Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The EARN IT bill is back, seeking to scan our messages and photos

eff.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 494 posts

Re: The EARN IT bill is back, seeking to scan our messages and photos

#71

Post by jcutrell »

maerF0x0 wrote: post #7

A reminder that "you have nothing to hide" argument is a fallacy because people abuse their power: Some first hits as reminders of places where their powers are abused [1]: "NSA staff used spy tools on spouses, ex-lovers: watchdog" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-surveillance-watchdog... [2]: https://reason.com/2022/07/26/police-can-access-your-ring-ca... [3]: https://reason.com/2021/04/26/warrantless-border-s…

For people who say they have nothing to hide, I ask them why they have locks on their doors, passwords to their email, and clothes on their body.

Re: The EARN IT bill is back, seeking to scan our messages and photos

#72

Post by hexane360 »

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #59
dehrmann wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> FEINSTEIN Many years ago, I remember she supported a similar bill around limiting encryption. Around six months later, it was reported some government agency was spying on senators' emails, and she wasn't happy. I don't think she made the connection between the two, or that she supports widespread data collection when it's not her data.

This shouldn't be surprising. Even before she was old and "of questionable judgement" she was voting for and sponsoring stuff like this. Go back to the war on drugs era and you can find sound bytes of her advocating for all sorts of absurd stuff. And by "absurd" I don't mean "didn't age well but was the party line". I'm talking about stuff that violates rights in excess of what the average party politician was pushin…

Seems like she supports abortion rights, which definitely doesn't give the government more power over people than criminalizing them.

Re: The EARN IT bill is back, seeking to scan our messages and photos

#73

Post by dsfyu404ed »

RajT88 wrote: post #50
LocalH wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. Or the "USA PATRIOT" Act, as it's full name spells. "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism". But by calling it "patriot", it implies that you're not a patriot if you don't support it. Never mind that modern American "patriotism" isn't anything of the sort, but is much closer to nationalism.

Modern American "patriotism" begins with nationalism, and gets darker and weirder from there. As an exercise, imagine someone who self-identifies as a patriot. Ask them what makes them a patriot. (If you're not American, you might not get what I am getting at, but probably Canadians get it)

The Party(TM) must love types like you.

There's a huge subset (dare I say majority) of those "patriots" you deride who don't like this stuff, don't think their goings on are any of the government's business. But of course you ignore that because they don't want what you want on meaningless social issues.

Re: The EARN IT bill is back, seeking to scan our messages and photos

#74

Post by SimianSci »

vegetablepotpie wrote: post #16

4th amendment text: > The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Let’s name names, the senators who introduced this are Mr. GRAHAM…

It's important to point out that many of these senators are also members of the Intelligence committee and are receiving regular reports from intelligence agencies as part of their senatorial duties. It is logical to think that these agencies are using these briefings to lobby senators for changes that directly impact their performance.

It's highly unlikely this comes from a place of malice, but rather is a second order effect of organizational incentives to do better work.

Regardless, it's important for citizens to fight back against this pressure as it can be conceived as a potentially never-ending erosion of human rights.

Re: The EARN IT bill is back, seeking to scan our messages and photos

#75

Post by hammyhavoc »

HeckFeck wrote: post #29
dehrmann wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> FEINSTEIN Many years ago, I remember she supported a similar bill around limiting encryption. Around six months later, it was reported some government agency was spying on senators' emails, and she wasn't happy. I don't think she made the connection between the two, or that she supports widespread data collection when it's not her data.

In the UK, we will have ministers say 'We need to force the evil big tech companies to break encryption so terrorists and perverts can be caught' and the next week they'll warn of the dangers of Russia hacking into vital infrastructure, and the urgent need for strong cybersecurity strategies. A bewildering and curious lot our leaders are.

Glad it isn't just me that noticed this cognitive dissonance. It's exhausting.

Re: The EARN IT bill is back, seeking to scan our messages and photos

#77

Post by HDThoreaun »

throwaway5959 wrote: post #28
tomschlick wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do Californians keep re-electing her?

Why do Kentuckians keep re-electing Mitch McConnell?

He looks out for their interests. One of the first projects finished with the infrastructure bill was bridge in kentucky that Mcconnell and Biden opened together.

Re: The EARN IT bill is back, seeking to scan our messages and photos

#78

Post by isk517 »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #60
maerF0x0 wrote: post #7

A reminder that "you have nothing to hide" argument is a fallacy because people abuse their power: Some first hits as reminders of places where their powers are abused [1]: "NSA staff used spy tools on spouses, ex-lovers: watchdog" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-surveillance-watchdog... [2]: https://reason.com/2022/07/26/police-can-access-your-ring-ca... [3]: https://reason.com/2021/04/26/warrantless-border-s…

People abuse their power, but that wouldn't matter if you really had nothing to hide. But everybody has something to hide. Your social security number? Your bank account number? Your debit card PIN? Yeah, pretty sure you have something to hide.

The other issue is just because something doesn't need to be hidden today doesn't mean a change in the political/social winds could happen that requires you to hide it tomorrow.

Re: The EARN IT bill is back, seeking to scan our messages and photos

#79

Post by hammyhavoc »

jcutrell wrote: post #71
maerF0x0 wrote: post #7

A reminder that "you have nothing to hide" argument is a fallacy because people abuse their power: Some first hits as reminders of places where their powers are abused [1]: "NSA staff used spy tools on spouses, ex-lovers: watchdog" https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-surveillance-watchdog... [2]: https://reason.com/2022/07/26/police-can-access-your-ring-ca... [3]: https://reason.com/2021/04/26/warrantless-border-s…

For people who say they have nothing to hide, I ask them why they have locks on their doors, passwords to their email, and clothes on their body.

Well, clothes are mostly down to weather and laws on public decency, and nudists are the counterpoint that prove some demographics would prefer to be naked if the law allowed it, same with tribes like Koma.

Locks are more for security than privacy, and it's important not to conflate the two. People can have nothing to hide, but also not want to be robbed.

And as for email, that's again a matter of security because then someone could impersonate you for one, and I can't name a service that allows you to omit having a password for your email account.

(I know, looking too deeply into it! Sorry.)

Post reply on HN