White House: "We expect" Hong Kong to comply with Snowden extradition

[MADem]

60. Church is still out on that theory, but I wouldn't be shocked if that turned out to be the case.

I also wouldn't be shocked if he was simply suffering from We Are The World-itis.

The fact is, the only way one can really determine if someone is spying is to do a little spying oneself. That's a pity, but that's the way it is, I think. If we stop, that won't "make" them stop--that'll just give them a playground without impediments.

I have always operated under the assumption that the "World Wide" web was "World Wide"--not my livingroom, my bedroom, etc. When I buy some dog food online, I know that I risk my credit details with the transaction. I don't regard it as "private" space--never have. I regard it as a giant virtual mall, where people are reading the paper, talking to each other, shopping for shit, and people can and do eavesdrop. I don't regard email the same way that I regard paper and stamp mail...but maybe that's due to my age, I don't know.

I do know that I make an effort to guard my privacy online. I'm sure if people wanted to get information about me, they could, but I make 'em work for it. You won't see pictures of me plastered all over 'the facebook,' and I don't get specific with my personal details--there's just no need, and really, who gives a crap who I am? I'm no one, like a million others who like to shoot the shit.

The only way we can keep people out of our shit that matters, though, isn't to make it more secure--that won't cut it because for every lock, there's a locksmith. I think what we need to learn from all this is to find a better way. We'll just have to create methodologies that don't use "the internet" to transfer data. We need a segregated system, not an information superhighway, but a separate tunnel that only can be accessed by specific individuals, that's compartmentalized, that does not intersect with the internet in any way (data must be manually transferred, after being vetted), and, because it's a closed system, can't be hacked from afar. That probably needs to be the new paradigm, with NO access to "the internet" from classified workstations, and no ability to upload data to a thumb drive from closed systems without vetting at several levels. Sure, people could use their cellphones and take screenshots, but make THEM work for it, if they have nefarious hearts.