The NSA has a picture of you

[Roknrol]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

There are bigger things to worry about, security-wise, than the NSA. IMO.

The guy at the photomat (or the homeless guy in front of the 7-11) has far less of an ability to lock me up for the rest of my life than the NSA. I'd rather trust ANY random schmuck over ANY government entity. This is the lesson that our Founders wanted us to learn.

That being said, the school should have checked the companies information before settling on the lowest bidder...I guarantee that *someone* had to "approve" the pictures be used after the fact for advertising or whatever. As far as them "retaining" the information, they aren't doing it for any legal reasons (probably), and are doing it because...well...bringing in 100 kids a 2nd time around is probably a big pain in the ass - especially when you (at that point) need to get parents involved. While they may have a "minimum" timeframe that they need to keep the photos, I'm willing to bet that 99% of them get lost to the bit-bucket as soon as 1) space becomes an issue - likely frequently 2) they change computers (again, likely frequently) 3) some idiot accidentally deletes the folder (I've met these kinds of people...this happens a lot, I'm sure) etc etc etc.

I *am* inclined to agree with you that having all of your kids' personal information with their picture is probably an issue and can probably be taken to court.

But the Government? They copy your shit a dozen times, forget where they put half of it, back up the rest of it in triplicate and send it to every "snoop" agency that they do business with (read: All of them). I prefer my (and my kids) chances when dealing with an unscrupulous individual over an unscrupulous government.

Bigger things to worry about? Well yes, on the face of it, being worried about your pictures being snagged from FB isn't really that big of a deal. It's the larger implications that are concerning.

Doc: Well, unfortunately this is where the double-standard comes into play. As Americans, our Government is "allowed" to spy on anyone other than Americans. Also, we're selfish, self-centered douchebags that figure if you had a brain in your head you'd live in the United States, because that's just how retarded we think down here. We don't "worry" about spying on non citizens...after all, non-citizens are the "bad" ones, aren't they?

Yeah...I didn't say it made any sense at all. But if you want us to stop spying on you, you should probably wait until they stop spying on us...nobody's going to listen to you until then anyway

[Historyforall]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

Still boogles the mind when people who were begging for the passing of the Patriot Act, calling those against it unAmerican are now upset that it does everything they supported.

Now that it exist instead of fearing the govt is after you it is time to get active and make sure laws are created and passed that prevent its misuse.

The people still have the power they just choose to worry about the distractions placed before them rather than the real issues. The let their "team" do what they want instead of stepping up and saying no.

Every nation spies on every nation there is no innocence and the kicker is there never was.

[Willow]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

Makes me wish I was more photogenic.

[Roknrol]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

I don't remember anyone begging for the Patriot Act, although i do remember that every single one of the congressmen that signed it admitted later that they hadn't actually read it.

AFAIC if you don't do your job you should be fired...but the general public is functionally retarded and can't be helped.

[Amadi]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

While I'm not actually aware of any similar efforts from The British Gov around all of this, most of the people I talk to that spend a large amount of time on the internet just seem to accept this, that it's not anonymous (yet plenty of people think it is). It probably wouldn't be too hard to pair say my fb account with all my gaming stuff (amadi, ademadi) but I at least try to keep it separate... and ftr my fb is on maximum anti-peep mode.
This whole thread just makes me think of the big SOPA incident all over again and how 'you darn Americans (your government more than you, no offence) are trying to seize as much of the interwebs as you can for your own dun evil interests', I just think it's funny how much response SOPA got compared to this (which was massive).

*for those that don't know, SOPA -Stop Online Piracy Act- was an act (to my understanding, I haven't actually read it) that gave the USA too much power, allowing the gov to shut down any website on any whim regarding grounds of piracy without protest (hopefully you can see why this was bad). The internet certainly didn't like it and it's a lovely example of a piece of legislation that was never, and should never be passed.

[Roknrol]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

It's difficult to identify what's "wrong" with any of the recent Acts...mainly because...well...where do you start?

People are working from a platform of ignorance, and (after 20 or so years) are finally in a position to be educated. We have people out there that do care about your privacy, and they are willing to work (for cheap or even free) to make sure that your privacy is protected.

Of course, there are problems. The first (and biggest) obstacle is the insistence of the US Government to include backdoors into new hardware and software...backdoors that the US Government has the key to. This adds extra levels of complexity to things that should be simple, and makes things far less secure. But you know...if they don't do it...well...business licenses disappear, suddenly they're violating a dozen different ordinances...back taxes...thousands of strongarm tactics.

Now, if you could get past this part, which I don't expect any time soon, you still have to contend with the uneven playing field. Microsoft has a vested interest in making the US Government happy, and zero interest in making you happy. From their standpoint, you either evolve (upgrade for anywhere from $150-400 and up if you need new hardware) or fuck you (see Windows XP). Macintosh is just as bad if not worse. Linux...well...as usual, it's not ready for prime time. It's close, but people are generally stupid when it comes to things not in the center of their life, and Linux requires a bit of reading and retraining and this means not gonna happen. People need to be educated before they can make that decision, and these recent events are (hopefully) doing just that.

That's about the only silver lining that I can spot....that maybe, just maybe, people will get smarter.

I know...why not just ask for a unicorn?

[Amadi]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

I know...why not just ask for a unicorn?

Been asking every day, not happened yet >.<

[warwulf]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

drivecrypt hard drive encryption: securestar
Proton Mail-anonymous IP web serfing: proton mail dot ch

And don't forget about Google which owns G Mail and Hotmail. ALL emails and texts are STORED and property of Google.

[Luce]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

Well, it now appears that our beloved National Security Agency is now collecting our photos from online sources, much like pedophiles collect pictures of sub-teenage children from Facebook.

Always wear a fake Duck Dynasty beard when you take selfies.

N.S.A. Collecting Millions of Faces From Web Images

This pisses me off. It doesn't scare me, but it pisses me off.

[Wonder]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

Well I never put pictures of me on my social media accounts thus far so that's not really a concern for me. Obviously when you display a picture of yourself on the Internet anyone could grab it and saved it on a harddrive may it be the NSA or not.

If you are unbothered by this possibility than you couldn't care less.. Anyway, with all these cellphones and smartphones with built-in cameras one might even take a picture of you unaware and you wouldn't even know about it.. That's one side of living in a technological world.

[Roknrol]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

Well I never put pictures of me on my social media accounts thus far so that's not really a concern for me. Obviously when you display a picture of yourself on the Internet anyone could grab it and saved it on a harddrive may it be the NSA or not.

Got a drivers license or literally any ID that requires a picture? Bet it's been emailed or stored in the "cloud". Just saying.

If you are unbothered by this possibility than you couldn't care less.. Anyway, with all these cellphones and smartphones with built-in cameras one might even take a picture of you unaware and you wouldn't even know about it.. That's one side of living in a technological world.

You are absolutely correct. That doesn't mean we don't have a right (or obligation) to be pissed off about it

[Wonder]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

Got a drivers license or literally any ID that requires a picture? Bet it's been emailed or stored in the "cloud". Just saying.

Might be you are right though I don't live in the United States. At any rate, an old driver license picture doesn't say much about you.

A picture in itself means nothing. But those posting all kinds of pictures of themsleves in various (awkward) situations should be more careful. Not only do spy agencies might possibly build some ''profile'' about you but it's also recorded in the deep archive of Facebook and could be retrived at any time.

You are absolutely correct. That doesn't mean we don't have a right (or obligation) to be pissed off about it

You are hadly anonymous online these days. Your IP adress follows you everywhere and that can lead any spy agencies to your Internet provider and your personal informations. I consider the Internet as a public place, like a giant park. People might not know you but that doesn't mean you are truly ''anonymous''.

[Roknrol]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

Might be you are right though I don't live in the United States. At any rate, an old driver license picture doesn't say much about you.

A picture in itself means nothing. But those posting all kinds of pictures of themsleves in various (awkward) situations should be more careful. Not only do spy agencies might possibly build some ''profile'' about you but it's also recorded in the deep archive of Facebook and could be retrived at any time.

Well yeah, and when they're able to combine that with the mountains of data they get from your car and your cell phone, you end up having your life being pretty much an open book for anyone that might bother to look.

You are hadly anonymous online these days. Your IP adress follows you everywhere and that can lead any spy agencies to your Internet provider and your personal informations. I consider the Internet as a public place, like a giant park. People might not know you but that doesn't mean you are truly ''anonymous''.

I agree with you - if you access the internet the way that most people do. I have not - yet - completed my "conversion" to full on security, but I've been making headway. I've eliminated nearly all of my social media accounts and have gotten rid of the worst offenders. Everything is run with encryption, which granted isn't terribly secure these days either, but every pain in the ass is one hiccup that'll make me less worth it. Or it'll make me a target, and they maybe can't spy on you so much. There's more to follow, of course - it's an ever-changing work in progress, and it IS a lot of work. But if your privacy is important, you'll take what steps you feel are necessary. Of course, I look forward to retirement when I don't have an IT job and can pull back a little more...20 years of obsession is a little long.

[Wonder]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

Well yeah, and when they're able to combine that with the mountains of data they get from your car and your cell phone, you end up having your life being pretty much an open book for anyone that might bother to look.

That's the dark side of living in a technological world. The NSA obviously have had way too much slack to do as they wish, especially after 9/11 but even so your data can also be at risk from pirates and foreign hackers working for unknown governements. That's a risk we all share by trusting the State as well as businesses with the storage of our personal informations online.

For more on this: http://www.cityam.com/article/140072...-cyber-attacks

I agree with you - if you access the internet the way that most people do. I have not - yet - completed my "conversion" to full on security, but I've been making headway. I've eliminated nearly all of my social media accounts and have gotten rid of the worst offenders. Everything is run with encryption, which granted isn't terribly secure these days either, but every pain in the ass is one hiccup that'll make me less worth it. Or it'll make me a target, and they maybe can't spy on you so much. There's more to follow, of course - it's an ever-changing work in progress, and it IS a lot of work. But if your privacy is important, you'll take what steps you feel are necessary. Of course, I look forward to retirement when I don't have an IT job and can pull back a little more...20 years of obsession is a little long.

As for myself I like social media. I think they are great tools. I've had very interesting conversations on various topics even with strangers too. I consider my privacy to be very important but I don't see the point to close my accounts on that sole basis. One has to accept the fact that social media have never been about ''total privacy'' and so should act accordingly. The thing is to use them wisely, projecting an image of you that you want people to see. Unfortunately many users are not careful enough, but these usually tend to have the same lack of judgement online as in real life.

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: The NSA has a picture of you

I remember thinking, in my 30's and 40's, that it was hard to try & find old girlfriends because if they had married, and changed their names, I'd get nowhere. But now, I've found a few by searching their parents names. Obituaries always say "survived by a daughter, Jane Doe, of Anytown, State. So that's another thing to consider - if you are gonna be listed anywhere, make sure you control that listing.