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Ask HN: Since CitizenFour, have you changed the way you conduct yourself online?

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Ask HN: Since CitizenFour, have you changed the way you conduct yourself online?

#1
Ask HN: Since watching CitizenFour, or previously reading about the widespread surveillance conducted by governments - what changes have you made to how you conduct your life online? Have you adopted any new practices, or stopped or started using any new services?

It would be interesting to see what effect this has had on how people, especially technically included people behave and conduct themselves online. This could include technical solutions you have adopted or might include how you use, or view services which you previously trusted with your data.

Myself, I have switched my email provider away from one of the 'big three'. I have started taking an interest in more 'usable' applications of encryption and have started talking to people about the ramifications of the information brought to light by Snowden and others.

Re: Ask HN: Since CitizenFour, have you changed the way you conduct yourself online?

#7
I've started to despair a bit more about both technological and political solutions. I'm trying to adjust to the idea that nothing that happens online is private, and real privacy requires something more like tradecraft than mass adoption of encryption technologies.

Re: Ask HN: Since CitizenFour, have you changed the way you conduct yourself online?

#10
post #7

I've started to despair a bit more about both technological and political solutions. I'm trying to adjust to the idea that nothing that happens online is private, and real privacy requires something more like tradecraft than mass adoption of encryption technologies.

Disempowerment is a common theme here - it is the case that the 'general public' (read majority non-technical) are concerned about the current and future ramifications of this surveillance but feel disempowered because of how widespread it is, and i think this is because it is difficult to make reasonable changes in the immediate term to effect anything. This is of course excluding publicising/talking about the issues from a political point of view.

If telecoms company A proved to be betraying the trust of its customers, customers might find it reasonable to move their custom to telecoms company B - however the issue is that if both telecoms company A and B are both guilty of surveillance there is no feasible choice for the consumer.

The same can be said about political parties. If all major political parties support mass surveillance there is no viable alternative to support.

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