At a security conference, some corporate attendees had their noses put out of joint by a satirical NSA t-shirt from the EFF (which I donate to).
'Some executives at AT&T were offended. One told Perloth: “There are many of us at AT&T who are disturbed by what we’ve been hearing about the N.S.A.,” this person said. “But when you see that,” he said, pointing to the T-shirts, “a conversation becomes impossible.”'
No, no, conversation is always possible. Just assume that if you do it over AT&T's circuits that it will be recorded by the NSA (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_641A).
This Anti-NSA T-Shirt Angered Some People At A Huge Computer Security Conference
One of the world’s largest conferences for…
57 view(s)
It is a First Amendment right, which is part of the U.S. Constitution. Of course, corps and the govts (incl. the courts) that enable them often view the constitution as a troublesome nuisance, limiting their normal business practices.
The first amendment and the forth amendment are being trampled on by the very courts that are supposed to uphold the Constitution. When this happens, you know democracy is in great peril.
Any time you find yourself believing that a citizen has to make a significant show of respect for the government, rather than the other way around, you are living under the wrong kind of government.
(And alas, we Americans do.)
+Curt Thompson Excellent observation that needs to be understood not only in the U.S., but also here in Canada.