stopwatching.us is a tool for organisation, public figures, business and individuals to signup and call upon “..U.S. Congress reveal the full extent of the NSA’s spying programs..”
All sounds very *nice*, **good**, and ***right*** indeed! However, I feel reluctant to sign. Perhaps wrongly, perhaps too suspicious of stuff that seems to be embracing capitalism and its current cultural language. However, the reasons – perhaps excuses(??) – are mainly to do with the focus on state apparatus.
Why is it that the state should reveal the extent of spying? Should it not roll it back and stop it? Indeed, should the state not force other organisations and businesses from getting information about us? Should the culture of spying as a relevant question that stems from the false dichotomy between “security” and “freedom”, be challenged? Should google be allowed to get search info about me for selling it to advertisers so they can attempt to sell me stuff reveal to searches I do, hence get “security” that information that I happen to come across is not about to offend me? Same goes to apple and their wall garden’s “security”.
Surely, the freedom to engage with stuff, rather than to surrender freedoms – to allow others to punish/penalise me based on their power relation to my own – is the kind of cultural legitimacy that allows stuff like prism to occur?
Hence, am not feeling well, nor happy with myself – or attempting to make myself feel good and righteous.. Am not signing until proven utterly – or there about – wrong..