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bemildred

(90,061 posts) Mon Jul 22, 2013, 10:57 AM Jul 2013

NSA Leaks About Spying Are Scaring Some Americans Away From The Internet [View all]

In Louisiana, the wife of a former soldier is scaling back on Facebook posts and considering unfriending old acquaintances, worried an innocuous joke or long-lost associate might one day land her in a government probe. In California, a college student encrypts chats and emails, saying he's not planning anything sinister but shouldn't have to sweat snoopers. And in Canada, a lawyer is rethinking the data products he uses to ensure his clients' privacy.

As the attorney, Chris Bushong, put it: "Who wants to feel like they're being watched?"

News of the U.S. government's secret surveillance programs that targeted phone records but also information transmitted on the Internet has done more than spark a debate about privacy. Some are reviewing and changing their online habits as they reconsider some basic questions about today's interconnected world. Among them: How much should I share and how should I share it?

Some say they want to take preventative measures in case such programs are expanded. Others are looking to send a message — not just to the U.S. government but to the Internet companies that collect so much personal information.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/22/nsa-leaks-spying-internet_n_3633510.html

141 replies

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NSA Leaks About Spying Are Scaring Some Americans Away From The Internet [View all] bemildred Jul 2013 OP

du rec. xchrom Jul 2013 #1

I think this is where the real trouble is going to come. bemildred Jul 2013 #2

+1 nt snappyturtle Jul 2013 #8

+2 n/t Catherina Jul 2013 #12

PRISM: Tech Companies Keep Trying to Gain Back Trust bemildred Jul 2013 #15

Too late. Lay down with dogs get up with fleas. Great article. nt Mojorabbit Jul 2013 #41

I'd fire their asses for ever getting in bed with this myself, all of them. bemildred Jul 2013 #42

+3 n/t NealK Jul 2013 #63

Some time back there was warnings of posting comments on Facebook because potential employers was Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #3

That shit needs to stop. LuvNewcastle Jul 2013 #7

When a person chooses to put their comments on social sites it becomes public. Don't blame the Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #20

You would curtail someone's freedoms because you don't like the SMELL? Cronus Protagonist Jul 2013 #40

It's amazing to me that some people around here not only LuvNewcastle Jul 2013 #58

Why don't I have some freedoms also? Why should others infringe on my air? Why do I have to Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #74

I'm sure you go to the bathroom to fart, right? Cronus Protagonist Jul 2013 #77

WTH are you infringing on my airspace of my armpit, I guess you are into a new excitement, hope it Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #137

What does this have to do with the smell of stale cigarette smoke? Answer: nothing. Quantess Jul 2013 #130

Understand this. LuvNewcastle Jul 2013 #54

I got you, you want your freedoms but to hell with others freedoms. If we are to live in a free Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #75

I made it pretty clear that I was talking about people who LuvNewcastle Jul 2013 #82

Take your time, take a breath and before you berate someone read what is said. i do Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #100

You're allowing yourself to be dragged off the topic. Quantess Jul 2013 #131

If a person chooses to put their comments on a social site with passworded access, that information djean111 Jul 2013 #64

Always know information is being recorded, facebook is a social network, you want to remain private, Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #78

And in California shanti Jul 2013 #84

I agree that the intrusions were known but I think Snowden's snappyturtle Jul 2013 #14

Did you hear Bush in 2005 talking about the collection of phone calls? Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #21

Absolutely! It was troubling then too but now the early snappyturtle Jul 2013 #60

Sorry you did not understand when Bush said this. It is perhaps something we may not like but Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #73

I think you may be leaving xfundy Jul 2013 #81

THAT'S the point...we only had a water gun back then....nt snappyturtle Jul 2013 #99

And now you have used the water, what is next. Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #102

Evidence. nt snappyturtle Jul 2013 #103

Still going with your water gun analogy? Quantess Jul 2013 #135

WTH are you trying to say, I apparently am not in the type of crowds you hang with, you neef a new Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #136

neef a new leaf? You just told me you love sweetleaf. Quantess Jul 2013 #139

I dont know where you are trying to go on this, I am beginning to think only after GG wrote his Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #101

Well you were wrong in my case as I explained. You come out with snappyturtle Jul 2013 #105

When did you first learn of the data collection? Thinkingabout Jul 2013 #106

There you go again with your poorly fitting analogies. Quantess Jul 2013 #133

And one's employer might do something treestar Jul 2013 #69

Some may find this laughable. But I think a sizeable fraction of the public will react this way. reformist2 Jul 2013 #4

I'm reminded of a Dilbert cartoon IDemo Jul 2013 #35

i don't. and i never will. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #117

I know a few people who have disabled their Facebook accounts. LuvNewcastle Jul 2013 #5

I think anyone who is 'awake' has given some thought to their snappyturtle Jul 2013 #6

I guess I should stop posting on DU. ... spin Jul 2013 #9

You laugh, some people will...this is well trodden terrain nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #16

Many here have argued that if you are doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear ... spin Jul 2013 #22

Well let me counter with a quote from somebody who actually lived nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #23

Supposedly J. Edgar Hoover was the most powerful man in America. ... spin Jul 2013 #24

You ignore all this at your peril nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #27

I don't think we are disagreeing. ... spin Jul 2013 #30

But you are denying that this is actually nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #38

Do you favor a police state? ... spin Jul 2013 #48

I favor it so much that we actually took photos of nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #49

I noticed that post. ... spin Jul 2013 #55

hey the Mayor will NOT survive this nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #61

I too minimize the person rather than the position when I lack anything of substance to further a di LanternWaste Jul 2013 #87

That's not "counter" to what the other poster said, it goes along with it. Silent3 Jul 2013 #43

Pretty much...yeah. n/t zappaman Jul 2013 #52

That's really eerie. NealK Jul 2013 #62

And don't forget to put some electrical tape over that camera on your TV snooper2 Jul 2013 #26

You don't think the NSA can intimidate "subversives" like many DUers? AZ Progressive Jul 2013 #46

Because the Government is vitally interested in the MineralMan Jul 2013 #10

LOL kpete Jul 2013 #11

There are studies on this nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #13

In relation to the privacy issue is control of nationwide communication. snappyturtle Jul 2013 #44

It is a double edged sword nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #47

How low has internet traffic fallen? Progressive dog Jul 2013 #17

Lots of tips in this article marions ghost Jul 2013 #18

I am a reporter, and I ask nasty questions nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #28

That is why this is a 1st amendment issue as well as a 4th usGovOwesUs3Trillion Jul 2013 #19

+1 The chilling of free association and dissent. woo me with science Jul 2013 #25

Anyone who leaves the Internet because of the NSA reports ProSense Jul 2013 #29

I am staying and I believe the info that has been released Mojorabbit Jul 2013 #45

You don't have anything to worry about right now because you always spout the "company line." totodeinhere Jul 2013 #57

I find what the Obama Administration is doing to be just fine. AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #67

You may, but apparently a lot of other people don't, hence this article about totodeinhere Jul 2013 #80

Apparently sarcasm is not readily identified as such on the web. AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #86

A number of people I know are now putting tape over their built-in webcams. VWolf Jul 2013 #31

They are correct actually nadinbrzezinski Jul 2013 #33

That's what you have to do. nt bemildred Jul 2013 #34

I get their concern, but microphones are a problem, too cprise Jul 2013 #65

+1 woo me with science Jul 2013 #97

We just have to watch what we say and do online. Skip Intro Jul 2013 #32

It is disgusting that in this country, represented as a "free" country, its citizens totodeinhere Jul 2013 #50

Attorneys have an ethical duty to keep the confidential information from their clients confidential. AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #36

High quality encryption cannot be "broken". Not even by the NSA. bemildred Jul 2013 #39

You say that Snowden said that? When? Where? AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #66

I am knowledgeable, not expert. bemildred Jul 2013 #76

I'm not asking for your personal history. You say that you have special knowledge. I'm asking AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #85

You are free to believe what you like, why annoy me about it? bemildred Jul 2013 #88

I am the one who filed the post at #36. You are the one who countered that by saying (#39) "High AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #90

Right, I answered your question. bemildred Jul 2013 #93

Promises, promises. AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #95

You must be a really great attorney too. bemildred Jul 2013 #98

That's not a claim to "special knowledge" cprise Jul 2013 #107

Yep, you could throw all of current computing and performance theory in the toilet, right there. bemildred Jul 2013 #138

I will add one caveat cprise Jul 2013 #140

Agreed. That would be a start anyway. bemildred Jul 2013 #141

And it is really tacky to not at least thank me for digging up Snowden's statement too. nt bemildred Jul 2013 #89

You haven't been thanked? Do you play the victim very much? How often? AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #92

There was also a Guardian piece I recall about the handling of bulk data bemildred Jul 2013 #79

AOL-Huffpost does not seem overly concerned. ucrdem Jul 2013 #37

I never go on the internet! zappaman Jul 2013 #51

And we appreciate that, too! randome Jul 2013 #110

Hello NSA PatrynXX Jul 2013 #53

my recent facebook is my government spying on me episode 90-percent Jul 2013 #56

And they all lived happily ever after NoPasaran Jul 2013 #59

Need to do more than disconnect the Internet. How to do it *all the way* Trillo Jul 2013 #68

K&R NealK Jul 2013 #70

IMO those people are being silly treestar Jul 2013 #71

Thank You For Sharing cantbeserious Jul 2013 #72

Eh, ever since AOL contaminated Usenet in 1993 it's been downhill anyway. Pholus Jul 2013 #83

Well, it's the money, most of that, the profit motive leads naturally to selling crap. bemildred Jul 2013 #91

I guess its time to think of the next best thing. Pholus Jul 2013 #94

Indeed. The constant techology churn is necessary to keep the money-machine rolling. bemildred Jul 2013 #96

The Internet was invented by a small community of researchers who trusted each other FarCenter Jul 2013 #104

Well DUH! That's the whole point. dogknob Jul 2013 #108

No no, don't try to cheer me up. bemildred Jul 2013 #118

Shit! Three people mentioned in the article have slacked off from using the Internet! randome Jul 2013 #109

Considering the amount ot time and effort spent to get people to "use the internet" bemildred Jul 2013 #111

Getting people to use the Internet is a societal change, not driven by individual companies. randome Jul 2013 #112

Actually, it was. They spent a lot of money on it too. bemildred Jul 2013 #113

"It matters not to corporations whether someone uses the Internet or walks into a brick and mortar HiPointDem Jul 2013 #119

True but even that is starting to evaporate. randome Jul 2013 #123

the tax advantage may be rescinded because the purpose has been achieved. as is to be HiPointDem Jul 2013 #124

Yep. Facebook has slowed waay down compared with the past couple of years. Quantess Jul 2013 #114

Facebook has to hate this. It clobbered their whole business plan. bemildred Jul 2013 #116

good. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #115

Works fine for me too. bemildred Jul 2013 #120

the only thing i would miss if the whole thing disappeared would be ease of research. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #121

Quite. bemildred Jul 2013 #122

you're probably talking in computer terms -- before the internet but after some other 'net'. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #125

Yeah, I started with computers around 1967, but we are still on the same page, I believe. bemildred Jul 2013 #126

The new America...... people becoming afraid of their own government davidn3600 Jul 2013 #127

The new America: the government desperately afraid of its own citizens. bemildred Jul 2013 #128

Something that doesn't make sense pipi_k Jul 2013 #129

addiction is more powerfull than fear nt markiv Jul 2013 #132

hey mr agent man...... madrchsod Jul 2013 #134