A New Era of Mass Surveillance is Emerging Across Europe
justsecurity.org
justsecurity.org
It's a common cooccurrence.
Also, we need software to protect us from accidental disclosures, implemented as a browser extension, proxy or filter in the OS (like an antivirus). Privacy should be made simpler.
So don't post it online to begin with. There are things that simply shouldn't be posted online under any circumstances.
That doesn't only mean "don't sext", but also, for example, if you're a corporation or a public entity, don't have personal information stored in a server that's online unless it's completely necessary, etc.
By having something connected to the internet, someone can make a copy, and once the copy is made, there's no going back.
That doesn't only mean "don't sext"
SMS messages cannot be assessed as "not posted online" anymore, due to the nature of the software used by service providers in support of SMS services.
If you send an SMS text message, by default you are likely posting it to an online system, even if your device provides no obvious indication of that fact.
Reducing the ability to share information is just as much a violation of pricacy as some one "stealing" it and disclosing it them selves.
The problem with Facebook and the likes is that by default anything you post to them is no longer yours hence no longer private and no matter how much security options they give you the potential loss of privacy is the same.
One of the major issues with this debate is that people equate anonymity with privacy and as a positive thing, confuse privacy with secrecy and can't agree if all they want is effective privacy or principle privacy.
Note that in all of this, I'm not using Facebook at all and not even visiting it. But, I'm in their system with data about me that I didn't put there.
Technical solutions are the only possible answer, that and cultural responses.
Vast state surveillance is made possible by technical expertise. We shouldnt laud those who assist the government in this task nor in any tasks. We should shun colleagues who choose to assist the enemies of humanity, those in positions to hire should not hire those with backgrounds in government and make it known through back channels that such people are not desirable, that you will be black balled if choose to assist these heinous entities in their oppression.
Finally those able and willing should consider other methods of raising the cost of state surveillance, but openly recommending such things is potentially a crime in the eyes of the state.
Obviously there are dangers of going towards oppression. But at the same time Europeans are saved by internal division between member states. Most countries are so small that they cannot pay or accomplish spy programs like the Americans can. And collaboration between countries hardly happens, as we saw in terror attacks.
Things only become problematic if European intelligence agencies come into existence.
The terrorism is a convenient excuse.
Isn't that... a political solution?
I find the revolving door between government and private industry troubling but I'm not sure it would be a good idea to employ such a ban.
This is obviously very anecdotal but I have two prior service friends, one an infantry Marine, the other a Navy Cryptologic Technician, and they are the two most anti war, anti mass surveillance people I know. Far more so than most of my other friends who don't have any military experience, and my social circle tends to lean heavily liberal.