Snowden’s Second Anniversary

Have we saved freedom yet? (not even close)

Today marks the second year since Snowden revealed the largest violation of privacy known in the history of humanity. Had it not been for the actions of a single man, you would currently be reading some other article (probably about AI or the TWC merger), and the US government would be spying on you without your knowledge. So, what was the state of the world two years ago, and how have the Snowden leaks changed society?

The government’s surveillance capabilities, and the extent to which they were executed, are something straight out of science fiction or a dystopian novel. If the government decided you were a possible terrorist, they could read your email, listen to your calls and browse your phone’s pictures, see your search results and browsing history. They could know where you were at at all times and what your were doing for any communication involving technology. Essentially, the government had already installed the listening TV’s from Orwell’s 1984, and no one outside the intelligence community had realized. If this had continued, how long would it have been before self-electing surveillance agencies such as the NSA had complete oppressive control?

So now, thanks to Snowden, we know there is no privacy from the US government. But what has changed since our eyes were opened? The short answer, nothing. The government can still read your emails and listen to your calls. Since you’re reading this article and they can find out your search history they’ve probably placed you on “the list”, so sorry about that (in all seriousness, the list only has about 1.2 million people on it, so you’d have to go a bit more extreme to be worth the monitoring bandwidth). Functionally, the NSA still has the same surveillance power as before (at least on US citizens).

However, it’s not all bleak. There are several tangible changes that have occurred in the last two years that set the stage for a possible future in which freedom exists. First, we’re still having this debate 2 years later, meaning propaganda was not able to stifle the discussion. The awareness and understanding of government programs has allowed us to start thinking collectively about solutions. One of the ways this has manifested is via an increased focus on encryption technology. The tech community’s approach is to develop the tools that allow privacy regardless of government political mandate. Although a good start, this hasn’t reached consumers on a level that prevents the government being able to watch their every move. If faced with a warrant, Google is still handing over your data (and warrants are easier to get in secret court than headaches in Vegas).

Politically, reform is moving at glacier pace. Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which legalized NSA bulk data collection, expired June 1st, only because Rand Paul filibustered long enough for the bill’s provisions to expire. Considering that Mitch McConnell, the legislature’s majority leader, waited until the last minute to bring up the Patriot act’s renewal (certain provisions, anyways), the act would have likely been passed out of fear of disrupting security, had it not been for Paul. But hey, in case you wanted to celebrate, the Senate immediately afterwards passed the USA Freedom Act, which would be more accurately called the USA Continue Spying On Citizens As Usual Act. I guess that name would have been a bit more difficult to pass, though. Basically, the “Freedom Act” renews the Patriot act until 2019. It’s a worrying step that the first piece of surveillance reform gives more power to the NSA. However, maybe that’s just the legislature’s way of doing business, and more reforms will gradually follow that reign in surveillance. Maybe. If there isn’t a shitstorm it’s more likely they’ll just pat themselves on the back and say job well done.

Keeping our freedoms is going to be a constant fight. Pulling back the overreach of government surveillance is going to take time and dedication. I mean fuck, there’s still people who combat global warming reform, and it’s been how many years? Still, I believe we as a community have the power to create a future that honors freedom. So let us celebrate this day by learning from the past, and looking forward to our next steps.