no legal authority to investigate in such an oppressive and dangerous way. Incidentally, I disagree with Mr. Falkenrath on almost every point. He says: “[A]ccording to USA Today, the telephone records voluntarily provided to the NSA had been anonymized.” This is nonsense. If the records couldn’t be traced back to particular phones and, ultimately, particular people, there would be no intelligence value to this program whatsoever. This program does violate the privacy of Americans and, by my thinking, violates reasonable limits on the kind of power government can exercise against citizens.

Falkenrath’s argument that the voluntary nature of the information exchange, on the part of AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth is equally weak. The fact that an unconstitutional and illegal act was engaged in ‘voluntarily’ is no defence at all, for either of the people involved. Nixon’s goons breaking into the Watergate Hotel was presumably something they did voluntarily: a fact that is entirely irrelevant to its legality.

Because there is no transparency in this system, we have no reasonable way of knowing what uses it is being put to. As the ABC example demonstrates, this could easily be things that are only tangentially related to terrorism, if at all. We have no reason to believe this system isn’t or wouldn’t be used to investigate all manner of things which the government has an interest in, but no legal authority to investigate in such an oppressive and dangerous way.

]]> By: Milan http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2111 Milan Tue, 16 May 2006 19:25:24 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/2006/05/16/government-and-secrecy/#comment-2111 By email, someone suggested I read the following article in support of the NSA wiretaps. It may be of interest to others who feel as I do. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/12/AR2006051201656.html" rel="nofollow">The Right Call on Phone Records</a> The NSA's Program Safeguards Security -- and Civil Liberties By Richard A. Falkenrath Washington Post. Saturday, May 13, 2006; Page A17 By email, someone suggested I read the following article in support of the NSA wiretaps. It may be of interest to others who feel as I do.

The Right Call on Phone Records
The NSA’s Program Safeguards Security — and Civil Liberties
By Richard A. Falkenrath
Washington Post. Saturday, May 13, 2006; Page A17

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