Reshared post from +Tim O’Reilly
"We're able to view just everything that they do," Verizon Wireless exec has boasted. This is why all the government focus on privacy issues at Google and Facebook seems so wrong-headed. There are a lot of companies that have just as much data or more about what people are doing, and who are exploiting the hell out of it while getting a free pass from regulators.
Verizon draws fire for monitoring app usage, browsing habits
‘We’re able to view just everything that they do,’ Verizon Wireless exec has boasted. Privacy groups say initiative — including linking databases showing whether customers own pets — may violate wir…
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Tor. If you are really concerned… but you give up a lot (and it isn't perfect either…).
Security is always a compromise – at some point you have to trust somebody (Have you compiled from source every program on your computer? Did you read through the source code first? Are you a talented enough coder to notice if something was amiss? Who coded your compiler? Did you bootstrap compile the compiler? where did you get the machine code? Who made the chips in your computer? Have you scanned the wiring? Are there any chips there that you don't know about? What about the OS? _Then_ you get to the other end of any communication – Are you connected wirelessly? are you sure nobody is listening? who owns the towers/wires that your ones and zeroes flow over? Have you checked the physical security of all of them? Who made that hardware? Who is responsible for the software on them? What about the person/site you are communicating with? What are their security practices? Even if they are as paranoid as you are, and you have confidence in the intervening hardware… Can you trust them not to post your entire conversation on Facebook anyway?)
The most secure communication medium has no information flowing through it.
Tor. If you are really concerned… but you give up a lot (and it isn't perfect either…).
Security is always a compromise – at some point you have to trust somebody (Have you compiled from source every program on your computer? Did you read through the source code first? Are you a talented enough coder to notice if something was amiss? Who coded your compiler? Did you bootstrap compile the compiler? where did you get the machine code? Who made the chips in your computer? Have you scanned the wiring? Are there any chips there that you don't know about? What about the OS? _Then_ you get to the other end of any communication – Are you connected wirelessly? are you sure nobody is listening? who owns the towers/wires that your ones and zeroes flow over? Have you checked the physical security of all of them? Who made that hardware? Who is responsible for the software on them? What about the person/site you are communicating with? What are their security practices? Even if they are as paranoid as you are, and you have confidence in the intervening hardware… Can you trust them not to post your entire conversation on Facebook anyway?)
The most secure communication medium has no information flowing through it.
I'm not paranoid, but then, I'm also not interesting enough for anyone to care what I do on the 'Net.
I'm not paranoid, but then, I'm also not interesting enough for anyone to care what I do on the 'Net.
It's not that anyone cares, Kelly – it's that they are scooping up everybody, and then if at some point in the future somebody does care – well, it's all there.
It's not that anyone cares, Kelly – it's that they are scooping up everybody, and then if at some point in the future somebody does care – well, it's all there.
Excellent point.
Yeah, we may be headed down a hazardous path, but corporations are extremely trustworthy!
Excellent point.
Yeah, we may be headed down a hazardous path, but corporations are extremely trustworthy!