Tag: NSA

  • GCCS ‘cyber summit’ is a joke

    GCCS ‘cyber summit’ is a joke

    To those in the IT world, the ‘cyber summit’ in the Hague is a joke. That’s what internet expert Danny Mekić says about it. „The governments are not talking about the one issue that matters most themselves: online espionage by governmental agencies themselves. Governments need to take a good look at themselves; the greatest threat…

  • The Netherlands to leave Britain and the US far behind as digital surveillance state

    The Netherlands to leave Britain and the US far behind as digital surveillance state

    Constitutions were initially instated to keep the State at an appropriate distance. To never give the government more power or limit citizens’ fundamental rights more than strictly necessary, and only when it’s effective. Today, in the shadow of worldwide dangers and fears, the constitution of more and more western countries has degenerated into a soothing…

  • Drones: let them fly or ban them all?

    Drones: let them fly or ban them all?

    A while ago, one passed me by as I was leaving the Central Station of the capital of the Netherlands: a drone. A quadrocopter, to be precise. Fortunately it managed to narrowly avoid crashing into a group of tourists. What was it doing there? Was it some 16 year old trying out their new birthday…

  • Which airplane to take?

    The disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines jet MH370 could have been avoided, that’s what experts say. Of course it could have been avoided, in an era in which intelligence services like the GHCQ and NSA are able to track down each and every smartphone connected to a cell phone network, and Facebook and Google are…

  • Privacy panic – Should we rush to delete our Facebook and Whatsapp profiles?

    Privacy panic – Should we rush to delete our Facebook and Whatsapp profiles?

    Privacy panic – Should we rush to delete our Facebook and Whatsapp profiles? Or do we just carry on, and trust that no one will be meddling with our privacy and that our data will not be up for grabs? The news that as of last week, Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg owns not only Instagram…

  • The Snowden saga shows a radical shift in democracy

    The debate about governmental surveillance and mass espionage that Edward Snowden’s revelations have started should also be about capitalism, argues Evgeny Morozov in the Financial Times. Because data is becoming the new money. But data isn’t replacing money at all and the debate should not be about capitalism, replies Danny Mekic. Money, as a medium…