Much has been made of the abuses of Google but being a little familiar with their management style or lack of it I would bet some engineer added some code, for instance for the cars doing Google Streets, thinking that having wifi info available might come in handy sometime. And of course in their Aspergers mind not realizing the privacy consequences. Similarly a lot of permissions on Android are used very innocuously but the press can make a big deal out of them sometimes.
I recall that if anyone IT person had dared read the private emails on the house network they might have been shown the door. We took email to be just as private as snail mail. These days we have a lot of cowboy coders lacking any ethics who think "why not?" On 07/25/2013 11:01 AM, doctordumb...@rocketmail.com wrote: > "The apparatus may have been in place for twenty years but the abuse of it is > rather recent." > > Sort of true - The abuse has always followed the limits of the technology > available, vs. any kind of ethics. Now that we have massive high-speed > communications sampling, and instantaneous database analysis available, it is > incorporated into the system. > > "Do we really want to live in a society that reflects East Germany with it's > Stasi? I don't." > > Yes, I am not making a judgment of it, necessarily. However, it is the > reality of having these massive systems in place, that they cannot just be > voted out of existence. Democracy fails with such things. > > We create edifices of technology that gain an unbelievable momentum of their > own. True Frankensteins. This domestic surveillance infrastructure is one of > them. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozguru@...> wrote: >> The apparatus may have been in place for twenty years but the abuse of >> it is rather recent. Do we really want to live in a society that >> reflects East Germany with it's Stasi? I don't. >> >> Also I raised the point elsewhere that this means that those "secret >> projects" we all sign NDAs for with Silicon Valley companies are no >> longer so "secret". That gave some pause to SV CEOs. >> >> The vote was split and could have been a tie if the 12 not voting had >> voted yes. It does send a strong message that Congress is NOT at all on >> board with this abuse of power. Boehner and Pelosi are corporate whores >> as is our Senator Feinstein. >> >> On 07/25/2013 07:59 AM, doctordumbass@... wrote: >>> FYI, both Boehner (the Republican leader, 3rd in line for the Presidency, >>> as Speaker of the House) AND Pelosi (the Democratic leader, Minority Whip; >>> sets the tone, gets the votes) voted NO on HR 2397. >>> >>> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, doctordumbass@ <no_reply@> wrote: >>>> Pardon my cynical attitude towards Congress, but this was nothing more >>>> than political theater, meant to mollify those who are upset at learning >>>> they have been spied on for the last twenty years. >>>> >>>> There is a HUGE APPARATUS in place for domestic data collection and >>>> analysis, *fully integrated* with all of the communication systems in this >>>> country. Even if Congress miscalculated, and the resolution had passed, >>>> there is no way the data collection would stop. The budget allocated, >>>> would merely shift over to black ops. >>>> >>>> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozguru@> wrote: >>>>> On 07/24/2013 06:45 PM, Michael Jackson wrote: >>>>>> If they voted no on the bill, it doesn't necessarily mean they are >>>>>> Nazis, just doing favors for those who are so they can receive favors in >>>>>> return. >>>>> IOW, traitors. They've sold out the people. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> And you do realize that both of us are now on the NSA list for referring >>>>>> to members of Congress as Nazis? >>>>> According to the NSA, all Americans are on the list. We salute the NSA >>>>> with our middle fingers and vote to definance them. >>>>> >>>>> This sci-fi movie we're living in is even better than Firefly. Joss >>>>> Whedon could never have imagined this (though he sorta did). >>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> ________________________________ >>>>>> From: Bhairitu <noozguru@> >>>>>> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com >>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2013 9:35 PM >>>>>> Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Know Your Enemies: Who Voted NO on HR 2397 >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On 07/24/2013 05:04 PM, Bhairitu wrote: >>>>>>> On 07/24/2013 04:49 PM, Bhairitu wrote: >>>>>>>> HR 2397 was an Amendment sponsored by Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich) and >>>>>>>> Rep. John Conyers to halt the NSA's bulk collection of phone record >>>>>>>> data. My congressman voted yes. What did yours do? >>>>>>>> http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/113-2013/h398 >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> We must fight on to restore liberty to America. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> Oops. That's some vote on the bill last night. The vote count list for >>>>>>> this evening isn't available yet. It was voted down 217-205. So a >>>>>>> little later for the enemies list. >>>>>> Here we go. Is your congressman a Nazi? >>>>>> http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll412.xml >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> > >
