The Less Things Change…
The shock has worn off. At first we reeled and balked out of a sentiment of betrayed fury, but eventually we grew glumly quiet – and gradually we opened our … Continue reading
We Apologize, We Will Change – An open letter from the NSA
[For Immediate Release – an open letter from the Assistant Director of the National Security Agency] To my fellow citizens, We are sorry. Let me repeat that to make my … Continue reading
Oh, What the Zuck!?
It appears that Facebook has a fierce new competitor! While Facebook has become skilled in squishing startups, they are as yet unsure as to how to deal with this menacing … Continue reading
Fighting Fire with Arsonists
As the sun set on March 7th a diffuse band of marathoners began an arduous trek: the “National Day of Unplugging.” From sundown on the 7th to sundown on the … Continue reading
The Banality of NSA Reform
“The reforms I’m proposing today should give the American people greater confidence that their rights are being protected, even as our intelligence and law enforcement agencies maintain the tools they … Continue reading
From Net Neutrality to the Net’s New Tragedy
Whether it goes under the guise of SOPA, CISPA, TPP, or the NSA there has been plenty of evidence of late that the Internet is under assault by acronyms. The … Continue reading
In 2014…they’re resolved to keep watching…
It may be an understatement to claim that 2013 was an interesting year. Though it may also be a rather meaningless statement seeing as any year could be described as … Continue reading
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (and the NSA was watching)
Twas the night before Christmas, and all thro’ the house The only sound to be heard, was the click of a mouse; The family used their digital devices with little … Continue reading
Surveillance!? We’re Shocked! Shocked!
Of all the victims of the NSA’s massive surveillance effort – from world leaders to you to civil liberties and privacy – there is one particular group that has been … Continue reading
Is Privacy Really A Priority?
Would you be willing to get rid of your smartphone to protect your privacy? What about e-mail, would you close your account if it meant that you could be certain … Continue reading
They’ll Keep Watching Us…
The crowds gathered at a public protest seldom represent the true numbers that agree with the protestor’s cause. Whether prevented from attending by the physical obstacle of distance, financial obstacle … Continue reading
Does it Matter Who Leads Microsoft Next?
When a massive technology corporation declares that their current CEO will be retiring in the next year to be replaced by an as-yet-unnamed successor this may simply appear to be … Continue reading
A Prequel to 1984? Just look around…
If George Orwell had decided to write a prequel to his novel 1984 it is conceivable that the tale would look very much like a description of our current times. … Continue reading
Trystero’s e-mail account – Mailpile!
Regardless of what gets revealed about the surveillance that takes place though our technological devices, the fact remains that most people (the vast [vast!]) majority are not going to actually … Continue reading
Surveillance Fever! The infection spreads…
By the end of the day on August 5, 2013 a person in the US could be forgiven for thinking that the major news of the day was that an … Continue reading
If the NSA is the Fever, is the Internet the Disease?
Confirmation came on July 31, 2013, of what many had feared, but which few had possessed the hard factual evidence to establish as more than a flight of paranoia. The … Continue reading
How Not to Heed a Warning
“The public was actively misled.” With those five words Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) provided further evidence of the need for whistle blowers in an age where the concept of an … Continue reading
Falling Under Technology’s Spell – Chromecast
Technology has society under quite a powerful spell. It may seem odd to invoke magic when mentioning machines, but as the technologies we use become ever more complex there is … Continue reading
The Panoptic Con – Defining Our Machine Wrought Maladies (1)
1. A History of Too Much Information Modern technology allows for the accumulation and utilization of information on a historically unprecedented scale. While organizations in previous times – whether positively … Continue reading
Politics and Acronyms – DOMA, VRA, NSA, USA
Events in the world do not take place in a void. This should be obvious, but it can be important to remember it when getting overly fixated and caught up … Continue reading
In Which Country Do You Dream?
In which country do you lay your head down to rest? It is a deceptively simple question, one that easily prompts a response of “this country” or “that country,” yet … Continue reading
The Triumph of Technique – The Logic of the NSA (part 2)
[this is Part 2, and though understandable {and shorter} independently, you may want to consider reading Part 1] 5. Big Data is something of a troublesome concept, not simply because … Continue reading
The Triumph of Technique – The Logic of the NSA (Part 1)
1. How might a person understand a collection of millions of phone records? The easy answer is that they would not. Millions of records is too much for a single … Continue reading
Paranoia is Not a Tactic (so what is?)
Revelations of government misconduct can inspire a sort of paralysis: we want to take action but cannot figure out exactly what to do. This is particularly severe when it is … Continue reading
Protecting Your Privacy – A Resource Guide [Updated 6/26/13]
The recent revelations that the NSA (with the quiet acquiescence of numerous telecoms) has been watching the mobile and online activities of millions of people has sent a chill through … Continue reading
“More than machinery we need humanity” – The NSA, Verizon, Prism, and You
People generally do not like being spied on, but what people like even less than the actual spying is having to recognize that it is going on when they had … Continue reading
The NSA puts the “All Seeing Eye” back in Verizon
As they travel through the ether digital communications can be easily snapped up, copied, saved, analyzed, and stored without you ever knowing it. Your phone calls, text messages, e-mails, tweets, … Continue reading
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