Now the question is: What major options do privacy advocates have apart from hosting their own mailservers?
Not use email. Seriously, how many times do people have to get burned? Don't write anything down you don't want anyone to know about.
U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data
61–70 of 83 posts
Re: U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's why I'm sayin' they can't just leave, and they can't just threaten. It has to be real civil disobedience. They have to be willing to say: No, we're not going to do that. You'll have to shut us down, which will take years, and cost the economy millions of jobs and trillions of dollars. Oh, and I hope it goes without saying that we won't be complying with any court orders related to this matter. If you're seriou…
Look at this from the opposite direction. You want a big multi-billion $ business to start dictating your laws? Good luck on that one, that's not going to end badly is it?
Don't they already ? Every multi-billion $ business has lobbyists that dictate the law.
Re: U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data
#63From comments here, it looks like there aren't good options for secure email outside of the jurisdiction of the US government.
I've been interested in setting this up for myself. If you're interested, let me know on this form, and I'll begin looking into the issues of where to host, and what legal structures I'd need to set up.
https://ianap.wufoo.com/forms/do-you-want-secure-private-ema...
Re: U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's why I'm sayin' they can't just leave, and they can't just threaten. It has to be real civil disobedience. They have to be willing to say: No, we're not going to do that. You'll have to shut us down, which will take years, and cost the economy millions of jobs and trillions of dollars. Oh, and I hope it goes without saying that we won't be complying with any court orders related to this matter. If you're seriou…
Look at this from the opposite direction. You want a big multi-billion $ business to start dictating your laws? Good luck on that one, that's not going to end badly is it?
Big multi-billion $ businesses can only exist in a society where a big government can enable them using bailouts, quid pro quo campaigning and cost-prohibitive compliance for frivolous regulation.
From a societal POV, big anything is bad. I wish more open-minded people could recognize that fact.
Re: U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's why I'm sayin' they can't just leave, and they can't just threaten. It has to be real civil disobedience. They have to be willing to say: No, we're not going to do that. You'll have to shut us down, which will take years, and cost the economy millions of jobs and trillions of dollars. Oh, and I hope it goes without saying that we won't be complying with any court orders related to this matter. If you're seriou…
Look at this from the opposite direction. You want a big multi-billion $ business to start dictating your laws? Good luck on that one, that's not going to end badly is it?
A big multi-billion $ business deciding to dictate its own behavior or end is not the same as dictating law, even if the law reacts by changing in order to preserve the business.
The current system, where corporations often actually, literally dictate many laws is a lot less open and straightforward.
Re: U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data
#66Applebaum, a tor developer, is i am sure astute enough not to leave unencrypted mails on gmail. he is used to governmental abuse at airpoets etc., so i am sure he saw this coming.
He can't prevent people from sending him unencrypted emails on Gmail, except by not using Gmail, nor can he force Google to delete them.
If he's receiving random emails they are probably not important or sensitive enough to be valuable to the government. If he's receiving non-random emails that contain sensitive data, it should all be encrypted.
If you do get something important that is not encrypted, you can forward the mail to yourself as ciphertext.
You're correct that Appelbaum has no control over Google's retention procedures.
Re: U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
My understanding is that using a non-domestic service would actually make it much easier to retain data under traditional espionage procedures. Perhaps this is incorrect. Clarifications welcome.
it doesn't make any difference. you us citizens are being tapped just the same as all us evil foreign terrorists these days. https://www.eff.org/issues/nsa-spying
I'm aware of the illegal NSA spying, but surely they're still somewhat more cautious about deploying domestic surveillance. Going overseas makes it all legal and OK, here they at least theoretically are not supposed to be doing things, and that's better than nothing, right?
Re: U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data
#68From comments here, it looks like there aren't good options for secure email outside of the jurisdiction of the US government. I've been interested in setting this up for myself. If you're interested, let me know on this form, and I'll begin looking into the issues of where to host, and what legal structures I'd need to set up. https://ianap.wufoo.com/forms/do-you-want-secure-private-ema...
If the US decides it wants access to your accounts, I don't think putting a server in another country will be enough to stop them.
The real answer to this and all other serious privacy issues is to use strong cryptography properly. There's no two ways about it. Anything that isn't encrypted before it sees a NIC should essentially be considered a public broadcast.
Re: U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data
#69Would someone please remind me when Wikileaks was convicted or even accused of a crime?
That's right: Neither ever happened.
What is going on in this country? Is the desire to operate in the dark, to work behind the backs of the very people that this government represents so strong, that any organization shining light on this must be squashed?
Re: U.S. Government Compels Google To Hand Over Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
How is it a gmail only problem? The government got a court order to force them, Google didn't hand it over willingly. It's the government who is at fault here and the shitty laws that enable it.
The article states that the government had a court order but didn't have a search warrant. It seems there is a loop in the system with the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. My questions is, did Google 'have' to give over his Gmail account information? Or do they just comply to make their lives easier?
The ISP Sonic fought against having to hand over the data and lost.
Both Sonic and Google fought over the right to inform Mr. Appelbaum of the request for his data and won (afaik).
The article says it is not known whether Google fought against having to hand over the data, like the ISP Sonic did.
Which makes me assume the writers asked Google, they didn't answer, neither did they issue a press report one way or the other. Which leads me to believe that, no, Google did not fight the actual request and unlike the small ISP Sonic did just comply in order to make their lives easier.
Of course it's just speculation but why else would we know about the other case Google did fight in this matter?
Additionally, why would Google go through that trouble, they have no interest either way, and are not in the business of protecting their users from surveillance state governments. Apparently.