Privacy...not an option

Yesterday Pamela Jones claimed “there is now no shield from forced exposure.” Privacy is a myth, the rule of law has been compromised and she can no longer write on line.

Pamela Jones, a blogger, that focused on writing about legal aspects of the tech world, has shut down her site. She has joined the e-mail service's Lavabit and Silent Circle who have also shut down. 

Pamela Jones has enjoyed numerous awards for the work she has done on line at Groklaw but she claims:

"And the simple truth is, no matter how good the motives might be for collecting and screening everything we say to one another, and no matter how "clean" we all are ourselves from the stand point of the screeners, I don't know how to function in such an atmosphere. I don't know how to do Groklaw like this."

Unfortunately the sad reality is that everything coming into and out of everyone's e-mail servers are being monitored. Everything you do on line is tracked not just by companies trying to sell you something but also by your government. This has a chilling effect upon anyone who posts on line and because of this she found she could no longer write and has shut down her site.

My take from all of this is deep sadness that another person or company has been silenced by the surveillance society we find ourselves living in. For that is exactly what our government wants you to do...go quiet. 

How many more will go quiet rather than risk having their on-line presence be intimately monitored by their government? How many viewpoints that don't toe the line will have their voices go unheard because their government could label it subversive? The effect upon journalists, bloggers and independent minded people all over the country is chilling to say the least.

Where is our so called “free society” and will an underground one be the only recourse? Do we really want to censor everything we say and do? What do we have to look forward to? Is it those Sci Fi scenarios, will they become the future reality? i don't know and although disheartened going silent is not an option.

See ya next week