Science

Are you more worried that China is cyber-snooping on us … or that the American government admitted doing it too?

When I travel on business in a foreign country, I assume that my
computer use is monitored. Likewise, many organizations are now
prohibiting production laptops, iPads, or other personal electronic
devices from traveling to certain countries. Instead, the users given a
clean travel device and instructions on certain types of communications
and activities to simply forgo until they're back in the country.

But here we are safe … right?

Many
years ago, my father told me he assumed that people could see what he
did and hear what he said. With that in mind, he told me, it wasn't hard
to act accordingly.

These days, it is hard for me to imagine
someone being genuinely surprised to learn that nation-states monitor
telephone conversations, email, or Internet usage.

Nonetheless,
it is somewhat surprising that digital privacy hasn't been more a higher
profile ("real") social issue in our society.

On some level,
people are becoming desensitized to 'sharing' … For example, look how
much personal information people freely give out every day
via social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and other social
media sites.

The rules of engagement will get more clear as we
start to hash out the laws and protections here in America, and the
conventions and accords that will at least superficially guide global
behavior.

What do you think?