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xchrom

(108,903 posts) Fri Feb 14, 2014, 08:17 AM Feb 2014

Surveillance Valley Has Put a Billion Bugs in a Billion Pockets

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/surveillance-valley-has-put-billion-bugs-billion-pockets

“A mobile phone has eyes, ears, a skin, and knows your location. Eyes, because you never see one that doesn’t have a camera. Ears, because they all have microphones. Skin because a lot of these devices are touch screens. And GPS allows you to know your location.”

—Vic Gundotra, Google’s Vice President of Social, on Android

* * *

Last week, we were treated to yet another shocking revelation of government espionage: leaked Power Point slides revealing that American and British intel agencies are using our most cherished mobile apps and games to spy on us. Apparently no app is safe from NSA snooping — not even Angry Birds, beloved by hundreds of millions of kids all across the globe.

The techie spooks were so psyched by the loads of mobile data they could scoop with almost no effort that they couldn’t restrain their glee. It’s a “Golden Nugget!” they yelped on one of the slides.

The leaked documents made headlines around the world, and were held up by journalists and privacy activists as yet another example of the ridiculous lengths the NSA is willing to go to monitor every aspect of our daily lives.

But if you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, these NSA revelations say less about government spying than they do about the our hyper-connected mobile culture and the creepy for-profit surveillance business model that underpins it. The story wasn’t that the NSA had bugged our phones, but that they had used existing surveillance tools built into handsets and apps in order to access our data in the exact same way that companies like Burger King or Starbucks are able to do.

8 replies

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Surveillance Valley Has Put a Billion Bugs in a Billion Pockets (Original Post) xchrom Feb 2014 OP

Dumbphones rule. hobbit709 Feb 2014 #1

so who put this spy device in your pocket? lapfog_1 Feb 2014 #2

Don't you think that we should have been INFORMED of the spying? Th1onein Feb 2014 #3

What possibly makes you think its only the government spying on you... lapfog_1 Feb 2014 #4

I'm not a politician. I'm a PRIVATE citizen. Th1onein Feb 2014 #5

My point is (and you are completely missing it, possibly intentionally) lapfog_1 Feb 2014 #6

Now, you're going off the beam entirely. Th1onein Feb 2014 #7

Google IS a massive for-profit surveillance hub. jsr Feb 2014 #8

hobbit709

(41,694 posts)

1. Dumbphones rule.

Reply to xchrom (Original post)

Fri Feb 14, 2014, 08:19 AM

Feb 2014

lapfog_1

(29,241 posts)

2. so who put this spy device in your pocket?

Reply to xchrom (Original post)

Fri Feb 14, 2014, 08:23 AM

Feb 2014

people who invented the technology?

They held a gun to the consumers head and forced this device right into their pockets...

Th1onein

(8,514 posts)

3. Don't you think that we should have been INFORMED of the spying?

Reply to lapfog_1 (Reply #2)

Fri Feb 14, 2014, 08:29 AM

Feb 2014

I mean, yeah, we put the bugs into our pockets, but is it okay to believe that our government is not going to spy on us because we have the freaking Bill of Rights and the Fourth Amendment that they have to abide by? If you drive forward on a green light after looking both ways, is it your fault, because you got into the car, that a semi comes barreling through the light and kills you?

lapfog_1

(29,241 posts)

4. What possibly makes you think its only the government spying on you...

Reply to Th1onein (Reply #3)

Fri Feb 14, 2014, 08:36 AM

Feb 2014

there is a rule for politicians... always assume that every camera is recording and every microphone is hot.

It's a good rule for everyone. Turn off the location services, put the phone someplace where the camera and the mic cannot see or hear anything. And if you are really paranoid (because GPS isn't the only way the phone can locate you), leave the phone at home (just like your old wired phone... which, btw, could always be hacked to listen to people in the room).

I worry a *lot* more about business rivals, personal relationships (your spouse, friends or enemies, your boss), than I worry about the NSA.

Th1onein

(8,514 posts)

5. I'm not a politician. I'm a PRIVATE citizen.

Reply to lapfog_1 (Reply #4)

Fri Feb 14, 2014, 08:57 AM

Feb 2014

And I should be able to enjoy my PRIVACY from government intrusion. It's a different matter when I AGREE to let private companies have some of my information, and piecemeal at that. THEY don't have the ability to jail me, or do other things to impinge on my freedom. And they HAVE my permission; the government does not.

Your argument is stale. It doesn't hold water; try changing to something new.

lapfog_1

(29,241 posts)

6. My point is (and you are completely missing it, possibly intentionally)

Reply to Th1onein (Reply #5)

Fri Feb 14, 2014, 09:07 AM

Feb 2014

you put the spy device in your pocket.

The spy device is a spy device because it has the qualities outlined in the OP.

ANYONE can hack the spy device and make it do the things you don't like.

It has nothing to do with your agreement or not.

Anyone who assumes that the nanny state will protect you from hackers is naive.

The government isn't the only entity interested in spying on you.

Seriously, you think private corporations can't jail you? or kill you?

Don't blame the tech workers that invented the technology. It's still your choice to put the spy device in your pocket.

Th1onein

(8,514 posts)

7. Now, you're going off the beam entirely.

Reply to lapfog_1 (Reply #6)

Fri Feb 14, 2014, 09:18 AM

Feb 2014

I don't blame the tech workers. Who EVER said I did? Unbelievable.

Please, if you want to excuse the government for spying on us, get better, more coherent arguments.

Until then? Don't waste my time.

jsr

(7,712 posts)

8. Google IS a massive for-profit surveillance hub.

Reply to xchrom (Original post)

Fri Feb 14, 2014, 09:53 AM

Feb 2014

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