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U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement

nytimes.com

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Re: U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement

#11

Post by delinka »

javajosh wrote: post #5

Goddamnit this is NOT OK. This is the dark side of the technological improvements to "productivity": we have enabled a level of productivity that allows the few to track the many. It's time we technologists all sat down and though about ways to turn the tide - they are using technology to track us, how can we use technology to thwart them? My best answer is: data flak. We should all start building system that include…

The response will be more charges for extra data usage, and a cry from the public to have apps with leaner data appetites.

Re: U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement

#12

Post by sneak »

EliAndrewC wrote: post #7
rayiner wrote: post #4

Couldn't they pick a more sympathetic guy to talk about: "Mr. Pickering said that although he was arrested two dozen times for acts of civil disobedience and convicted of a handful of misdemeanors, he was never involved in the arson attacks the Earth Liberation Front carried out." Gee, this guy was a member of a group that conducted arson attacks and the government is keeping track of the mail he gives to the governm…

> Couldn't they pick a more sympathetic guy to talk about "The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all." - H.L. Mencken

This is way better than all the explanations I've been able to come up with for people about why it's important to defend weev.

Re: U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement

#13

Post by loceng »

oinksoft wrote: post #8

Ah, I see I've arrived at Hacker/USA Government Abuses News. And I say that as somebody deeply interested in these stories.

I think it's important so people can build a picture that includes the full scope, and with the more areas and dots to connect, the more prominent it will become in ones' mind.

Re: U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement

#14

Post by MWil »

oinksoft wrote: post #8

Ah, I see I've arrived at Hacker/USA Government Abuses News. And I say that as somebody deeply interested in these stories.

Between here and Reddit, it's overkill...until you realize here the people might actually have the ability to execute to do something about it more quickly and over at Reddit well...just throw up the best meme you can and sit back and reap the karma.

Re: U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement

#16

Post by btbuildem »

javajosh wrote: post #5

Goddamnit this is NOT OK. This is the dark side of the technological improvements to "productivity": we have enabled a level of productivity that allows the few to track the many. It's time we technologists all sat down and though about ways to turn the tide - they are using technology to track us, how can we use technology to thwart them? My best answer is: data flak. We should all start building system that include…

Not sure, they'll just throw more resources at the problem.

I think the problem is in "the few". If they snoop on us, we should be able to snoop on them -- especially since it's our tax dollars that pay their salaries and (although yes it's a joke of a broken system) we elect these officials more or less directly.

Just to level the field a little bit. For example, London is full of CCTV cameras -- why is it that only a small group of twisted perverts has access to the feeds? The cameras are in public places, the public should be able to see what the cameras are seeing.

Re: U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement

#17

Post by criley2 »

btbuildem wrote: post #16
javajosh wrote: post #5

Goddamnit this is NOT OK. This is the dark side of the technological improvements to "productivity": we have enabled a level of productivity that allows the few to track the many. It's time we technologists all sat down and though about ways to turn the tide - they are using technology to track us, how can we use technology to thwart them? My best answer is: data flak. We should all start building system that include…

Not sure, they'll just throw more resources at the problem. I think the problem is in "the few". If they snoop on us, we should be able to snoop on them -- especially since it's our tax dollars that pay their salaries and (although yes it's a joke of a broken system) we elect these officials more or less directly. Just to level the field a little bit. For example, London is full of CCTV cameras -- why is it that only…

Aren't the majority of London's CCTV's privately owned and operated?

Re: U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement

#18

Post by knodi »

coldcode wrote: post #2

Everything you do is subject to some kind of informational storage by the government. Some day our thoughts might be recordable too.

They already are. Viewing someones data problem, search results, texts, files and etc one can to surprising accuracy determine the thoughts and inner working of the through process of a person.

Re: U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement

#19

Post by dllthomas »

sneak wrote: post #12
EliAndrewC wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Couldn't they pick a more sympathetic guy to talk about "The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all." - H.L. Mencken

This is way better than all the explanations I've been able to come up with for people about why it's important to defend weev.

Mencken had a way with words, for sure.

Re: U.S. Postal Service Logging All Mail for Law Enforcement

#20

Post by raganwald »

oinksoft wrote: post #8

Ah, I see I've arrived at Hacker/USA Government Abuses News. And I say that as somebody deeply interested in these stories.

Who do you think builds these things? Email, cameras in phones, handwriting recognition, network analysis, facial recognition, big data... We should be highly aware of both edges of the swords we forge in our volcano.
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