No Question: Snowden Was 2013's Most Influential Tech Figure 108
Nerval's Lobster writes "Lots of CEOs, entrepreneurs, and developers made headlines in 2013—but in hindsight, Edward Snowden will likely stand as this year's most influential figure in technology. In June, Snowden began feeding top-secret documents detailing the National Security Agency's surveillance programs to The Guardian and other newspapers. Much of that information, downloaded by Snowden while he served as a system administrator at an NSA outpost in Hawaii, suggested that the U.S. government swept up massive amounts of information on ordinary Americans as part of its broader operations. Whatever one's feelings on the debate over privacy and security, it's undeniable that Snowden's documents have increased general awareness of online vulnerability; but whether that's sparked an increased use of countermeasures—including encryption tools—is another matter entirely. On the developer side of things, when you consider the sheer amount of money, time, and code that'll be invested over the next few years in encryption and encryption-breaking, it's clear that Snowden's influence will be felt for quite some time to come—even if the man himself is trapped in Russian exile."
I Think I Was ... (Score:2, Insightful)
I think it was the guy mentioned in this article [slashdot.org].
Feel free to continue the recursion... (Score:2, Insightful)
I think it was the guy mentioned in this article [slashdot.org].
I think it was the guy mentioned in this article [slashdot.org].
You can smell the fear... (Score:5, Insightful)
...that the federal government has. And it's not the muslim jihadists they're worried about. It's us.
Re:You can smell the fear... (Score:5, Interesting)
...that the federal government has. And it's not the muslim jihadists they're worried about. It's us.
Indeed, and since it seems so apropos to link to and quote slashdot today-
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4606965&cid=45806859 [slashdot.org]
"
The insecurity is on the side of the NSA.
They wouldn't go through such hoops if we didn't have the most powerful freedom tool ever, namely the Internet.
Use it properly and they shall vanish.
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"us" != slashdot posters.
"us" == the entire American citizenry.
In other words, the government now considers its own citizens to be its biggest enemy.
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...that the federal government has. And it's not the muslim jihadists they're worried about. It's us.
-1 delusional.
The federal government does not fear "you".
"You" have neither the will nor the means to effectively oppose them.
Hell, "you" can't even inconvenience them.
"You" are not even a blip on their radar.
"You" are nothing but a resource to be exploited.
The only thing Showden accomplished is reassuring the powers that be that they can get away with anything and don't even have to hide their misdeeds anymore.
Slashdot linking to Slashdot (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously...
wtf???
Re:Slashdot linking to Slashdot (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, it is getting ridiculous. All of this info has been suspected, and the paranoids were already taking steps to protect themselves. Most average people don't care and have much bigger issues to deal with that really will affect their lives.
Thing is, "most average people" aren't the ones who shape human society for the next generation. Edward Snowden did that.
It isn't like he invented something cool, advanced society through developing new technologies, or accomplished anything. He went in with an agenda and was able to hack the system from the inside, now he has some power and fame.
I like to also think his Agenda was to "invent" a cool new world, where instead of NSA spook-community running completely rampant and rough-shod toward a dystopian neo-Stasi future, we now get to know and mitigate the threat to the 4th ammendment that they represent. That's is a freaking cool invention if you ask me. I'll take it over the crap that "most average people" like yourself churn out.
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there is no need to use Google docs. Using those services is your choice
I have as much choice about that as people who work in a Windows shop have about using MS Excel and Word.
None, unless I want to find a new job.
I worked in a "Windows shop" and had no problem keeping my job while using OpenOffice.org (from the time it was still Star Office).
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"yeah, the average grade-school science experiment outshines Snowden's actual deed:"
Except the average grade-school "" isn't life ending. And understand if Snowden had been caught it's most likely he'd be locked away by now for nailing the 'adults' playing their childish games.
Re:Slashdot linking to Slashdot (Score:5, Insightful)
I know I shouldn't feed trolls, but...
"You want to call him the most influential person in politics, fine... but tech? I think we can do better."
Are you KIDDING me? He may not personally design the devices and write the code that we are using for the next 10 years, but *you can sure bet* that he seriously impacted those designs and that code by revealing the proof and scope, if not the existence of the insecurities that were rampant in the prior devices and code.
We will be buying fundamentally more secure devices with fundamentally more secure programming in the coming years, due *primarily* to Snowden's revelations. Dinging him for being more like the tech-CEO who merely gets to decide the direction of development instead of writing the actual code seems just plain silly. Compared to the influence all the other tech-CEOs had in 2013 on the future of computing technology, I'd say Snowden wins hands down. No question. It's a different tech _landscape_ today because of him. What other tech person had a greater change on the nature of the technology we will use in the coming decade?
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Pick any one of a number of IP lawsuits or tech mergers, and you can call out a dozen names that have been more influential in the past year, contrasted against what you say Snowden will influence.
Please, carry out this exercise. And we'll explain why you're wrong.
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When your house is burning down around you, the topic may come up a bit more frequently than you'd like. But some situations are so dire, so tragic, that when they occur they eclipse all that surround them.
NSA Has Full Access to the iPhone (Score:5, Informative)
Der Spiegel reported on the NSA’s access to smartphones and, in particular, the iPhone back in September [spiegel.de]. Today, these reports expand to the NSA’s apparent ability to access just about all your iPhone data [forbes.com] through a program called DROPOUTJEEP, according to security researcher Jacob Appelbaum.
The NSA claims a 100% success rate in installing the malware on iPhones. Functionality includes the ability to remotely push/pull files from the device. SMS retrieval, contact list retrieval, voicemail, geolocation, hot mic, camera capture, cell tower location, etc. Command, control and data exfiltration can occur over SMS messaging or a GPRS data connection. All communications with the implant will be covert and encrypted.
It is unknown whether the backdoor was developed in cooperation with Apple, but Appelbaum doubts it. Video of Appelbaum's full speech is included in the article.
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Were you looking for this [xkcd.com]?
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Only if you're typing in the cyphertext and doing the encryption/decryption off-device.
If they've got root on your phone, no amount of encryption will prevent access to the data (hint, your phone has to decrypt it at some point so you can use it).
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mod parent up
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"The initial release of DROPOUTJEEP will focus on installing the implant via close access methods. A remote installation ability will be pursued for a future release."
This is exactly why I don't let my NSA friends borrow my iPhone.
Seriously, though, the private sector has been doing this for years. [acisni.com] Do you really think the NSA can't pwn a phone, or any other type of computer, given physical access or a remote root exploit?
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That's been obvious for years since there must be a very good reason why Obama isn't allowed to have an iPhone.
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Apple actually responded to the issue today after it was reported again yesterday:
Apple has never worked with the NSA to create a backdoor in any of our products, including iPhone. Additionally, we have been unaware of this alleged NSA program targeting our products. We care deeply about our customers’ privacy and security. Our team is continuously working to make our products even more secure, and we make it easy for customers to keep their software up to date with the latest advancements. Whenever we hear about attempts to undermine Apple’s industry-leading security, we thoroughly investigate and take appropriate steps to protect our customers. We will continue to use our resources to stay ahead of malicious hackers and defend our customers from security attacks, regardless of who’s behind them.
Also worth pointing out: in addition to Apple, Appelbaum also leaked the fact that Android and Blackberry have been similarly compromised, and that the NSA is even going so far as to intercept new smartphones en route to their destination and then install this software, before sending them on their way.
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What about... (Score:1)
William Binney & James Bamford? They just aren't the media personality Snowden is?
Most influential in Technology? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Most influential in Technology? (Score:5, Insightful)
Most influential maybe in terms of politics, but technology? What was the technology he pioneered or employed?
Nothing. But his actions will have a huge influence on the future development and use of technology, thus it is reasonable to call him influential ;-)
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You're conflating "influential" and "innovative". You don't have to make something to be able to have a significant influence on it, and there's little doubt that Snowden's actions have influenced how the general population looks at and thinks about technology in a major way. They're asking the sorts of questions about—and demanding the sorts of things from—technology that many of us here wished they had been asking and demanding a long time ago, and most of that is thanks to his revelations.
Applied crypto is back... (Score:2)
One of the few good things I can say about this mess is that applied cryptography is back... something that hasn't been really fundamentally worked on since the mid-1990s when SSL/TLS and SSH were hammered out. People seem to be interested in PGP again, and cryptocurrencies are the rage with preeve saying one Bitcoin is worth $760 at this time.
Of course, one has fears about yet another Internet-related bubble... but this is a place where people coming in to build new stuff is a very good thing. In fact, r
Off-topic question (Score:2)
Snowden began feeding top-secret documents detailing the National Security Agency's surveillance programs to The Guardian and other newspapers.
Does anyone know how Snowden decides which paper to leak which document to? For instance, The Washington Post seems to get more than its fair share. IIRC a plurality go to The Guardian. Is there some strategy behind where he leaks what? A cynical person would assume there's a bidding war going on, but most (legit) newspapers view it as unethical to pay for stories. [PDF] [washingtonpost.com]
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Snowden played this excessively smart, and that's the only reason he's sort of free now.
I don't think Snowden is that smart or free. Today he does what the Russian government allows him to do. But consider the Russians have protesters in Moscow, protesters in Kiev, and suicide bombers in their midst. How long will the Russian government tolerate an icon for freedom from surveillance, especially given their history? I believe Snowden is in considerable danger. [wsj.com]
Another reference: Sergei Guriev [csmonitor.com]
Also Mikhail Khodorkovsky [freedomhouse.org]
As for Snowden, I still think we know 10% or less of the story. There is a
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I think most (all) of the documents got handed over to Greenwald. At first, Greenwald pushed most stuff through his employer, The Guardian, with a few other outlets to increase exposure outside the UK. Now it seems they will be used to help bootstrap a new venture that Greenwald is starting.
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Because Slashdot has become a temple of the first Church of Snowden
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Are you sure that bitcoin is liberating? The block chain thing sounds awfully non-anonymous.
Every year it's the same thing (Score:1)
Narrow scope. (Score:1)
That may be but. (Score:1)
It is not for his technical prowess.
Re:So sad .... (Score:5, Insightful)
So sad that a criminal is listed as an influential person. Especially one so cowardly and spineless as to flee instead of actually staying and working towards what he believed in. I hope he lives to a ripe old age and has to spend his life constantly hiding in the shadows in fear. In countries with worse personal liberties and freedoms than the one he fled from.
I'm sorry you feel this way. Very few people here feel that way, in fact, the only people here that feel that way you do usually work for the NSA.
Re:So sad .... (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, you say 'the only people who feel this way usually work for the NSA'? I disagree.
Everyone at the NSA is aware of their "First Commandment"; “Thou Shalt Not Eavesdrop on Americans Without a Court Warrant.” Something that went out the window during the Bush Administration under Gen. Hayden (former NSA directors have stated publically he broke the (FISA) law. One even flat out said he should have been court-marshialed). Snowden isn't the first to blow the whistle over at the NSA in the last few years, Thomas Drake being one I can think of off the top of my head and he was a senior official at the NSA! So I think the people at the NSA rtake their jobs seriously, their directors not so much. I'd lay blame where it's due I think.
Oh and what happened to Thomas Drake? Jailed! as were others (there were, what, like, 5 people from the NSA who have spoken out since around 2006? That's a lot!) I have to ask myself, if I were Snowden and watched senior officials being jailed for revealing the NSA is spying on everyone, would I skip town? You bet yer fat arse I would! I'd skip town, get all the docs to the newspapers, and make those rat bastards answer to the People!
Don't forget "Persona Management Software" (Score:2)
So sad that a criminal is listed as an influential person. Especially one so cowardly and spineless as to flee instead of actually staying and working towards what he believed in. I hope he lives to a ripe old age and has to spend his life constantly hiding in the shadows in fear. In countries with worse personal liberties and freedoms than the one he fled from.
I'm sorry you feel this way. Very few people here feel that way, in fact, the only people here that feel that way you do usually work for the NSA.
The NSA and their numerous sockpuppets enabled through Palantir technology [1] - that could be millions of "people" who "support" the NSA. They exist everywhere, even heavily moderated forums like /. and dailykos.
Let's see if the sockpuppets mod this comment down - it's happened before when I brought it up.
[1] http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/16/945768/-UPDATED-The-HB-Gary-Email-That-Should-Concern-Us-All [dailykos.com]
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So sad that a criminal is listed as an influential person. Especially one so cowardly and spineless as to flee instead of actually staying and working towards what he believed in. I hope he lives to a ripe old age and has to spend his life constantly hiding in the shadows in fear. In countries with worse personal liberties and freedoms than the one he fled from.
I'm sorry you feel this way. Very few people here feel that way, in fact, the only people here that feel that way you do usually work for the NSA.
Right even one who has a different opinion than yourself is obviously in the employ of the Satan.
It seems all one has to do here to get their post moderated as "insightful" is ejaculate some pro-Snowden commentary even as dumb, trollish, dismissive and broad brushed as the one above.
Vocal minorities always think they're in the major (Score:1)
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I'm sorry you feel this way. Very few people here feel that way, in fact, the only people here that feel that way you do usually work for the NSA.
That is intellectually dishonest demagoguery.
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Same comment applies.
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As stated by a 14-year-old whose concept of "technology" obviously ends at the edge of his computer desk.
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His actions have:
* Influenced an ever-increasing number of governments', organizations', and companies' technology implementation decisions (hardware purchasing, location, routing).
* Re-ignited interest in the long neglected field of user-end encryption and security
* Revealed the widespread "false sense of security" in widespread encryption, in the form of an intentionally-flawed encryption standard, which affects everything from E-Commerce to Electronic Medical Records
"Influencing" technology by creating n