

Ellsberg: Snowden made the right call when he fled the U.S. - ghayes
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/daniel-ellsberg-nsa-leaker-snowden-made-the-right-call/2013/07/07/0b46d96c-e5b7-11e2-aef3-339619eab080_story.html?hpid=z2

======
beloch
As negative as the press may seem from this little corner of the internet, I
don't think the issue of NSA surveillance has made much of a ripple in the
U.S. yet. The turnout for protests on the fourth was abysmal. People are still
using Facebook and Gmail as if nothing has happened. Snowden only remains in
the news because he is still free. If he had turned himself in on day 1 he'd
have disappeared into some black judicial hole and the story he broke would
now be long forgotten instead of merely ignored. If I were Snowden, I'd be
seriously wondering if U.S. citizens are worth the trouble.

~~~
derefr
> People are still using Facebook and Gmail as if nothing has happened.

Personally, I'm still using Facebook and Gmail because I really do have
nothing to hide. †

† ...that I wasn't already routing over Tor, encrypting/signing with GPG et
al, leaving the low-to-medium risk activity on the public net as a decoy. But
I suspect a lot of people _do_ think this without needing the proviso. These
are the same people that compete to participate in reality TV shows like Big
Brother, after all.

~~~
threeseed
Pretty sure the NSA would have a few Tor exit nodes under their control.

Also those people you are referring to is the majority of the public i.e. your
parents, grandparents, friends etc.

If your entire life isn't centred around the internet it's easy to see why
online privacy isn't a huge concern.

~~~
derefr
Tor exit nodes (and the commandeering thereof) are only relevant when you're
accessing a public net website _through_ Tor; not when accessing a Tor hidden
service. If you can keep your activity entirely within the Tor "system"
(basically, if your counterparties have foreknowledge to contact you over
something like Tormail, rather than you having to "come to them" on a public
site) then you'll be protected pretty completely.

...though, if it's something you _actually_ care about, making that Tor
connection from an internet cafe in a distant city can't _hurt_.

~~~
malandrew
I think a better approach than tor that we'll see in the next few years will
be a readOnly private "tor" box that you can hide on any network with open
wifi. The Raspberry Pi is the perfect platform for this.

Such a box would be running tor and only visible on the Tor network. You'd SSH
into it over for and then have your own private exit node.

All you need to do is drop a couple of these in places where there is power
you can piggyback off and a wifi signal you can piggyback off or a network you
can patch into.

------
linuxhansl
Wow, reading the comments on that article, it seems we're lost.

Too many frightened Lemmings who out of fear and in the name of patriotism
(apparently not understanding what that word even means) follow their
government blindly.

It was said before that a fearful and uneducated populous is easy to lead and
manipulate. We're now seeing a demonstration of that.

~~~
oleganza
It's no suprise since people are educated in government schools in their most
crucial period of life. They are educated by state-licensed radio, television
and newspapers. By state-approved books on the bookshelves of a state-approved
shops.

Who will exactly stand out and educate children of the nature of state if this
way or another they lose some license or are being paid from tax money in the
first place? Several generations already are out of touch with reality that
the state is just a bunch of people with a monopoly of violence (justified in
the eyes of similarly uneducated parents by piles of paperwork called "law"
and "democracy").

State is a constant war against people covered with lies. The only productive
way to get out of this situation is to 1) acknowledge that violence is never
justified, risky and counter-productive 2) state violence is not justified,
employs double standards all the time, and exists on religious beliefs in
higher concepts like "country" or "society" that seemingly take precedence
over individuals. And of course, you have to trust and follow authority, just
like in good old dark ages.

EDIT: before downvoting, consider replying what is factually wrong in my
comment.

~~~
threeseed
Sorry but what is factually right with your comment ?

Not everyone in educated in government schools. Your implication that merely
being state licensed influences the content is ridiculous (witness Fox News).
The state does not have a monopoly on violence. The terms country and society
have nothing to do with religion and patriotism is a concept that occurs in
countries without a strong religious presence.

~~~
hobs
Not disagreeing with the meat of your post, but could you say a little bit
more about the state not having a monopoly on violence? From what I understand
this term is used to explain that the government is the only one who is
legally allowed to use violence against other individuals, and is the only one
who can grant you that power. And as far as I can tell that IS the case.
Thoughts?

------
jayfuerstenberg
He joins the ranks of the Dalai Lama now, representing his people from the
safety of exile.

~~~
kimlelly
Well, I think he has done more than enough for us - if we ever deserve people
like him. Now, it's our turn.

------
runn1ng
I am pretty sure that in US, he would be [classified] to [classified].

------
dotcoma
He's right, unfortunately.

------
kimlelly
> Snowden made the right call when he fled the U.S.

As if there was 1 person in the World who would have doubted that. It's scary
that such titles are still being written.

~~~
hkmurakami
Oh I am positive that there are millions in this very country who believe that
he should have stayed and gone to trial, that his fleeing is cowardly, and
that his actions are traitorous.

I have to wonder on what grounds people can think this, when there are
examples in seemingly any area of public cause where an individual succumbs to
the might of heavyhanded authority of government. Probably those who judge a
situation by what they see and read in the media and/or in the headlines,
without stopping to really consider the _facts_ (rather than _opinions_ ,
which is what most news is these days) and make a judgment themselves.

I can't say I'm completely immune from the influence of popular media, but I
try.

~~~
Svip
I assume the grounds from which people think this stems from a naïveté and
unsubstantiated belief in one's country's principles. Particularly considering
that the United States to many Americans to this day is more an idea than
simply a country.

This striking philosophical difference between Americans and other Western
nationalities tends to give Americans a trust in their system where other
nationalities would have drawn the line.

Because even if Congress and the White House cannot be trusted, surely the
Supreme Court and the judicial branch got our backs? If only it was so simple.

Still, I don't mind Americans being keen on the idea they believe the United
States is; but they need to realise that the United States is not that idea.
And if it ever was, then it is certainly not any more.

~~~
alan_cx
Yeah, I came to the conclusion that the USA is more like religion than
country. The constitution is it's bible, its schools and malls are it's
churches, the president is it's pope, Washington is it's Vatican, its military
it's jihadists, the national anthem it's lords prayer, and so on. Americans
believe in the USA in a way no other population believes in theirs.

BTW, I make NO moral judgement, its just my own personal observation.

~~~
smalltalk
Really, you think the average American thinks more highly of his country than
the average Frenchman? Have you ever spoken to a Frenchman?

~~~
molsongolden
There seems to be more questioning of the government though with the ability
for people to dissent without being branded as terrorists, communists, etc...

America is so large that it is near impossible to impact the status quo. There
is so much blind patriotism and faith in the government that anyone who
disagrees is quickly marginalized and branded as unpatriotic. "You don't like
it? Leave."

