Computer geeks are indeed an odd and esoteric bunch, puzzling and sometimes frustrating to people who’ve never studied the intricacies of hard drive failures or Internet Protocol stacks. Nowhere are the oddities of computer geeks more openly on display than at the Defcon computer security convention, held annually in Las Vegas.
Defcon attendees run the gamut of possible fashion styles, from pale, longhaired pierced-and-tattooed dressed-in-all-black Goth lords to starched-button-down-collar three-piece-suit corporate types. Most people would never expect such a disparate crowd to agree on too many issues, much less sit in the same room and hold meaningful conversations. Curiously, a common ideology that runs throughout the convention, held by punky hackers and uptight executives alike is an often fierce devotion to the principles of individual freedom and liberty, particularly in the areas of privacy and freedom of speech.
Unlike the phony liberals and pseudo-conservatives that dominate the American Congress, most computer geeks have an unusually clear understanding of the threats posed by governmental misuse of technology and the Internet to rights such as privacy and freedom of speech. I’ve often used this column to describe such threats, in articles such as “Privacy Enemies of the Internet,” “The Enemies of Internet Free Speech,” and “State House Bill Legalizes Spyware.”
Stories of how our government abuses technology to suppress freedom are often relegated to the back page, if they’re covered at all. Did you know that on Christmas Eve, yet another bill will appear before the U.S. Senate to grant immunity to telecommunications companies such as AT&T, who broke the law by partnering with the NSA in a massive digital dragnet of Americans’ private communications? Most people have never heard of such a thing. If you are bothered by such criminal behavior, visit www.eff.org/showdown and let your voice be heard.
Equally creepy is a bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives a few weeks ago that would require anyone that runs a public or otherwise unsecured wireless network to report “illegal” images including “obscene” cartoons and drawings–or face fines of up to $300,000. Naturally, the definition of an “illegal” or “obscene” cartoon or drawing is up for grabs. Did you hear about this bill? According to news.com, the proposed law would cover individuals, coffee shops, libraries, hotels, and even some government agencies that provide wireless Internet. It also sweeps in social-networking sites, domain name registrars, Internet service providers, and e-mail service providers such as Hotmail and Gmail, and it may require that the complete contents of the user’s account be retained for subsequent police inspection. This insanity needs to stop.
I feel like we are like frogs in the proverbial pot of slowly-heating water; by the time we realize that the water is starting to boil, it will be too late to jump out. Since our political leaders seem bound and determined to kill our freedoms, protection of those freedoms has to begin at home. I see that our local library is once again hosting its free computer and Internet classes, beginning in January. However, I was disturbed to see that there is still no class listed that specifically covers Internet security and privacy. I once offered to teach such a class, but the lady that I talked to at the library could not have been less interested. That’s sad.
A quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin reads, “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Amen.