11–20 of 25 posts
Aren't the recent demands on Apple "technically feasible"?
I see the UK roll out what seems to me increasingly intrusive laws because "terrorists" but relatively muted responses to these encroachments. Do people just not care or have they become numb from the incremental changes over time (starting with surveillance cameras etc.)?
I work in the UK and live in a household where 3 of 4 people work in tech. It's mostly a case of the people outside of tech simply not knowing. Short of a prime-time TV special that outlined just how long the tentacles of GCHQ are and how it actually affects people; there won't be a change. For those that are in tech, there are essentially two fields of thought I can extrapolate: 1. There's those like myself who are…
But yeah, people here don't really know all too much about this spying, and they sadly don't seem to care much if they do know. That depresses me, and makes me despair about how spinless much of humanity seems to have become.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I work in the UK and live in a household where 3 of 4 people work in tech. It's mostly a case of the people outside of tech simply not knowing. Short of a prime-time TV special that outlined just how long the tentacles of GCHQ are and how it actually affects people; there won't be a change. For those that are in tech, there are essentially two fields of thought I can extrapolate: 1. There's those like myself who are…
To be fair, that doesn't seem all too different to the situation in the US, and this is coming from someone living in the UK. Remember, sites like Hacker News are only a small percentage of the population, and there's a much larger group either completely or nearly completely oblivious to the actions of the NSA or what not. But yeah, people here don't really know all too much about this spying, and they sadly don't s…
She seems to be a real life personification of Delores Umbridge with all her unpleasantness.
But hey, there's also the current sh*tshow aka US presidential campaign.. :)
I see the UK roll out what seems to me increasingly intrusive laws because "terrorists" but relatively muted responses to these encroachments. Do people just not care or have they become numb from the incremental changes over time (starting with surveillance cameras etc.)?
I work in the UK and live in a household where 3 of 4 people work in tech. It's mostly a case of the people outside of tech simply not knowing. Short of a prime-time TV special that outlined just how long the tentacles of GCHQ are and how it actually affects people; there won't be a change. For those that are in tech, there are essentially two fields of thought I can extrapolate: 1. There's those like myself who are…
There's advantages to not having a written constitution, but this is not one of them. We don't have amendments we can take the government to court over. We have the EU and the Human Rights Act as our last line of defence, but the popular media is too busy trying to ridicule it as part of the "reluctant European" agenda. In this case our history as very reluctant Europeans does not help.
Outside tech, no one seems to have even the vaguest inkling of what's going on within their mobiles, or meta data is just date and time isn't it? It doesn't matter. Look at this meme.
Within tech
1. Those of similar mind can either withdraw and minimise exposure (ie use minimal apps, VPNs etc), join the open rights group, or... nothing. There's apathy in the extreme. The only other thing I could do, unless I made a solo stand in Parliament Square is contribute to Signal or similar on github.
2. There's the majority view which is along the lines of "I've nothing to hide", but with a total unawareness of concepts like if there's enough data you can criminalise anyone the powers that be take an exception to. If it's not criminal you could easily let something slip to make someone unemployable. Even tech people seem to have little idea or appreciation of historical lessons of only 70 years ago, except GCHQ is a good thing, it's the follow on to Bletchley and that helped win the war.
We've lost, clearly. You'd get as much, if not more, takeup organising a demo against the mythical chemtrails than this.
I see the UK roll out what seems to me increasingly intrusive laws because "terrorists" but relatively muted responses to these encroachments. Do people just not care or have they become numb from the incremental changes over time (starting with surveillance cameras etc.)?
Possibly off topic regarding surveillance data, but one of the more frustrating things is that amount of money generated from peoples data that they give away from free... then again, if you can't figure out what the product is, you are the product.
I see the UK roll out what seems to me increasingly intrusive laws because "terrorists" but relatively muted responses to these encroachments. Do people just not care or have they become numb from the incremental changes over time (starting with surveillance cameras etc.)?
I work in the UK and live in a household where 3 of 4 people work in tech. It's mostly a case of the people outside of tech simply not knowing. Short of a prime-time TV special that outlined just how long the tentacles of GCHQ are and how it actually affects people; there won't be a change. For those that are in tech, there are essentially two fields of thought I can extrapolate: 1. There's those like myself who are…
I wonder if it harks back to culturally significant episodes like watergate?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
To be fair, that doesn't seem all too different to the situation in the US, and this is coming from someone living in the UK. Remember, sites like Hacker News are only a small percentage of the population, and there's a much larger group either completely or nearly completely oblivious to the actions of the NSA or what not. But yeah, people here don't really know all too much about this spying, and they sadly don't s…
To be clear, Theresa May just seems to be much more blatant about it because "terrorists and pedophiles" She seems to be a real life personification of Delores Umbridge with all her unpleasantness. But hey, there's also the current sh*tshow aka US presidential campaign.. :)
The Daily Mail has played the because terrorism, think of the children cards for 100+ years, but now every kneejerk campaign results in equally kneejerk legislation.
I'm old enough to remember some of the IRA activities. They did far more than ISIS and Al Quida put together, and it was ongoing. The political reaction was always "we will not change our society, or they win". The few pieces of legislation, even the kneejerk ones, were aimed squarely at them - remove the right to appear on TV, occasional internment. We didn't have to get half undressed to get on a plane.
FFS I spent one night driving around London because I happened to be staying in a hotel near Heathrow the night the IRA decided to mortar bomb the runway. Didn't result in strip searches or armed police on a regular basis. (Aside, that's the only occasion I've had a gun pointed at me - the Police who were turning away traffic trying to get to the hotels were all carrying MP5s, and carrying them as though they were about to use them).
I see the UK roll out what seems to me increasingly intrusive laws because "terrorists" but relatively muted responses to these encroachments. Do people just not care or have they become numb from the incremental changes over time (starting with surveillance cameras etc.)?
They should be called what they are, "Stasi powers", and memories of the KGB, totalitarianism and other things people can relate to as being generally bad news should be invoked.
I see the UK roll out what seems to me increasingly intrusive laws because "terrorists" but relatively muted responses to these encroachments. Do people just not care or have they become numb from the incremental changes over time (starting with surveillance cameras etc.)?
The weird thing is that in many ways the UK's risk from terrorism is much lower than it used to be, since the Good Friday Agreement put an end to the actual civil war going on in the UK.
ISIS and Al Quaida are a bunch of clueless fuckwits and are not commiting a mainland bombing every 3-6 months like the IRA tried to.
Which group resulted in major restrictions to UK freedoms?
Meh, this is a depressing thread.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I work in the UK and live in a household where 3 of 4 people work in tech. It's mostly a case of the people outside of tech simply not knowing. Short of a prime-time TV special that outlined just how long the tentacles of GCHQ are and how it actually affects people; there won't be a change. For those that are in tech, there are essentially two fields of thought I can extrapolate: 1. There's those like myself who are…
This, sadly, is the right answer. There's advantages to not having a written constitution, but this is not one of them. We don't have amendments we can take the government to court over. We have the EU and the Human Rights Act as our last line of defence, but the popular media is too busy trying to ridicule it as part of the "reluctant European" agenda. In this case our history as very reluctant Europeans does not he…
The people before us have fought (and died) for freedom. We are the ones giving it up. And some day after we're gone, some people will fight for it again.
And the whole thing starts over once more.