From The Telegraph Apple said in an email to AFP that it "has never worked with the NSA to create a backdoor in any of our products, including iPhone." The statement added that " we have been unaware of this alleged NSA program targeting our products." Plenty of wriggle room there
Who cares? Is anything in your life that important that you don't want the government to know? If they are spying on everyone, then they're clearly ignoring all but the most serious crimes. If it stops my bus getting blown up then I'm all for it. It would only be a problem if you were A: a spy, B: a terrorist, C: doing some thing really really bad to the detriment of human kind.
Well, that's a good view to take if you feel that the US and UK governments, to name but two, are wholly beneficial for everyone and are the guarantors of your freedom and strive for your protection and general good. In the case of the US, you don't have to read that much history to know that they have subverted democratic processes frequently in the past, and that their real agenda is world hegemony, that is to say maintaining a top-dog position. Everything else is secondary to that. Their regard for non-US citizens is amply demonstrated by their latest anti spying legislation, which maintained that whilst spying on American citizens was illegal, the rest of the world is fair game. Are you happy that they are hacking into Germany's premier's phone? GCHQ is the junior partner to the NSA, CIA etc in the same way as British foreign policy has been co-opted by the US for its "war on terror" which included the invasion of Iraq (which in fact had nothing to do with the war on terror). As a military guy, you probably do see the world in this "good guy vs bad guy" paradigm and it all looks very simple. I don't say that patronisingly, but it would be hard to be an active voluntary member of the armed forces and put your life on the line if you weren't pretty convinced that your orders came from benign sources. It is interesting that the UK has seen a hue and cry about ID cards, yet everyone is perfectly OK with being spied on permanently. They do not mind that their mail is systematically gathered and read, or that their computer is bugged. I have written Amazon reviews on some books that contest official government stories. Is that enough to "bring me to the attention of the authorities"? Who knows?
But even if it did bring you to the attention of the authorities, what would happen? Do you really think that any government, anywhere, cares enough about you as an individual to want to punish you for writing an anti-establishment book review on Amazon? Maybe it would affect you if you wanted to go and work for the government but I can't see how else. It's there to catch the big players, not the small fry.
I am simply not important enough for the UK US or any other government to spy on. Even if they did intercept my phone calls / texts / Internet use, they won't find anything of interest so snoop away - I simply don't care.
What were the banned books? I'm asking because they wouldn't lock someone up for reading a book. It would have to be a terrorist publication, read by someone with strong anti-establishment feelings, with a nice body of evidence to prove a likely intent to commit crime. It just doesn't work like that.
It's quite clearly the principle of the thing, isn't it? The western democracies have always supposedly been against the police state. Now thanks to everyone's lives and communication being electronic and their total electronic surveillance, the western democracies have become the police state. Don't you find that worrying? If I told you that the Stasi read all your communications and bugged your room, you'd find that unacceptable. Why are you so keen to afford the same capability to the NSA/GCHQ? You have a representative in Parliament who speaks for you in a democratic process. But this stuff is secret. It is not discussed or sanctioned. You have no influence at all over the process. The spy agencies make their own rules and do what they want. It is evident already that the CIA and NSA are loose canons in the States, answerable to no one. They are the Hydra. Bearing in mind that the CIA - "Central Intelligence Agency" - is not just an information gathering service, but actually executes its own acts of war - like drone assassinations - just who is it answerable to? It certainly doesn't seem to fall under the remit of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the US. It is something entirely separate. Things like this raise the whole question of what a democracy is, and what an individual's rights are. Since 9/11, western populations have been stripped of individual freedoms in the name of the War on Terror which has become necessary to keep the whole military industrial complex ticking over once the Soviet threat had disappeared. Since the fall of the Wall, there have been two long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which have made many people very rich. You might see that as lefty cynicism. I just see it as realism. This is the world we live in. If you think Snowdon is a traitor, more fool you.
Who defines what is and is not a 'terrorist' publication? All governments eventually abuse their power. For those that say if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear I would suggest they read 1984, a work of fiction but a stark warning on the dangers of totalitarianism.
A "terrorist" is now the standard word for anyone who doesn't agree with the government, no matter where that government is. If you are anti Guantánamo, you are a terrorist. If you are anti Assad, you are a terrorist. Also governments change, and as they decide who are terrorists, by according anti democratic powers to them today, you have no idea what they are going to be used for tomorrow. It is quite clear that the UK population is worried about its freedoms, hence its opposition to ID cards (rightly or wrongly). You would think, therefore, that Assange and Snowdon would be heroes in the UK. Far from it. The media portray them as dangerous traitors endangering brave protectors of our freedoms. This is the mindset that prevails when the authorities decide if you or your activities are undesirable. Might you upset the US? Then you are a potential terrorist.
Still no more afraid or concerned over 'spying' than I am over marshmallows. If the government wants to waste it's time going through my emails they are more than welcome to.
Its also a question of choosing sides Glid. Sure they may not be the benign knights in shining armour. I do not want them to be. I want them to be devious, sneaky and above all ruthless. Whats the point of a secret service and intelligence agency otherwise? The fact is that I am British. Thus I am on their side by default. I would be more concerned if they were NOT up to this kind of thing. Americas hegemony is better than a russian one or a chinese or islamic one as far as I am concerned. I may be politically centre leftie but I can do right wing when it comes to national security. I would simply have openly assassinated the likes of Hamsa etc. I would also publicly ensure all terrorists were buried wrapped in bacon. There is no room for polite niceties in conflict. Fight fire with fire and napalm. Take no prisoners. If you wage war, wage it to the nth degree to win. No monologues, tap tap. There is no time for sentiment when it comes to national security nor are there new lows I'd stoop to to protect my country. Everything goes. Then sort it out once the dust has settled. I'd have no qualms ordering the death of terrorists and radical islamists. I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'd also be happy to do it myself. This is MY land and I will do whatever it takes and will happily live with my concsience afterwards. I trust and hope my intelligence service to feel the same. National Security is not for fucking around with. Haha. I'm off to subscribe to the Mail. Its odd but thats how I feel about national security. Its 180 degrees from me in normal life.
I do take your point bootsam but you have to live with yourself and others afterwards, unless you are going to wipe out everyone on the 'other' side. Maybe the neutron bomb, it destroys people not property?
