{"id":634,"date":"2013-06-12T07:35:43","date_gmt":"2013-06-12T14:35:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=634"},"modified":"2013-06-20T11:30:54","modified_gmt":"2013-06-20T18:30:54","slug":"the-government-is-spying-on-us-no-i-wouldve-never-guessed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=634","title":{"rendered":"The government is spying on us? Does that make everyone a potential terrorist?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t

This PRISM spying thing<\/a> is interesting for me because so many factors are at play (listed below in no particular order):<\/p>\n\t

1.\u00a0What motivates a whistleblower?<\/strong> Edward Snowden<\/a> is the new Bradley Manning<\/a> (and we see how that ended). \u00a0The motivation behind leaking this kind of information and the trouble it causes for you is fascinating. \u00a0Would I leak if given a similar opportunity? \u00a0Probably not; I like my life too much. \u00a0Would you?<\/p>\n\t

It seems to me to be a case of self-sacrifice, where the whistleblower is potentially making the world a better place for us, while at the same time ruining their own life. \u00a0Questionable move.<\/p>\n\t

2.\u00a0The government has to spy on us<\/strong>. \u00a0The current whistleblowing, while creating a useful dialogue about freedom vs security, will not change government eavesdropping now or in the future (the program will simply move further into the shadows if shut down). \u00a0Think about it from the government’s perspective: \u00a01) We’re already creating all the data for them (emails, phone calls, facebook, cell phone GPS, etc.) and the technology exists to gather it. \u00a0It would almost be a missed opportunity, from the government’s perspective, if they didn’t take that final step of collecting it. 2) If the US government isn’t spying on us, then some other government (or organization) will be, and the US government will not accept that kind of information asymmetry. \u00a0Would we want our government at a disadvantage?<\/p>\n\t

3.\u00a0It is safe to assume we are being watched all the time by multiple parties<\/strong>. \u00a0I would not assume the US government is the only one with this kind of program. \u00a0If they are today, they won’t always be. \u00a0Information of all kinds is being created about us at an increasing rate, and so organizations will be increasingly tempted to use it.<\/p>\n\t

4.\u00a0How is government spying all that different than marketers or financiers?<\/strong> Marketers \u00a0know what I want to buy before I do. \u00a0Financier formulas give me a credit rating that is likely more accurate at predicting my ability to service debt than even I would know if you asked me. \u00a0In short, the world of commerce not only knows most things about me already; they often know MORE than I know about myself. \u00a0And, really, how much “spying” does the government need to do? \u00a0Many people simply publish their lives on Facebook voluntarily.<\/p>\n\t

5. The government is collecting 99.9% junk, and the program is a waste of time.<\/strong> This will be the world’s largest database of people doing regular, boring stuff that ever existed. <\/em> To separate signal (some terrorist) from noise (our comings and goings) is an intellectually stimulating but largely fruitless endeavor. \u00a0I would be highly suspicious of any claim that actionable intelligence is coming out of the surveillance (although I am sure that claim will be made).<\/p>\n\t

We had mountains of data about the finance system and years of effort in creating sophisticated models, and no one could predict the financial crisis or housing bust. \u00a0Do we now think we’re going to drum up some model that can find, or even significantly contribute to finding, terrorists (if that is even the program’s real\/primary use)?<\/p>\n\t

6.\u00a0Do terrorists really carry registered cell phones, and put “I’m a terrorist!” on Facebook?<\/strong> Perhaps a few really crappy terrorists. \u00a0In general, it is beyond me what the government hopes to learn of significance. \u00a0I do bet they could catch a bunch of drug dealers and petty criminals who aren’t sophisticated enough to prevent leaving a digital trail. \u00a0Certainly though the government doesn’t need any more help catching drug dealers\/users? \u00a0The jails are already overflowing.<\/p>\n\t

7.\u00a0Convenience trumps Freedom.<\/strong> I think most of us are OK with having our every move logged. Like I said, we are voluntarily doing it mostly anyway. \u00a0We “log” into every site or service we use and they “log” our information. \u00a0We do that because it creates something convenient for us (it is nice that Amazon saves my info and predicts my likes). \u00a0We can simply not buy cell phones if we don’t want our location constantly monitored, but most of us value the convenience of driving directions more than the freedom we give up.<\/p>\n\t

8.\u00a0The Internet does not promote a free and open society<\/strong>. \u00a0This is exactly the opposite of what we’d like to think and have been told. \u00a0Our digital universe (including the Internet) creates the most effective surveillance state that could ever be conceived<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\t

9. Cloud Computer is inherently insecure.<\/strong> If we create the data and upload it centrally somewhere for a service to manage…then we are volunteering our data to the government, and likely others as well. \u00a0I think, ultimately, people value convenience over security, and so “the cloud” has a big future…it is just a big future in which privacy is marginalized and our mistakes are recorded in perpetuity.<\/p>\n\t

10.\u00a0Spying is being automated<\/strong>. \u00a0Can former spies apply for unemployment? \u00a0No longer does a spy have to sit in a cafe in Damascus and eavesdrop on conversations; the conversations are being recorded. \u00a0I guess no industry is immune to automation.<\/p>\n\t

11.\u00a0Who Watches the Watchers?<\/strong> Even though I believe this kind of surveillance is a waste of time for finding terrorists, I am strongly against it. \u00a0Even though our lives are incredibly boring and full of non-events, with this much data about our comings and goings it would not be difficult to find “other” uses for it. \u00a0There is no need for any organization to have that kind of power.<\/p>\n\t

If the government would submit themselves to be watched in the same way they are watching us…then I might see a moral justification for the program. \u00a0They can have their privacy but we can’t have ours? \u00a0That seems unfair in a nation where no one is supposed to be above the law.<\/p>\n\t

For those who would invoke “national security” as the justification for the information asymmetry, I submit my last comment:<\/p>\n\t

12) The response to 9\/11 is enormously out of line with the event.<\/strong> Is no one brave enough to lead with, “Despite the tragedy, it simply is not worth all this.”? \u00a0Preserving our way of life is not disrespecting the dead. \u00a0It is what the dead would have wanted for us, and thus is the highest form of respect we can pay.<\/p>\n\t

2,993 people died on September 11, 2001 as a result of a terrorist attack.<\/p>\n\t

4,488 US soldiers \u00a0have died in Iraq<\/a> since 9\/11…. Certainly we have not saved 4,488 US lives in prevented terrorism since that day? <\/strong>We’ve killed more of our own soldiers in response to 9\/11 than died on 9\/11.<\/p>\n\t

Over 1 million Iraqis have died due<\/a> to US military activity since 9\/11. \u00a0If there wasn’t a lot of dislike of US before, there is now. \u00a0As much as some Iraqis appreciate the liberation from Saddam, if the deal is “to save us you must kill us”, I’m not sure that is a great bargain. \u00a0We’re kicking the hornets nest in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\t

Here are some other sobering statistics:<\/p>\n\t

Over 5,000 people per year die in the US from texting while driving accidents…44,000 per year in car accidents in general. \u00a047,000 per year die in the US from hospital\/doctor errors. \u00a024,000 per year die of lightning strikes (globally). \u00a0No one is declaring war on any of these things….despite causing more death per year (recurring) than 9\/11 (a one time event).<\/strong><\/p>\n\t

6,800 people die per day in the US from all causes. \u00a04292 days have passed since 9\/11\/2011, so 29,185,600 people have died overall in that time period. \u00a0 The tragic deaths of 9\/11 account for .02% of all deaths since that day. <\/strong>How are the other 99.98% of deaths any less tragic?<\/strong> Why no passionate response for non-terrorist deaths (some of which could likely be addressed without such a draconian response)?<\/p>\n\t

What is the justification for the response to 9\/11?<\/p>\n\t

It certainly can’t be lives saved<\/strong>, since we are killing more than we are saving.<\/p>\n\t

It can’t be freedom<\/strong>, since we are giving up (in civil liberties) more than we are preserving.<\/p>\n\t

It can’t be safety<\/strong>, since there are far better, less invasive ways to make us safer.<\/p>\n\t

What is the justification?<\/p>\n\t

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This PRISM spying thing is interesting for me because so many factors are at play (listed below in no particular order): 1.\u00a0What motivates a whistleblower? Edward Snowden is the new Bradley Manning (and we see how that ended). \u00a0The motivation behind leaking this kind of information and the trouble it causes for you is fascinating. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0},"categories":[9],"tags":[59],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3IMYj-ae","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":441,"url":"http:\/\/chasingeden.com\/?p=441","url_meta":{"origin":634,"position":0},"title":"Only the government can save us now……. from the government.","author":"kellio","date":"May 14, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"It is sometimes said that the cure is worse than the disease; however, sometimes the cure IS the disease. 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