In case you hadn’t noticed, President Obama has now made it clear what is really at stake in the government’s war against encryption:
Speaking at the South by Southwest festival in Texas, Obama said he could not comment on the legal case in which the FBI is trying to force Apple Inc. to allow access to an iPhone linked to San Bernardino, California, shooter Rizwan Farook.
But he made clear that, despite his commitment to Americans’ privacy and civil liberties, a balance was needed to allow some intrusion when needed.
“The question we now have to ask is: If technologically it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system where the encryption is so strong that there is no key, there’s no door at all, then how do we apprehend the child pornographer, how do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot?” he said.
“What mechanisms do we have available to even do simple things like tax enforcement because if in fact you can’t crack that at all, government can’t get in, then everybody is walking around with a Swiss bank account in their pocket.“
(Emphasis added.)
A Swiss bank account in your pocket?
Oh the horror!
In other words, financial privacy — not terrorism — is the enemy.
Your money is not yours.
(It goes without saying that as in the war on drugs, all candidates for president are in lockstep agreement on this key issue.)
Comments
8 responses to “Privacy is terrorism”
It’s a wonder the cops were able to solve any crimes at all, back in the day when there were no smartphones to hack into.
As usual, O’bambam spews false dichotomies indiscriminately in all directions, translations and rotations.
How do we solve terrorism, etc? How about the good old fashioned way, humint and hard work. And some goddam common sense about who the terrorists are, as in, not some born again wacko in Waco. Allah ackbar!!!
And for tax collection, try having sensible and low enough rates that tax evasion isn’t particularly appealing.
What are they going to do when state of the art encryption becomes freely downloadable from North Korean, Russian, Chinese, Bulgarian etc sites? No back doors then, chuckles, and ain’t nothing you can do about it. Systems like code words and one time pads are already unbreakable, and take no technology to implement.
I got a swiss bank in my pants, baby. Wanna see it?
you don’t have a right to hide your criminal activity. if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear! at least that is what law and order conservatives have been telling me for many decades.
You do realize that there are no law ‘n’ order conservatives here?
In 60 years the Democratic Party has gone from extolling free speech to banning hate speech. The new totalitarians. And of course the GOP is no better.
thats mighty white of you road kill.
Free speech: nothing new, see “Free Speech For Me But Not For The”. The left has always been in favor of free speech as long as they were on the outside.
Traditionally, Republicans: free speech as long as it isn’t pornography. Democrats: free speech as long as it is pornography.
Money hasn’t been yours since at least the federal reserve and federal income tax. They decide how much to print, how much it’s worth, and how much you’re allowed to keep.
I’ve got a Swiss Bank in my pants. Wanna see it?