Sure. But I can’t help feeling outrage at the outrage. This apparent stunning abuse is “us” reaping the whirlwind from having supported the growth of the security state and its unquestionable and extraordinary acts and support of mass murder and torture worldwide. We voted for empire, we got imperial methods and institutions.
Well said.
One could also say that the structure of the Internet promotes a system that allows this to happen. I just watched an interview with the creator of ZeroTier One (https://www.zerotier.com) where he briefly talks about this and mentions McLuhan’s “the medium is the message” and how the medium affects the society, at around 6:30 (http://redecentralize.org/interviews/2013/07/30/02-adam-zerotierone.html).
That’s why I find decentralized alternatives to the Internet so interesting. They promote the idea of independence from centralized systems and governments, and maybe more grassroots thinking. The affect a medium like that can have on society is an interesting thought!
ZeroTier One is interesting, but it’s still using the existing Internet infrastructure that governments wiretap, and it relies on centralized nodes to establish connections (perfect for spying). CJDNS is even more interesting in that it’s a real meshnet that could potentially function as an independent alternative to the “clearnet” – if only locally.
http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/10/thompson/
http://cjdns.info/
Joakim, yes the structure of the Internet (broadly construed; any layer one wants to focus on, and also business and institutional arrangements and their legal backing) can make mass surveillance easier or harder. Let’s push decentralization and freedom as much as possible. Treat the medium as a commons; it needs commoning!
But in this post I was really focusing on the much older and more significant imperialism (that word sounds sterile: I mean mass murder, and much more) of the U.S. “We” are reaping the whirlwind. Everyone upset by mass surveillance needs to take a look at the sharp end of the security state, and oppose that at every turn.
Also, hi to people coming here from https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/397871040002404352 and company.
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