morlockelloi on Sat, 3 Jan 2015 18:13:37 +0100 (CET)


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Re: <nettime> Hackers can't solve Surveillance


The nature of "political challenges" has changed *due* to the technology, and there is no way to enroll the unwashed into the action without understanding the said technology.

In 19th and 20th century it was relatively easy to explain issues and causes - "the rich get all the pussy and power, while we work long hours for nothing". Cue in the Capital, means of production, etc.

Today, to get political traction on this issue, one needs to explain (a) long term consequences of the loss of privacy by (b) complex technical means. It's not going to happen unless you essentially teach the population to do crypto themselves, without benevolent or malevolent elites. You will not get real political traction on blind faith ("something elite hackers tell us to do".) You cannot substitute real political engagement by religion, which this "trust us, we're the good guys" approach boils down to.

So it is back to the technology, and deep understanding by pretty much everyone. There are no shortcuts, and no amount of 20th century politics will solve this. That's the real challenge - education, and it looks like a lost cause. The unwashed are dumb, and the smart ones are well paid.

On 1/2/15 18:11 , Dmytri Kleiner wrote:

mass communications. In order to achieve a society where we can expect
privacy we need more hackers and hackerspaces to embrace the broader
political challenges of building a more equal society.


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