I am one who has never done Facebook. Primarily because when it started, I didn’t get it. I didn’t want to connect with old school mates, or share photos online with friends and family. I had no interest in the details of their children’s minute by minute lives, or what a GREAT vacation they had at their ‘time share’. Just send me the Christmas card letter. That is enough information for me. Frankly, I just didn’t have the time for it.
Then there was the other disincentive, and that my wife’s admonitions, “Don’t you dare join, so your old girl friends can find you!” She had heard too many upsetting stories from her friends of their mates having dalliances started from Facebook “friends”. 🙂
My only recent concessions to social media has been Twitter and Linkedin, and sometimes I wonder if that wasn’t a mistake. I held off on those for years, until my need (desire) to counter the FATCA Compliance Complex on Linkedin or warn about FATCA on Twitter overcame my better judgement. I am in the process or re-evaluating that, but I know my history is already scooped up by the NSA to be used however the government wants in the future. Even my email on Yahoo servers is theirs now!
The last few weeks of news about NSA surveillance and total global information data gathering is unsettling in many ways. Even if you believe that there may be no current threat from our government as Obama has tried to reassure us, you live with the knowledge that NSA Leadership lies, and everything you do online, will be gathered, stored and will never be purged, EVER!
Many friends shrug it off with the lame self delusional justification, “I have nothing to hide“. If you are being honest, you have to ask yourself, how will your data be used in the future against you? Answer, we don’t know! However, given human nature, that our Constitution was designed to guard against, I think it is safe to say, do not assume that it will be benign.
On the bright side, it does give you some immortality. You live on forever, with your details stored in Utah. So its not just the Mormons in Utah baptizing you into heaven, now the NSA is assuring the electronic YOU, never dies. Along with my tombstone engraving that says “He was FBAR Compliant”, I can now add, “Life Details on NSA Severs”.
Yesterday, I received this email from a contributor on Isaac Brock that uses the alias of Plato, or I often call him ‘The Economist’. I have borrowed some of his salient comments for previous posts. With his permission, I share this one here:
Dear friends and family,
I wanted to let you know that this will be my last post on Facebook. I am cancelling my account because it has become clear that the US Government through the NSA and other agencies have been systematically violating all of our 4th and 5th Amendment rights and guarantees under the Constitution.
Here is what the 4th Amendment says: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
It is clear from the Snowden revelations that not only is the NSA doing this but their plans are even bigger. Despite what Pres. Obama and others say, what the NSA is doing IS a violation of your privacy. They do not need to listen to your phone calls, read your emails, or look at all your posts on Facebook or other social media sites to know virtually EVERYTHING about you! They have profiled you completely – through TSA they even have several X-ray images of you naked, too.
They say this is for “your own protection” because of a “war on terror” that Pres. Obama has declared no longer exists. If it really worked, then why didn’t they stop the Boston bombing? The Russians even warned them about these two guys! It didn’t work because that is NOT what it is for.
Since I have friends and family outside of the USA I refuse to provide the NSA and the rest of the government the means to force Facebook to aid them in profiling them, too. Because the technology certainly exists to follow FB and other social media wherever the connections lead them – and you have no control over what they do, no way to object, and no rights anymore to stop them!
Part of the 5th Amendment states: “…no one shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
Here is your legal position with respect to anything posted on Facebook: YOU HAVE NONE!
EVERYTHING you post on FB becomes both THEIR property and PUBLIC property. If someone wants to take anything you posted and misrepresent you, you have no rights to sue for libel or slander. This, of course, includes the government. If any of you admit to a wrong-doing of any nature (like smoking marijuana, etc.), it CAN be used against you! Being on FB is an ipso facto act of your giving up your rights and protection.
I, for one, no longer am willing to facilitate this un-American, unConstitutional process. I suggest you all start vigorously protesting to your representatives to let them know that this is simply unacceptable in America!! I refuse to live out the rest of my life aiding and abetting this totalitarian process.
BTW, this is the third time I’ve tried to post this; ironically the other times FB simply stopped working. I wrote this off-line and posted it.
Don’t you hate it when “The Onion” gets it right, years before Snowden tells us! They just assumed the wrong secret agency, the CIA instead of the NSA.
Well, Time To Go Out In Front Of A Bunch Of People And Lie To Them
@TheOnion
This is why I don’t use Facebook either. Furthermore, before posting anything online you must remember that it will be there forever. This is important for people applying for jobs, graduate school, etc,
The statement “I have nothing to hide is idiotic”. You may have nothing to hide by today’s standards and laws but you may have something to hide by the standards in the future. Take FBAR for example. It was ignored for years. Who could have known that mutual funds would be converted to PFICs, etc?
Stay out of the social media game.
It’s not even a question of trusting your own judgment. The way that Facebook and LinkedIn (which is by far the most dangerous) work is linking email addresses. If you have communicated via email with someone who:
1. Opens a LinkedIn or Facebook account; and
2. Allows LinkedIn or Facebook access to their email account;
then you are in the system.
By using Facebook and LinkedIn you are revealing many people you have had contact with. Obviously, this is dangerous.
Avoid those sites!
Next step: avoid email!
I hope that Obama enjoys the low-carb recipes and the pictures of our cats that my wife puts on Facebook.
Growing up my friends and I listened to KAAY “Beaker Street” late at night. The DJ, Clyde Clifford, would sometimes say:
“Remember to say, ‘HELLO!’ to the third man on the two party line.”
An expression that has regained its relevancy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykjcrlK7gxo at 1.25
Wasn’t sure where to post this. It relates to Somali minnows now, and maybe many more of us in future…
“Fears of financing terror closes another money transfer outlet for overseas Somalis.” http://www.startribune.com/business/212888781.html.
Remittances from overseas family are being blocked.
The article states that “Many big banks in the U.S. have already stopped handling transfers to Somalia, saying the federal requirements designed to crack down on terrorism financing were too complex and not worth the risk.”
(Reminds me of the words of a very wise head teacher that I used to work for: “You must never set the rules on the basis of the few worst-behaved students, or you will harm all the others…. ” She’s long-dead now, but her philosophy seems more relevant than ever….)
@Petros,
LOL
Isn’t Obama a ‘dog person’? I’m not sure if he likes cats as well.
Dear NSA,
Thank you. I’ve been looking for a partner that truly listens to me and fully understands me. You fulfill Everything I’ve Always been looking for.
@Sad-in-the-UK
I heard that story last night on BBC world news, and thought, another fallout example of all our worries about financial transactions and what someone “might” be doing…
Good quote from your teacher…
@Sad-in-the-UK…
That quote was good for a modified 140 character tweet. 🙂 Thanks for the idea…
The school lesson FATCAnatics never learned: “U must never set rules on the basis of few worst-behaved students, or U will harm all others”
@USCitizenAbroad, one thing I started to notice several months ago (but that might have been there for a long time), is how when you try to comment on some web sites (forbes for example), you don’t have to create a specific log in there, but instead “link” your linkedin or google account to be able to comment there. There’s a two page legal comment when you try to do that warning you about the information that will be exchanged between the 2 sites. I found that somewhat disturbing and I am just uneasy with that “feature”.
@sad in the UK: The first thing after 9-11, they began cutting out Money transfer systems. It was obviously a response which had been waiting for an excuse to shut it down.
Oh no! I’ve said too much! (but yet I haven’t said enough)
But, I guess these days, speaking your mind is now a very hazardous act. Oh well. I’m not going to shut up, and neither should anyone else. If we’re silenced by this asshats, then it’s game over. They win.
Ironic that both Rand and Ron Paul both have Facebook pages where the dis the USG. I guess the benefit outweighs the risk for them.
If there was the ability to “like” Edward Snowdon on Facebook, I surely would.
Me too, bubblebustin. Likely many of us here would. We’re not caught up in the “traitor” game.
I dumped FB several years ago because of similar concerns. They selectively delete innocent posts for whatever reason while leaving the “rape” pages up there for years and years. It was bizarre. FB and Google have been huge offenders for collecting data. According to previous whistleblower information they ARE collecting the content of emails etc though they say they don’t.
There’s nothing to be done about it. If they want to “investigate” someone they will. This “nothing to hide” line is frightening. If you are saying something they “disapprove” of then it may be something they determine should not be said. The most recent article about Obama’s admin wanting so many agencies to have employees spying on each other was breath taking. “Underneath the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me.” 1984.
I’m not going to stop saying what I think about FATCA. It DOES make one feel uneasy and that’s a shame. I have had discussions with young people from China here in Canada about topics like this. Their response when asked about things like certain topics being off limits is “We just don’t think about things like that. We don’t think about these things and just pay attention to other things in life” Now that’s conditioning for you! Is this how the U.S. wants people to think? If it might raise an “interest” then we just won’t “think” about it anymore?
Ron and Rand Paul don’t have a lot to worry about, since the propaganda machine, uhh, the US news media, has dismissed them out of hand as part of ‘the fringe’.
As far as ‘friending’ Edward Snowden, I chose to delete my Facebook account, instead. I don’t care what the NSA does with my Facebook postings. As a matter of fact, I hope they choke on it. I’ve reached the point in my life where I think Facebook is just stupid and pointless. Besides, it is now abundantly clear to me that the data will just be rampantly abused once it’s in the cloud, and that any promises of privacy are simply not worth the cheap toilet paper that they’re written on.
Your FB account is NEVER deleted. If you ever log back in with your previous details then all your old data will still be there.
Only if I actually do that. But, even if I don’t, there’s no way for anyone to know with 100% certainty that it’s gone, and that is because it’s on someone else’s machine.
I’m just choosing not to give Facebook any more of my data. Besides, there are other forums out there for my anti-government ranting. My comment in regard to Facebook is that it now feels as pointless as what happened to MySpace before it. ;^)
I’ve never been on Facebook and I never will. I’m now in the process of reducing exposure to any and all US based Internet companies, where possible. Even if I’m still spied upon, I won’t be supporting any US collaborators where there is an alternative (which is unfortunately not always the case).
I’m about to defriend someone alright. The U.S.A. Though it was their idea to begin with. I use duck duck go now as my search engine but, have trouble finding a good PRIVATE email client. I’m sick of all this spying too.
AtticusinCanada
“We just don’t think about things like that.”
That sounds like that neat little Mormon trick…. Maybe we should all learn it?
“Turn it”
I’m willing to bet what little I have in this world that what will follow the phrase, “We just don’t think about things like that” will be, “We were only just following orders.”
I have Facebook so I can make these very important discoveries about other people’s cultures:
those linkings happen automatically. If you are logged into hotmail, it gets connected to BIng. Same for Google — your google account stays logged in while the search engine is