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Encryption, Privacy Are Larger Issues Than Fighting Terrorism

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Re: Encryption, Privacy Are Larger Issues Than Fighting Terrorism

#62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No the weirdest thing is that Apple is standing up to the government. Isn't that just wrong? You, the people choose the government, so in effect Apple is standing up to the people of America and saying 'no'. If you the people didn't want the FBI to be bullish then choose a different government. It feels to me (an outsider) that it's the government that is out of control and is not accountable to the people.

It seems like the country is 50-50 divided on this. But more importantly, individual liberty is more important than majority rule. When the founding fathers created this country, they cared deeply about individual liberty, and worried about a tyranny of the majority. Even if a super-majority wants to deprive an individual or a minority group of its rights, they should not be allowed to. A free country's first commitm…

"A free country's first commitment is to personal liberty"

Excellent.

Re: Encryption, Privacy Are Larger Issues Than Fighting Terrorism

#63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So how DO you disrupt criminal plots, then? Do you allow people to conspire to commit crimes? You're going to find, that once you think it through, that you'll end up limiting the rights and freedoms of individuals... there's no getting around that. Life sucks that way. People were never their own little countries. I just feel sorry for the middle-class suckers that thought they had freedom. Poor guys - they never fi…

You suspect someone of a crime, get a little evidence, get a warrant, then surveil them. If they are using some difficult to monitor communication method you have to get creative. There's good reasons the system developed to be that way. People TALK about killing far more than ever seriosuly think about or have the personality to actually do. Bad humour, frustration at work or with partner, or even how to make a bomb…

> You suspect someone of a crime, get a little evidence, get a warrant, then surveil them.

Everything the Obama administration has proposed includes all of the above.

For some reason, the libertarians like to ignore the fact that this would all be done under a court order.

Re: Encryption, Privacy Are Larger Issues Than Fighting Terrorism

#67
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this was really about the privacy of the perps; an NSL would've been enough and we'd never know about it. This is about setting precedent, and as publicly as possible. If the feds get their way the entire idea of encryption is weakened, and not just for the lawful citizens. I suspect the reason for having this battle so publicly is propaganda based, just as it was with Zimmermann in the 90's.

Since you brought up NSL.... The legality of the NSL (which does not require oversight- the FBI can self-sign them) hinges on the idea that the persons on whom the information is being gathered have/had "no reasonable expectation" of privacy of the information. That said, if these back doors were to be instituted, could the argument then be made that we now have "no reasonable expectation" of privacy of anything on o…

Absolutely, and as terrifying as that possibility is I personally think they didn't go the NSL route because Apple is big enough to finally prove or disprove the constitutionality of NSL's; even bring the process to mainstream attention. That's something the DOJ would never want to see happen, because then everyone can come out of the shadows and tell their story.

Re: Encryption, Privacy Are Larger Issues Than Fighting Terrorism

#68
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The moment you mention "child pornography" as justification I consider that you have lost the argument. This is simply Godwin's Law for the modern era.

It's also a horribly counter-productive argument. This is obviously a politically charged subject, but let's try to be rational for a moment. It seems likely that by far the most prolific creators of child pornography today are... children. What today's parent and grandparent generations used to do in relative privacy behind the metaphorical bike shed, surely today's teenagers are doing with their phones and laptops,…

While I agree that privacy and secure communications are the best means to protect kids in the first world, there are still enough horrible people in the world who rape children and take pictures, as well, there is child sex trafficking. We shouldn't forget that these things exist and reduce child porn to snapchat and selfies.

Re: Encryption, Privacy Are Larger Issues Than Fighting Terrorism

#69
post #9

Sometime I wonder if the FBI and other security agencies lost perspectives or they know something that we don't. Time and time again, their argumentation are not particularly persuasive. I don't doubt the existence of terrorists, but it seems that they are more boogeymen rather than an actual threats. And when it came down to it, the power of terrorists is to inspire fear, rather than kill people. They can change us…

Politicians need to appear strong.

For some reason, especially in the U.S., "leaders" have to appear strong. When there's no war going on, they have to start one. Terrorism is easy. There's really nobody to fight, but you get to fight them anyway. Politicians LOVE this.

Law enforcement loves it too. They get to trot it out as an excuse to lengthen their leashes.

Re: Encryption, Privacy Are Larger Issues Than Fighting Terrorism

#70
post #22
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How easy is it to be part of society without a phone? The way people communicate, organize, meet, is all via these devices. Yes, whether to have these devices is technically a choice, but when the social cost of choosing not to have one is so high, the choice is made for you.

Dont be so dramatic. You can have a phone and leave it at home if your gone do something where you don't want to get tracket. Thats just the most simple option. Its not a binary choice.

I don't want to be tracked when I go to work (or ever), but I have to bring my cell phone to work because I need it to do my job.

So, yes it's a "choice": I can have my privacy or I can have my job.

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