Vacuum-cleaner Surveillance

You don’t have anything to hide, do you? Then it shouldn’t matter if every single thing you do online is screened by government officials?

This is all over the ‘net, but I had to post about it this morning since this is so fundamentally important to our privacy. Former AT&T technician Mark Klein has come forward to support the EFF’s lawsuit against AT&T for its alleged complicity in the National Security Agency’s electronic surveillance. Wired News has published Klein’s public statement in its entirety.

Mass surveillance, data mining and action upon it is just too easy for the Federal government — and it appears that they’re are putting in place all the infrastructure required to make “vacuum-cleaner surveillance” even simpler. Though economics play a huge part in countries like China and India bypassing US telecom networks, no doubt a lack of trust in the United States plays an equal role since we’re clearly driving forward with this in all respects.

You need to understand one, fundamental position that exists with the conservatives in this country which explains why a control measure like this is moving forward in a country that used to believe in freedom and privacy. It’s all about command-and-control. In this white paper (PDF) — released in September 2000 by the conservative think-tank Project for the New American Century — states in part, “CONTROL THE NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMONS OF SPACE AND CYBERSPACE – and pave the way for the creation of a new military service, “U.S. Space Forces,” with the mission of space control.”

Control of the new international commons. If you’re in political power in Europe, Japan, China, or any other region or country on this planet, how would you take a position like that? What would your reaction be to any moves made by our Federal government to direct, suggest or guide cyberspace development?

Control of you is key as well. If you’re curious about Al Qaeda and surf web sites, you’ll undoubtedly get tracked. If you communicate at all to people in suspect countries, you’re tracked. Governments around the world are obviously scared about the power shifting into the hands of the citizenry and bypassing State controlled (or at least influenced) media. Of voice over internet that bypasses state complicit controlled communication services. How else to catch those boogeymen terrorists?

Be watchful, be worried, and make yourself heard. Just be careful if you do it over the internet, your cell or home phone.