1984

Posted by: stak
Posted on: 2008-01-13 19:55:21

There's an interesting interview with Rick Falkvigne (founder of the Swedish Pirate Party) over at this forum. I found some bits particularly relevant (since the text of the interview is in the public domain, I copied those bits here for posterity):

Not only are politicians implementing a big brother state, they are also confusing and joining the government interests with those of large corporations.

[snip]

We know exactly where this road leads, for we have seen many walk it before us. And while each step can seem convincing, we know what the endpoint is.

Each step is usually justified by "efficient law enforcement". This is deceptive - for who would stand against a bill and demand INEFFICIENT law enforcement? In reality, it is a shift of power from citizens and civil liberties to law enforcement. There have been plenty of governments, historical and contemporary, where efficient law enforcement has been a priority: East Germany, Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea, Pinochet's Chile, etc. The question that needs to be asked is if it's worth having that efficient a law enforcement, or if something else is lost on the way?

[snip]

A mass surveillance proposal for wiretapping every communication crossing the country's border was introduced in 2005, then retracted because - get this - it had received too much attention. It was reintroduced by the new administration and is pending a new vote this summer.

Update: apparently this was Slashdotted too, but the quote in their blurb isn't nearly as good.

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