Rage Against the Machine - TTG

In light of recent discussions in SST concerning drones, kill lists and the 2nd Ammendment, I think many of you will find this video to be of interest. It is Jacob Applebaum's keynote speech at the 29th Chaos Communication Congress (29C3) given in Hamburg, Germany on 27 December 2012. Applebaum is both a hacker and a hactivist. He is a developer and tireless advocate for the Tor Project, an excellent network anonymity tool. He is also a staunch defender of Wikileaks, whistleblowers and all those who "rage against the machine." 

Some will find this speech off putting or the rantings of an anarchist. I do not. Nor does Bruce Schneier, a more mainstream security technologist and articulate critic of much of our security policy and industry. In describing Applebaum's speech, Schneier says it "is worth listening to. He talks about what we can do in the face of oppressive power on the Internet. I'm not sure his answers are right, but am glad to hear someone talking about the real problems." Bruce Schneier voiced some of the same concerns that Applebaum talks about in his essay "Power and the Internet" which ends: 

"… Because if we're not trying to understand how to shape the Internet so that its good effects outweigh the bad, powerful interests will do all the shaping. The Internet's design isn't fixed by natural laws. Its history is a fortuitous accident: an initial lack of commercial interests, governmental benign neglect, military requirements for survivability and resilience, and the natural inclination of computer engineers to build open systems that work simply and easily. This mix of forces that created yesterday's Internet will not be trusted to create tomorrow's. Battles over the future of the Internet are going on right now: in legislatures around the world, in international organizations like the International Telecommunications Union and the World Trade Organization, and in Internet standards bodies. The Internet is what we make it, and is constantly being recreated by organizations, companies, and countries with specific interests and agendas. Either we fight for a seat at the table, or the future of the Internet becomes something that is done to us." 

BTW, I can identify with the photo above of Wau Holland, the founder of the Chaos Computer Club. I, too, have sat in German phone booths with laptop, acoustic coupler and a pocket full of kleingeld. I, however, knew enough to wrap the handset and coupler in a jacket and hold it under my arm to cut down on noise interference. I also had a better looking beard at the time. 

TTG

Comments

[Fred]

TTG,

I just watched the whole hour. Very informative. I certainly agree with that feeling of a loss of agency. I'm somewhat conflicted on deciding whether I should be concerned about the security state, or what the nanny employer, or insurance company, is going to do to me.

As an aside I enjoyed jacob's comment that if you're going to have a surveillance state going after people for guilt of association, you should at least have a few jerks in your phone book. As to the actual technology, I think I find it easier to saddle the horse than understand software. Any good primers for a laymen out there (relative to it security)?

[The Twisted Genius]

Fred,

"I'm somewhat conflicted on deciding whether I should be concerned about the security state, or what the nanny employer, or insurance company, is going to do to me."

No problem. You don't have to decide. Every one of those sons of bitches are out to control you, lie to you and/or take your money. A healthy dose of skepticism and situational awareness is your best defense. For specifics on IT security, just google how to secure your particular router, operating system, browser and email client. That also goes for your cell phone if you use those. There's loads of simple guides out there. If one guide gets too geeky, just look at another one. And stick to the horse and saddle when you can, the bastards can't hack or track an old paint.

[Twit]

Here is another session from the conference with three US Gov't whistleblowers (2 from the NSA and one from DOJ):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruhAbGGhQjE

A couple thoughts:
First, I found their stories profoundly disturbing and confirmation of many of my worst suspicions about the emerging surveillance state.

Second, I thought Bill Binnie's point about corruption is incredibly important. So many public servants have in the last decade sold out their sense of duty to become contractor millionaires that those that have not are not only the minority but also a target - not because they didn't drink the ideological kool aid (as was the case during for example the early Bush years, as COL Lang wrote about a while back) but simply because these subversives (formerly called public servants) threaten to upset the 'game.' He sums it up nicely that at the NSA it used to be about mission, people, organization, and self, in that order, and that now it's the exact reverse. From my experience it's very common now for people to talk about what's good for a public service mission in a way that also highlights what's in it for them (professionally, personally, financially, etc), even when I get the feeling they don't really believe it.

The contracting bubble will eventually pop , but we will be left with the corruption that it has wrought.