Fwd: GNU hackers discover HACIENDA government surveillance and give us a way to fight back

[Mark Rousell]

(This did not seem to reach the list previously. Apologies if you've
seen it twice.)

On 27/08/2014 15:54, shmick at riseup.net wrote:
> actually you chose to step out of the front door today i assume ?
> you took the bus to work or maybe you drove ?
> i don't know, maybe a tractors more your thing, but you took it to the
> gas station and filled 'er up
> or you got breakfast at the deli before your meeting ?

I think you are conflating separate things with questions like these.
See Mark H Wood's comment above:

	"It was never possible to live in perfect anonymity.  You can't
	participate in society and be invisible to it at the same
	time.  One has to accept being known, to some extent.
	
	So, secrecy is only one part of privacy.[...]"

> how many times were you photographed by the big bad social network
> before your first coffee break?

What "big bad social network"? First define what you mean by "social
network" in this context.

My earlier comment was, as I stated, primarily context of "social
networks and other media". You seem to mean something something
different by "the big bad social network".

> how can you as an individual be in control of this ?

I choose where I go and what I do, both online (which was the main
context of my earlier comment) and in the physical world. Whilst, as
Mark Wood says above, some involvement in society inevitably involves
sharing some information about oneself (and always has done), one can
nevertheless to a massive extent choose how much one shares, what one
says, and what one does. One does not need to blab everything to everyone.

> do you honestly believe you're in control of what information you
> share?

To a very considerable extent, yes. It is a self-evident reality
(although what I choose to share versus what I need to share varies on
the specific context). I have not given way all control over my mind,
body and actions.

> no prob, phone[sic] up FB or dr G and have a word to the secretary:
>
> "yes sir, we just had a looksy & can confirm all your bits are 100%
> accounted for, your datas are currently residing on 3,521 servers in
> 59> countries and if you like, we can press this red button and have
> it all removed straight away sir, no lawyer required, no warrant, no
> questions asked and a 100% satisfaction guarantee - this weeks
> promotion also includes free removal of your NSA vacuum trail, we can
> delete that too with the same red button because your data that we
> were forced to share can be accounted for exactly sir, we know where
> it went because we take pride in knowing we serve our customers best
> interests..."

What data on FB? Whilst, as Jason Anthony pointed out, other people can
post information about me to social networks such as FB, data leakage by
third parties is not a new risk (as MFPA observed). Apart from such data
leakage, FB or other social networks only know about me what I choose to
tell them. As I say, I do not need to blab to the world about
everything. I *am* in practice in control of what I say and do and where
I say and do it.

> which privacy policy thesis have you read cover-to-cover ?
> have you read it each time it was updated ?
> did you prepare yourself for opt-out changes ?

Perhaps it is more sensible to control what one shares in the first place.

> which CV of yours have you parted ways with to prospective employers
> is equipped with nice little java scripts phoning home to your
> elaborately setup web server all-the-while alerting you to all those,
> whose pdf reader allows outgoing comms, who open your file ?
>
> where is your CV from 15 years ago - you know precisely how many
> people have read it don't you ?

What point are you trying to prove here? Releasing a CV is still a
controlled act, even though you don't necessarily know where it is going
to get to. It is all a matter of choice. What you include is under your
control.

> are kids confident that they know their snapchats will be deleted just
> like they were promised ?

As I say, the better, wiser option would be to not post in the first place.

> where are these snap chats now - do they know lest do they care ?

Wise people do care. Wiser people were always careful what they said on
third party provided services.

> if you truly wanna be in control of your data, your gonna have to
> regulate and restrain yourself until your testicles are drawn over the
> back of your neck *or* accept it aint possible now, it may never be,
> and when you accept that you'll keep out of the loony bin & fruit
> cake parlour

I think you are looking at the whole situation through defeatist's eyes. :-)


-- 
Mark Rousell

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