OK then. So you’d like to go back and forth, using a large amount of hyperbole, along with all caps, strawman arguments, and other obvious driving trollies techniques. Good luck with that.
Your opinion is bad and you should feel bad.
Snowden did go up the chain at NSA, to the people above the level of the problem. You don’t have a system of surveillance that pervasive without the whole organization being involved, and given how the rest of the Executive Branch reacted, the only alternative was to go above them, to the public, who the Executive Branch claims to work for.
You make statements that you refuse to substantiate with fact. I make statements based on the OP. These are not the same things.
Is that “bad” as in “the bad guys” the NSA stooges keep telling us about. Or is it “bad” as in “you’re a total badass”? Inquiring minds want to know.
You continue with your categorical statements and utterly avoid the logical argument that’s required to back them up. In plain English you don’t argue, you state. I differentiated between Snowden and the information he shared with the world. I stated that I don’t think it matters whether Snowden is a “good guy” or a “bad guy”. The information we now know thanks to him is what matters. If you disagree, give the reasons why you disagree. Otherwise you are merely a name caller, and ill worth my time. Peace out.
Hello,
Well, I think one part of an intelligence agency might be involved in finding vulnerabilities which can be exploited, probably a good-sized portion is involved in developing secure software for use internally, or, at least, customizing and modifying existing software to make it more secure.
It has been my albeit limited experience that people who attack software have very different mindsets than the folks who write enterprise software, and I don’t really see there being enough cross-pollination between the groups. That’s unfortunate, because I think they both have valuable lessons to teach the other.
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I’m pretty sure I’m chaotic neutral. It hasn’t helped my life…
That they do.
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This gives rise to an especially unpleasant form of cognitive dissonance; when the hackers attacking the software are the very same architects designing the vulnerabilities in from the ground up.
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I started an infosec degree, with the optimistic assumption that folks who like to do this kind of stuff must, obviously, have an inherently free-thinking, anti-authoritarian mindset. Boy, was I ever wrong.
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It’s when you start to accept a lot of orders that you would be switched to a higher PCI level. At that point the requirements would be stricter. In the case of the NSA, can you imagine how much data they are handling? They would require a much stricter “PCI” equivalent than Level 4 (which in PCI is for really large processors).
Wait, what? You think that Snowden isn’t real and that the documents are faked?
You think that someone has created a perfect false identity, including having a pile of living relatives, so good that even the government and the media can’t unravel it and expose it as a hoax? You also think that the documents are fake? If the documents are fake, why exactly is the government acknowledging each leak as being true instead of declaring them all a lie? The government has not yet once made the claim that anything released is false… which I am going to go ahead and go out on a limb and say that they would if any of them were.
So what exactly is your theory then? Are we being invaded by an alien empire and Snowden is really a secret alien planter agent? Even that doesn’t make sense as the government would still deny false charges. Maybe the aliens are holding the US government hostage and have threatened to blow up the country if they try and deny the charges? Not really sure where you are going with this one buddy.
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You know, there actually are ways to state your point without being a rude asshole about it. I understand that yes, this is the internet and we’re all anonymous but still, going out of your way to be a dick tends to make people question your motives whether they agree with your position or not.
Agree with the guy or disagree with him. Try doing one or the other with the barest modicum of rationality instead of coming across as a poor mans Don Rickles.
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There are a fair amount of people who feel that Snowden was/is an operative for a foreign power, I think that might be what he was referring to. “Snowden the KGB/PLA/whatever agent” is going to be an attractive idea to some people.
Neutral is no place to be. You are either for good or for evil. My comment that I prefer chaotic evil to lawful evil meant that, given there is evil in the world I prefer the chaotic kind, because it is easier to defeat.
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That idea is stupid. If the government had even a shred of inkling that he was a foreign agent, they would pretty happily let us know. I mean, they are posting half a decade old e-mail spats former employers. I am pretty sure that the D he got his freshman year of high school is next on the list. The fact that the government has yet to offer up any theory other than that Snowden is a bad ass patriot should be telling. You might think he is a misguided patriot, but his motives are blatant and clear; bad ass patriot.
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Did you know that they eliminated “lawful evil” and “chaotic good” in 4th Edition D&D? The speculation I’ve heard is this follows in the long tradition of D&D publishers dodging complaints from religious fundamentalists. One of the recurring complaints was that it was inconceivable for someone to obey the law and be evil.
I’ve been in a few arguments with such people – go to Godwin, and they don’t even get the connection. It’s a bit frightening.
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Going to the core, going to the root of things, becoming radicalized, means you’re in conflict with conventional society. There are rarely rewards for this. There are more rewards, and far fewer (immediate) risks, for conforming.
O, it’s a curse, yes.
This is such a pathetic false dilemma it’s not worth discussing.
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