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Comment by Entr0p | Hacker News Reader

whelp, that passing will end my use of free text email.

This is an article about an amendment proposed to a law that's already on the books. The 180 days thing is already the law of the land, this amendment sought to change that. There's now nothing in this bill relating to mail privacy (i.e. the existing law isn't being changed at all).

So, if that's the way you feel about it, the time to stop using free text email was 1986, when ECPA was first passed.

interesting, I'll have to read more - I was expecting that a warrant was required under current law to use intercepted emails

I think most people do expect that.

Warrants are required for mail less than 180 days old.

Doesn't matter. Your friends, family and colleagues will continue to do so, and thus this affects everybody, even if he's not using free text email.

Government hawks are well aware of this and they will use every chance they get to take the advantage.

Maybe it's time we took a stand -- no communication unless it's encrypted or face-to-face.

That only makes you MORE of a suspect and thus a target. Even for eavesdropping devices in your house perhaps...

A government that does those sort of things is bad in other ways too -- and can get your ass to wherever it wants at any time.

So, if you cannot trust the government not to do these things, then I suggest you try to change the government and the way things are done, instead of trying to hide from them with encryption or whatever.

We would need to change all governments simultaneously.

If one doesn't respect personal privacy as official policy then all government organizations will ship their logs to that country for decryption/de-obfuscation/de-whatever -- just the same as tax policies and Cayman Islands et al being 'tax havens.'

As for encryption advocacy attracting unwanted attention: I don't give a damn.

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