
Alternative Christmas Message - 4OD [UK] - hobolobo
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/alternative-christmas-message/4od
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davej
Transcript:

Hi, and Merry Christmas. I'm honored to have the chance to speak with you and
your family this year.

Recently, we learned that our governments, working in concert, have created a
system of worldwide mass surveillance, watching everything we do.

Great Britain's George Orwell warned us of the danger of this kind of
information. The types of collection in the book -- microphones and video
cameras, TVs that watch us -- are nothing compared to what we have available
today. We have sensors in our pockets that track us everywhere we go.

Think about what this means for the privacy of the average person. A child
born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all. They'll never
know what it means to have a private moment to themselves -- an unrecorded,
unanalyzed thought. And that's a problem, because privacy matters. Privacy is
what allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be.

The conversation occurring today will determine the amount of trust we can
place both in the technology that surrounds us and the government that
regulates it. Together, we can find a better balance. End mass surveillance.
And remind the government that if it really wants to know how we feel, asking
is always cheaper than spying.

For everyone out there listening, thank you, and Merry Christmas.

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davej
> A child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all.
> They'll never know what it means to have a private moment to themselves --
> an unrecorded, unanalyzed thought.

This is hyperbole and also it's just not true in any real sense. We can still
have private moments and we can certainly still have "unrecorded, unanalyzed
thoughts".

I really wish Snowden wouldn't overstate the current state of affairs, the
facts alone are enough.

~~~
Tepix
If you consider that most teenagers carry around their smartphone with them
all the time, those moments are no longer guaranteed to be private.

~~~
tonylemesmer
What Snowden said still isn't true though is it?

My kids have privacy.

~~~
TehCorwiz
You believe that you and your kids have privacy.

~~~
middleclick
True. You can never say for sure if your kids have privacy or not. Most kids
these days don't have any notion of what privacy is, given the kind of content
they are sharing on Facebook and other social networking websites.

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timpark
I press play and get "You are using 'incognito mode' in your browser. Please
open a normal browser window to view 4oD". Amazing.

~~~
lazugod
Whoa. Why are they requiring that? Tell me this isn't the next trend.

~~~
DanBC
4OD want to install some stuff for content management.

Chrome needs he setting: Privacy [Content Settings] Protected Content

    
    
        Some content services use machine identifiers to uniquely identify you for the purposes of authorizing access to protected content.
    
    
        [x] Allow identifiers for protected content (computer restart may be required)
    
    

turned on, if it isn't already.

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finnn
It's not playing for me. Most news sites seem heavily dependant on loads of
3rd party javascript that gets blocked by Ghostery, so I loaded up an
incognito window, same thing, just spins forever at the loading screen.

EDIT: Found a mirror on a not-shit site
[http://vimeo.com/82666985](http://vimeo.com/82666985)

~~~
eliteraspberrie
Thank you. I had the same problem.

You can also get the video file using the youtube_dl script:

    
    
        youtube-dl 'http://vimeo.com/82666985'

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robgough
Perhaps it's worth updating the title to mention that this was delivered by
Edward Snowden.

~~~
ubercow13
Sorry that is against the rules

------
dmschulman
I know he has very few places to run to, but putting out a message about the
dangerous overreach of state surveillance as he sits in Russia takes away some
of the gusto for me.

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unfunco
It's worth noting that this was broadcast at the same time as the traditional
Christmas day speech pre-recorded and delivered by the Queen. Channel 4 has a
history of doing things a little differently, and this certainly piqued my
interests today.

~~~
bazzargh
No, the queen's speech was broadcast at 3pm (BBC1, ITV). Channel 4's
alternative message was at 4.15pm. They have broadcast alternate messages at
the same time before, like when the Simpsons did it - just not this year.

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drcode
Snowden is so smart: He knows how to avoid media oversaturation.

I bet every year now he'll put out nothing more than a couple 2 minute videos,
and give one major nytimes interview.

In this way, every word that he says will get a helluva lot of attention...
even a decade from now.

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keeptrying
Yeah I found the video shocking too ...

Saying "Happy Christmas" is just wrong man!

~~~
cmsd2
Maybe it is where you are, but here in the UK, saying Happy Holidays sounds
really awful, and Happy (or Merry) Christmas is standard.

