[NBLUG/talk] Encryption Issues

[William Tracy]

On Fri, Jul 12, 2013 at 1:33 PM, Zack Gold <zack at nblug.org> wrote:
> There's a probability involved in my information being with PRISM? But even
> if I'm in that probability, my current thought on the idea of flipping lots
> of switches (http://prism-break.org) is that "Why should I really be
> switching everything to secure, (real) encrypted data when I have nothing
> suspicious that'll fire off a red flag?"

So that when you *do* have something worth hiding, you won't attract
attention to it specifically.

>>> Anyone got a good argument for my current response to PRISM as "I have
>>> nothing to hide"?

In the last century, our government has:
 * Relocated millions of Japanese-Americans into internment camps
without any cause other than their ethnicity.
 * Persecuted individuals for ties or perceived ties to the Communist party.
 * Deployed FBI resources to monitor and harass civil rights
activists, including Dr. Martin Luther King.
 * Deployed Secret Service resources to monitor and potentially
blackmail political opponents (Watergate).

Finally, there's always the possibility of rogue individuals within
the NSA using intercepted data for personal purposes. As an example, I
would hate to be the ex-girlfriend of an NSA agent.

I love my country, but it is run by humans, and humans are fallible.

...

I probably shouldn't have posted this while applying to a job
requiring a security clearance. Oh well.

William Tracy
afishionado at gmail.com
(408) 685-4819