Quotes

Amnesty: Encryption is about Human Rights

In the digital age, access to and use of encryption is an enabler of the right to privacy. Because encryption can protect communications from spying, it can help people share their opinion with others without reprisals, access information on the web and organize with others against injustice. Encryption is therefore also an enabler of the rights to freedom of expression, information and opinion, and also has an impact on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association and other human rights. Encryption is a particularly critical tool for human rights defenders, activists and journalists, all of whom rely on it with increasing frequency to protect their security and that of others against unlawful surveillance.

• Amnesty: Encryption: A Matter of Human Rights »

• EFF: Amnesty International: Encryption is a Human Rights Issue »

The spiral of silence

A new study shows that knowledge of government surveillance causes people to self-censor their dissenting opinions online. The research offers a sobering look at the oft-touted “democratizing” effect of social media and Internet access that bolsters minority opinion.

The study, published in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, studied the effects of subtle reminders of mass surveillance on its subjects. The majority of participants reacted by suppressing opinions that they perceived to be in the minority. This research illustrates the silencing effect of participants’ dissenting opinions in the wake of widespread knowledge of government surveillance, as revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013.

• Washington Post: Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study »
• Motherboard: ‘Chilling Effect’ of Mass Surveillance Is Silencing Dissent Online, Study Says »
• Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly: Under Surveillance – Examining Facebook’s Spiral of Silence Effects in the Wake of NSA Internet Monitoring »

Tuesday: First day in court in the Apple vs. FBI case

As the government acknowledges, courts operate on precedent. So if the FBI wins this time, it means it is more likely to win the next.

This year, a favorable ruling could decide whether laptop cameras can be conscripted as spies or smartphones become permanent homing beacons.

In a year or two, the same ruling may have set laid the groundwork for whether your car becomes your police van or your home becomes your holding cell.

The Guardian: Beyond surveillance: what could happen if Apple loses to the FBI »

Richard Clarke on the Apple vs. FBI case

“[The FBI] is not as interested in solving the problem as they are in getting a legal precedent,” Clarke said. “Every expert I know believes the NSA could crack this phone. They want the precedent that government could compel a device manufacturer to let the government in.”

The Register: Former US anti-terror chief tears into FBI over iPhone unlocking case — They’d just send it to the NSA if they really wanted access, says Clarke »

No Mr President, that is not a problem

If in fact you can’t crack that all, if the government can’t get in, then everybody is walking around with a Swiss Bank account in their pocket.

US President Barack Obama on encryption at the SXSW.

That is the perspective from a politician who thinks that people cannot be entrusted with their own money.

Yahoo Finance / Business Insider »

“Bitcoin’s nightmare scenario has come to pass”

This week the dire predictions came to pass, as the network reached its capacity, causing transactions around the world to be massively delayed, and in some cases to fail completely. The average time to confirm a transaction has ballooned from 10 minutes to 43 minutes. Users are left confused and shops that once accepted Bitcoin are dropping out.

The Verge: Bitcoin’s nightmare scenario has come to pass »

Apple fighting back

Apple is already thinking about ways to make it harder to hack iPhones, reports say. According to the New York Times, the company wants to prevent passcode-free recovery mode in future iPhones. According to the FT, Apple also wants to encrypt iPhone backups on iCloud.

Techcrunch: Apple Plans To Make iPhone And iCloud More Secure To Keep The Government Away »

This Is the Real Reason Apple Is Fighting the FBI

Julian Sanchez: This Is the Real Reason Apple Is Fighting the FBI »

1. This offers the government a way to make tech companies help with investigations.

2. This public fight could affect private orders from the government.

3. The consequences of a precedent permitting this sort of coding conscription are likely to be enormous in scope.

4. Most ominously, the effects of a win for the FBI in this case almost certainly won’t be limited to smartphones.

Congressman Lieu on Apple vs. FBI

“This court order also begs the question: Where does this kind of coercion stop? Can the government force Facebook to create software that provides analytic data on who is likely to be a criminal? Can the government force Google to provide the names of all people who searched for the term ISIL? Can the government force Amazon to write software that identifies who might be suspicious based on the books they ordered?”

Congressman Lieustatement on Apple Court Order »

China to tighten control over online content

Radio Free Asia reports…

The ruling Chinese Communist Party has announced new regulations that will ban foreign companies from publishing online media, games and other “creative” content within China’s borders from next month.

The “Regulations for the management of online publishing services” also ban foreign-invested joint ventures from engaging in online content provision, according to a copy of the rules posted on the official website of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

And any Chinese companies wishing to produce online creative content, including audio, video, games and animations, must first seek official approval from the country’s media regulator.

This is big news — changing the situation in China from bad to worse.

China to Ban Foreign Companies From Online Media Business »