Tails: A System for Web Security, Privacy and Anonymity

In the digital age of growing government and corporate surveillance all across the world, the Internet remains a crucial medium of everyday life. E-mail, social networks, digital media and seemingly unlimited data allow us to connect with the people and things we love whenever we want. Through the internet we can all be publishers and the world can be our audience, and our personal information has never been more valuable.

At the same time, our privacy and anonymity are increasingly coming under attack. Our personal data and information have never been more sought after by both states and corporations, and human rights groups are often the primary targets (as was recognised in this recent landmark UN report).

Snowden, the NSA and Why Americans Don’t Care

While trolling through Buzzfeed’s list of best signs from the July 4th protests and the comments sections of various articles on the NSA/Snowden story, I’ve witnessed bold and unafraid Americans speaking up against injustice and government overreach. One of the more ironic signs spelled out the NSA acronym as ‘New Stasi Agency,’ a reference to the intelligence apparatus of East Germany that sought to 'know all.' Additionally, many readers commented on and expressed outrage toward the unprecedented nature of recently exposed U.S. surveillance programs. It’s good to know that people take seriously issues such as unwarranted seizure of citizens’ metadata and secret courts.

Courtesy of Buzzfeed

Not seriously enough, as it turns out. New insights keep piling up with minimal reaction from the American populous: the FISA court’s precedent-setting decisions for intelligence gathering, gag orders preventing tech companies (Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, Google) from speaking of government requests for user data, general secrecy surrounding the NSA, FISA and the latter’s trove of jurisprudence that remains largely out of sight. No legislation is on the table calling for accountability and transparency. No one is flooding the streets and their representative’s office demanding explanation or remedy. Instead, a few protests dotted America on its birthday. No one seems to care.

Our Human Right to Freedom of Expression and Privacy

The main chambers of the United Nations Human Rights Council

We’ve all been there: you’re immersed in another culture—either physically or conversationally—and you find yourself putting more thought into your words than usual. You don’t want to offend anyone, and you hope no one says anything that you yourself would find offensive. For the most part, this kind of cross-cultural communication can serve to build mutual understanding and trust, but oftentimes there’s that awkward feeling of self-censorship we impose because of who’s in our company. As awkward as that may feel, it’s a good kind of awkward, one that makes you more reflective about word choice, mannerisms and idiosyncrasies that might put off others who grew up with vastly different cultural practices and guided by diverse value systems. Feel free to break free from the social and cultural norms, or to utter a phrase you know your counterpart will revile, but don’t be surprised if you get more than a few dirty looks.