> 1) While it isn't a perfect mapping, this is similar to a "I have nothing to hide" argument.
I think you missed the point. The real question is, "So a canary died on a service I use, now what?" Well I have that question too. The damage is done. Should I toss my phone in the nearest trash can, burn off my fingerprints, cut and bleach my hair in the at the nearest connivence store bathroom, and shed a single tear as I will never return home to my family again as I am now hitchhiking to Mexico or what? Because, honestly, I don't know what to do besides that. If you're the target of an NSL, then you need to worry.
> 3) Warrant canaries also serve as an indicator of the politics of the canary publisher. Someone who publishes a canary is sending a message that they care about keeping everyone informed.
Yeah, but the set of those that don't publish canaries doesn't indicate the opposite. Organization X might not publish a canary, because the canary is already dead.
> The real question is, "So a canary died on a service I use, now what?"
Actually, I think you do the same as when an actual canary dies in the mine - you get out. If we look back at what we know about Lavabit, basically a compromised Reddit (or any other web service) might be doing who-knows-what with targeted javascript and what-not. Of course, "Evil Reddit" could already be doing that as a private entity -- but I think it does shift the degree of trust a lot, from a) "probably mining personal data for financial gain through advertising etc", to b) "certainly mining all data at the behest of a mad anti-terror juggernaut that's been out of control for decades".
I might choose not to use the service a) for a lot of things, but I certainly wouldn't want to use service b) for anything.
Now, if I was the NSA/CIA I'd of course try to fund social media and messaging startups through shell corporations, and I'd be surprised if they don't do that. In that respect we go down the "you can't defend against a nation state actor" line of reasoning. But if warrant canaries became enough of a problem, something that could lead to a real exodus of users for something like Reddit -- that might give these corporations enough incentive and reason to challenge the practice in the legal system (The government is forcing us out of business).
Another aspect of the canary, is that while people might not now stop using reddit (or logging in to a reddit persona that's associated with animal cruelty, native American rights activism or other terrorist activities) - it still serves as interesting indicator on continued government overreach, and encroachment on civil liberties and free speech.
As evidence that more and more "town squares" and cafes are fitted with microphones and cameras "for security reasons" surface, the fight against illegal surveillance (can) gain(s) momentum.
So maybe what you should do is not just step away from reddit, but take to the streets.
> "So a canary died on a service I use, now what?"
Yes, that's what I was addressing.
> Should I [stereotypically run like a fugitive]
Probably not, but I don't much about your specific situation.
> I don't know what to do
THAT was my point; you don't know know, because you cannot predict the future. The social or political situation might change in a way that makes NSL searches much more threatening. You might be in a situation where knowing that your activities have been discovered by an a NSL does suggest some type of action.
It's easy to consider the set of possible futures that you can enumerate. That set is rarely complete.
> If you're the target of an NSL, then you need to worry.
And that's the "nothing to hide" argument.
> Yeah, but the set of those that don't publish canaries doesn't indicate the opposite.
Obviously. The canary is still useful information.
I think you missed the point. The real question is, "So a canary died on a service I use, now what?" Well I have that question too. The damage is done. Should I toss my phone in the nearest trash can, burn off my fingerprints, cut and bleach my hair in the at the nearest connivence store bathroom, and shed a single tear as I will never return home to my family again as I am now hitchhiking to Mexico or what? Because, honestly, I don't know what to do besides that. If you're the target of an NSL, then you need to worry.
> 3) Warrant canaries also serve as an indicator of the politics of the canary publisher. Someone who publishes a canary is sending a message that they care about keeping everyone informed.
Yeah, but the set of those that don't publish canaries doesn't indicate the opposite. Organization X might not publish a canary, because the canary is already dead.