Why MPs have two mobile phones
bbc.co.uk
Why MPs have two mobile phones
1–10 of 35 posts
Re: Why MPs have two mobile phones
#2The real problem is that not everyone gets the PM's number. If you have it, you have a chance to get special treatment like Greensill attempted. A select few people have the ear of government and will sell it, as demonstrated by the former PM.
I'm not sure we can continue like this, it's possible that we just need total openness, even if it makes the PM's private life a bit weird. Just complete pants down government, everything is visible to everyone. I don't really buy that secrecy benefits overrule the transparency benefits.
Re: Why MPs have two mobile phones
#3> They can also stop screenshots being taken of exchanges if they are using an Android phone.
Does anyone else feel infuriated that apps can restrict screenshots from occurring? I can use an external camera if I really wanted to save a copy of a communication, or use a personal computer with no such limitations.
Why would android even allow such restrictions to be enabled in the first place?
Re: Why MPs have two mobile phones
#4> They can also stop screenshots being taken of exchanges if they are using an Android phone. Does anyone else feel infuriated that apps can restrict screenshots from occurring? I can use an external camera if I really wanted to save a copy of a communication, or use a personal computer with no such limitations. Why would android even allow such restrictions to be enabled in the first place?
Because mobile computers are the antithesis of personal computers -- you don't get to really own and control the very expensive device you bought. That people accepted this is an example of how truly powerless (or just ignorant) consumers are.
Re: Why MPs have two mobile phones
#5There is definitely an aversion to email because it creates a paper trail. Messenger apps can be organized privately and not be subject to information requests. Current surveillance capitalism tech could easily keep politicians and governments 100% accountable if we turned it on them. If you live in an outwardly democratic country with strong rules about public service transparency and individual citizen privacy, but your government operates mainly with secret anonymous networks that shield members from scrutiny or accountability, you should have a problem with that.
Without public transparency, government becomes competing cells and factions (often using ethnic ties) who compete for a zero-sum pool of public money to keep their networks loyal. It can look a lot like organized crime because without transparency, that's exactly what it is. The encryption threat few people talk about is how it creates a separate government perimeter that shields them from public accountability. For example, "emergency services," are using military-style trunked encrypted radio systems with encryption. IMO, this tech decision (~20+y ago) was really a backdoor policy decision that de-facto changed the relationship of law enforcement to the public from being a service, to being an occupation / pacification / counter-insurgency operation. If you thought police behavior was a problem, wait until you see what politicians and bureaucrats with secure anonymous networks do.
What people here need to get right now is that Code is Policy. We're building it, forking it, hacking it, disrupting it, and what we reward, we will only get more of. Watching politicians use encrypted messengers is like watching chimps use cutlery. It's cute and interesting, until they figure out how to stab each other with it.
I recommend watching this issue carefully.
Re: Why MPs have two mobile phones
#6> They can also stop screenshots being taken of exchanges if they are using an Android phone. Does anyone else feel infuriated that apps can restrict screenshots from occurring? I can use an external camera if I really wanted to save a copy of a communication, or use a personal computer with no such limitations. Why would android even allow such restrictions to be enabled in the first place?
> Why would android even allow such restrictions to be enabled in the first place?
To enforce DRM in streaming apps, mostly; though other apps have ended up bodging that for their own purposes.
I suppose at least in the context of secure messaging or banking apps (which also do this) it makes you think twice before snapping something, but even so I think there should be a variant of whatever API which lets the user override it / disable it globally.
Only genuine security concern I can think of that it addresses is that of screen recording malware / stalkerware (assuming said malware doesn't already have root access on your device to circumvent it...), and perhaps the risk of accidentally screenshotting/capturing something sensitive like bank details while screen sharing.
Re: Why MPs have two mobile phones
#7> They can also stop screenshots being taken of exchanges if they are using an Android phone. Does anyone else feel infuriated that apps can restrict screenshots from occurring? I can use an external camera if I really wanted to save a copy of a communication, or use a personal computer with no such limitations. Why would android even allow such restrictions to be enabled in the first place?
Because mobile computers are the antithesis of personal computers -- you don't get to really own and control the very expensive device you bought. That people accepted this is an example of how truly powerless (or just ignorant) consumers are.
Yeah and those ignorant consumers pull those in the know with them into the abyss.
Re: Why MPs have two mobile phones
#8> They can also stop screenshots being taken of exchanges if they are using an Android phone. Does anyone else feel infuriated that apps can restrict screenshots from occurring? I can use an external camera if I really wanted to save a copy of a communication, or use a personal computer with no such limitations. Why would android even allow such restrictions to be enabled in the first place?
Their are Apps that forbid screenshots on iOS as well. This isn't an Android only thing.
Re: Why MPs have two mobile phones
#9> They can also stop screenshots being taken of exchanges if they are using an Android phone. Does anyone else feel infuriated that apps can restrict screenshots from occurring? I can use an external camera if I really wanted to save a copy of a communication, or use a personal computer with no such limitations. Why would android even allow such restrictions to be enabled in the first place?
> Why would android even allow such restrictions to be enabled in the first place? To enforce DRM in streaming apps, mostly; though other apps have ended up bodging that for their own purposes. I suppose at least in the context of secure messaging or banking apps (which also do this) it makes you think twice before snapping something, but even so I think there should be a variant of whatever API which lets the user o…
Re: Why MPs have two mobile phones
#10> They can also stop screenshots being taken of exchanges if they are using an Android phone. Does anyone else feel infuriated that apps can restrict screenshots from occurring? I can use an external camera if I really wanted to save a copy of a communication, or use a personal computer with no such limitations. Why would android even allow such restrictions to be enabled in the first place?
> Why would android even allow such restrictions to be enabled in the first place? To enforce DRM in streaming apps, mostly; though other apps have ended up bodging that for their own purposes. I suppose at least in the context of secure messaging or banking apps (which also do this) it makes you think twice before snapping something, but even so I think there should be a variant of whatever API which lets the user o…
The irony of Android stopping this, and iOS allowing it is not lost on me.