NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] When the NSA shamers become the shamed
When the NSA shamers become the shamed http://j.mp/19BIFBR (This message on Google+) - - - I've generally been a fan of MoveOn dot org, but I think it's worth noting that ethical lapses play both ways, as former MoveOn director Tom Matzzie demonstrated today. Finding himself on a train sitting near former NSA head Michael Hayden, Matzzie began actively eavesdropping on Hayden's cell calls and gleefully publicly tweeting the results in real-time, ending with a photo he asked Hayden to take with him. Hayden was apparently (Matzzie could only hear one side of the conversation, of course -- which is more than NSA has with only metadata) providing background to a news outlet. Did Matzzie break any laws by doing this? Of course not ... if you talk in public, anyone can hear you. On the other hand, Hayden wasn't breaking any laws with his call either. My parents taught me that behavior like Matzzie's is wrong. If he had heard Hayden plotting a murder or other crime, talking about it could certainly be justified. But in this case, Matzzie was simply obnoxiously trying to score points. Remember the golden rule? Or "two wrongs don't make a right" ... ? Matzzie apparently forgot them both. And that's not only a shame, but a demonstration of how the debate over surveillance around the world has veered into the hyperbolic twilight zone. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info Founder: - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com _______________________________________________ nnsquad mailing list http://lists.nnsquad.org/mailman/listinfo/nnsquad