In the news

What if you went for a job and the answer came back "we were reading your emails and, we're sorry, we don't think you are a good fit".

No, but that is not what we are discussing. My physical space is very private and important to me, obviously.

so what if you send a joke to a friend that triggered a keyword search which resulted in police searching your house because they suspected you of something (probably without caring if they damaged anything).

What if you sarcastically said you liked something then The Man, with his famous lack of humor, sent you this thing as a sorry for wrecking your house?

I'd sell it on ebay. They would know about it.

Passive aggressive win.

No, but that is not what we are discussing. My physical space is very private and important to me, obviously.

lol. I want people to know I'm an artist. It's not some closely guarded secret.

So what's the website url?

No, but that is not what we are discussing. My physical space is very private and important to me, obviously.

Your actions within your physical space (presuming you have a mobile telephone) are one of the things being recorded, to be cross-referenced with what you buy, who you talk to, when, for how long, and what you do next.

Your art, if it has at any point been rendered/recorded electronically will potentially be part of this record.

Taken together this might justify a more intrusive level of scrutiny- sending someone to have a good look in your highly personal physical space.

Whilst it's natural to make a clear distinction between "me on the internet" and "me myself, the physical reality" the boundary between the two is increasingly blurred.

A very blunt example of this was the chap who tweeted about blowing up a midlands airport, and was promptly nicked on the basis of being a terrorist- online actions can have a direct result in offline reality.

To certain governments what you have said on this forum, if linked to your passport number would be ample evidence for them to refuse you entry and/or passage, or conceivably detain you for transgressing their standards.

Surely the point of objecting to the state snooping into your private affairs has less to do with whether you, as a fine, upstanding individual are doing anything wrong, and much, much more to do with the fact that a government who is surveilling its citizens on a large-scale basis has the means to do whatever the fuck it wants with no regard to whether it is morally right, proportionate, or legal?

Surveillance can be used to suppress inconvenient political questions and suppress the people who are asking them. TW2's analysis of "I'm alright Jack" being the root of not being bothered about surveillance is bang-on. I'm no more an underground political rebel than I am one of David Icke's lizard people, but the idea that any government might think it proportionate and acceptable to blanket violate the privacy of its citizens in order to quash dissent is is deeply reprehensible to my world view.

That's exactly what a lizard would say.

Yep, Bothwell= 99% sure to be a lizard.

Lets read her email to find out for sure.

I think you have something to hide bothwell. BURN THE WITCH/TERRORIST

Surely the point of objecting to the state snooping into your private affairs has less to do with whether you, as a fine, upstanding individual are doing anything wrong, and much, much more to do with the fact that a government who is surveilling its citizens on a large-scale basis has the means to do whatever the fuck it wants with no regard to whether it is morally right, proportionate, or legal?

Surveillance can be used to suppress inconvenient political questions and suppress the people who are asking them. TW2's analysis of "I'm alright Jack" being the root of not being bothered about surveillance is bang-on. I'm no more an underground political rebel than I am one of David Icke's lizard people, but the idea that any government might think it proportionate and acceptable to blanket violate the privacy of its citizens in order to quash dissent is is deeply reprehensible to my world view.

Well put. Now, your credit card details please?

Empty.

Bothwell on her way to read William1984's post, earlier today:

As a lizard person, I already read all your boring emails anyway. Dammit's are probably the worst. Thousands of complaints sent out to thousands of companies every week after he's sat on something else and broke it. Hippy's endless "meet hot midgets in your area now!" daily digests come a close second. For all snotters' attempts to look like a rebel full of perversions and rawr on public forums all his emails are about allotments, his premium bonds, and order confirmations for woolen waistcoats. I'm onto you.

Bothers is Scottish, so obviously not to be trusted. Her post was a coded admission of her rank within the capitalist world order. Only I'm paranoid enough to see it.

www.midgetfinder.com

Busted, off to debond my premiums at the allotment.

First they came for sange,
But i didn't speak out because wiki leaks is boring...

^this

I guess we choose our battles. For instance I am deeply worried and scared by what is happening to homosexuals in places like Russia and Nigeria, for me that is an urgent and pressing issue, but I wouldn't assume everyone else was worrying about it all the time. Similarly I reserve the right not to have strong moral views on spying.

What if you went for a job and the answer came back "we were reading your emails and, we're sorry, we don't think you are a good fit".

I wouldn't want to work for a company that read my emails.

so what if you send a joke to a friend that triggered a keyword search which resulted in police searching your house because they suspected you of something (probably without caring if they damaged anything).

oh shit now I'm scared, thanks.

that's what they pay me for...

You may find a world where every company reads your email.

^this

I'm slightly worried, you may have missed my point?

^this
I guess we choose our battles. For instance I am deeply worried and scared by what is happening to homosexuals in places like Russia and Nigeria, for me that is an urgent and pressing issue, but I wouldn't assume everyone else was worrying about it all the time. Similarly I reserve the right not to have strong moral views on spying.

Is it not in their interests to hide their homosexuality from authorities until such time as their governments are not full of backwards cretins?

You seem to have forgotten to include your website url? I thought you were promoting your art? You have a perfect opportunity here and yet you choose not to post it? Why is this?

Is it not in their interests to hide their homosexuality from authorities until such time as their governments are not full of backwards cretins?

This. I'm sure all those Nigerians have nothing to fear from their government spying on them looking for signs of private, hidden homosexuality. Nothing at all. Completely safe.