Remember when we could just download PGP from a university server without thinking twice?

Back in 2010, I grabbed the tools from MIT's site for a project, no big deal. Now, I see friends in other countries getting flagged just for having the installers, all because of new 'anti-terror' laws. When did simply having the means to private talk become a red flag itself?

3 comments

3 Comments

carr.jana11d ago

But come on, is a download really that big a deal now?

miam1111d ago

That bit about the installers being a red flag now. Makes you wonder if the goal is less about stopping bad guys and more about making normal people feel like they're doing something wrong just for having the tools.

tara_williams111d ago

Exactly, it's about making regular people scared of normal things. If having a drill or a wrench makes you look suspicious, then everyone is a suspect. That just wastes time while the real problems slip through. It turns basic privacy into something you have to hide, which is backwards. The goal should be finding actual threats, not creating new ones out of thin air.