Renzatic on 5/7/2013 at 20:14

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Unfortunately, it seems that the propensity for government to take dubious shortcuts at the expense of its populace isn't just a US issue anymore. (http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/07/france-also-scoops-up-phone-internet-metadata-on-its-citizens/) France thought it was such a good idea, they've gone and done the exact same thing.

It wouldn't surprise me if we get word that the UK and Germany is in on the action as well. Metadata is so nebulously defined, and isn't acknowledged at all by the classical terms of privacy our laws are built upon, any government could say that collecting it isn't a violation of anyone's rights whatsoever. I mean the telcos always know who you call, text, or email at all times, so you can't honestly claim you have an expectation of privacy in this regard. The only thing these programs are doing is collecting and cataloging information you've been willingly giving up yourself for the past 10 years.

...right? Right?

nickie on 5/7/2013 at 20:58

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In the good old days, of course, Special Branch just used to write your car number plate down.

Kolya on 5/7/2013 at 21:42

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There have been big social discussions here in the last few years, especially regarding telco data retention. Conservative political parties were for it, greens and lefties against it...
This has all been rendered moot because we learned that it's all been happening and much more the whole time. Conducted by a foreign intelligence service and therefore completely outside of our control. And suddenly we're back to the power-structure and -logic of 70 years ago. Only the the allied forces aren't fighting Nazis anymore, they're attacking democratic countries for advantages in political and economical power.

Some kids knocking down CCTVs is certainly nice but has not much to do with this.

Kolya on 6/7/2013 at 08:18

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That's not a choice I'd like to make and it's certainly not a justification. You seem to be under the misconception that we had more cameras in German cities than any large cities in the US or anywhere else.

This has given me a bit of faith that the American populace isn't just shrugging this off, because the government tells them that Americans were not being spied on: (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/shortcuts/2013/jul/05/national-security-agency-recruitment-drive)

Kolya on 6/7/2013 at 16:03

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Seriously, I didn't mean to hijack the thread, sorry about that. And I certainly didn't want to piss on anyone's flag. My relation to my own country is at least as critical as to the US.
I didn't even want to be the one who brings up this topic here either. Because we've all shared parts of our lives here, said dumb things and defended indefensible positions. So this spying affects us all and I was kinda hoping, it wouldn't have to be the foreign kid who brings this up. I was wrong about that. Then instead came this thread. I should have started a new topic nevertheless.
Anyway, feel sincerely invited to criticise the hell out of Germany on October 3rd (eg about how the German economic formula has produced a whole generation of unemployed youths in the southern EU countries.). Because what would be a better time to have a critical look at your country than a national holiday.