Author: HAX

Henrik “HAX” Alexandersson is a Swedish writer, thinker and political evangelist. Between 2009 and 2014 he worked in the European Parliament for the Swedish Pirate Party.

Wikileaks: German BND-NSA Inquiry Exhibits

The inquiry was established in 2014 in the wake of the Snowden revelations, which showed that not only was the NSA spying on the whole world, but it had also partnered with the intelligence services of particular states to spy on their citizens and those of the surrounding regions. One of these countries is Germany, which has had a close relationship with the US in military and intelligence matters since its occupation by US forces in WWII. The US has been shown to use its bases in Germany and its relationship with German intelligence to spy on German citizens as well as European Union institutions. (…)

Last week, on 21 November 2016, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice upheld the complaint and ruled that the committee was obliged to hear Edward Snowden in person. However, at the next inquiry hearing three days after the ruling, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Union bloc and the Social Democrats removed Snowden’s invitation from the agenda of the inquiry and are contesting the Court’s decision.

Wikileaks: German BND-NSA Inquiry Exhibits »

“EU Directive on counterterrorism is seriously flawed”

A terrorism Directive put together without a proper consultation, without any impact assessment and without meaningful public debate creates the worst possible outcome

…said Joe McNamee, Executive Director of European Digital Rights.

It is too unclear to be implemented in a harmonised way across the EU, too shrouded in secrecy to have public legitimacy and too open to interpretation to prevent wilful abuse by governments seeking to exploit its weaknesses.

EDRi: European Union Directive on counterterrorism is seriously flawed »

Terrorism Directive: Document pool »

A post-democratic society?

demokrati_ungdom

Politicians and bureaucrats are transferring power from the people to themselves. There is corporatism, where politicians and Big Business join forces to circumvent a proper democratic process. Our civil rights are being thwarted for a number of different reasons. And there is a noticeable and growing democratic deficit.

Apparently, the people is now drifting into resignation and defeatism. Especially the young. The chart above is from the NYT article: How Stable Are Democracies? ‘Warning Signs Are Flashing Red’ »

According to the Mounk-Foa early-warning system, signs of democratic deconsolidation in the United States and many other liberal democracies are now similar to those in Venezuela before its crisis.

Across numerous countries, including Australia, Britain, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States, the percentage of people who say it is “essential” to live in a democracy has plummeted, and it is especially low among younger generations.

Naturally, one can understand why people are disillusioned about democracy. Politicians are accumulating power – but are not in contact with ordinary people, their lives, and their worries. One could argue that our political leaders are not even in contact with reality. The political elite seems to be incompetent while at the same time being arrogant and condescending.

People being fed up with politics and bureaucracy is quite understandable. But what is the alternative?

I fear that it will not be enlightened philosopher kings that will rule us. Nor will it be a libertarian minarchism where people are free and live in harmony. Other, more aggressive, forces will be at play.

Authoritarian populists, the military, communists, SJW, fascists… The »alternatives« to democracy are all rather unpleasant, will lead to oppression – and will not respect the individual, her civil rights, and freedoms.

I can agree that democracy in some ways is a problematic system with very real built-in dilemmas and faults. I also fully agree that most of today’s politicians are dimwits and that many of them are dangerous.

But, still – I find democracy the least bad system.

However, democracy would gain greatly from being trimmed down – focusing on society’s core functions, doing what is important well – and then leaving people free to live their lives pretty much as they want. Maybe that is the only way to save democracy, in the long run.

/ HAX

FBI going global

Today, the FBI becomes a global adversary and enemy to every security-conscious computer user and to every IT security professional, similar to how the mass surveillance agencies are treated. The FBI has requested, and been granted, the lawful power (in the US) to intrude into any computer in the entire world.

Falkvinge: Today, the FBI becomes the enemy of every computer user and every security professional worldwide »

TiSA and corporate censorship

(W)hile having provisions to promote freedom of expression will be a step forward, the latest US made a proposal in TiSA which does not respect the rule of law and would remove rights to freedom of expression. The proposal is that internet companies would not be liable for any damage caused by voluntary restrictions of individuals’ free speech if they undertake such restrictions “in good faith” because they feel that the communications are “harmful or objectionable”.

EDRi: New leaks confirm TiSA proposals that would undermine civil liberties »

TiSA = Trade in Services Agreement

Will Facebook destroy the Internet?

Something like Facebook could never have emerged within Facebook. It needed an open web within which to gestate.

Despite this, Facebook is taking conscious efforts — like Free Basics — to destroy the open web. It’s destroying the very environment that made its own existence possible.

Quincy Larson @ FreeCodeCamp: I can’t just stand by and watch Mark Zuckerberg destroy the internet »

Falkvinge on net neutrality

Net neutrality should not even be a debate. Any market actor who abuses their customers and trust to the level of not respecting net neutrality, on a functioning market, will be dropped like a bad habit. Therefore, the mere existence of a net neutrality debate is a symptom of something much worse: the existence of gatekeepers. That’s the underlying problem that needs to be solved.

Falkvinge: Net neutrality shouldn’t be a debate – it’s a symptom of something worse: gatekeepers »

UK: Tax authorities (and others) to get access to everybody’s surf history

The Investigatory Powers Bill, which was all but passed into law this week, forces internet providers to keep a full list of internet connection records (ICRs) for a year and to make them available to the Government if asked. Those ICRs in effect serve as a full list of every website that people have visited, rather than collecting which specific pages are visited or what’s done on them.

ICRs will be made available to a wide range of government bodies. Those include expected law enforcement organisations such as the police, the military and the secret service, but also includes bodies such as the Food Standards Agency, the Gambling Commission, councils and the Welsh Ambulance Services National Health Service Trust.

The Independent: Everyone who can now see your entire internet history, including the taxman, DWP and Food Standards Agency »