This story is fictional. Any links drawn between real events and organisations are purely incidental. Or are they?
In Eurasia there is a postal service that sends mail all over the world and is used by billions of people.
There is a terrorist attack. The postal service is approached by the police soon after the terrorist attack, this is the conversation:
Police: “We found that the terrorists had been communicating via your service, if we had been able to see the content of their letters before the crime took place we could have prevented the attack. By helping us access the letters of known criminals you will prevent a number of crimes this year. Including ones like X that happened last week.”
Postal service: “We’ll do anything we can to help you prevent more terrorist attacks. But what about our users’ privacy?”
Police: “It’s essential for us to know about terrorist plots before they happen, I’m sure your users will agree.”
Postal service: “Okay then, just give us a list of names and we’ll reroute the suspects’ mail.”
Police: “Grand, you’re assisting national security so we’ll need to sign this non-disclosure form”.
There are no terrorist attacks for over a year. Police are celebrated for lowering the crime rate. But suddenly there is another terrorist attack, this time it’s even worse — the terrorists had been seen staking out the target before the attack.
The terrorists had been staying at a popular chain of travel hotel opposite where the attack took place. The travel hotel hosts millions of patrons worldwide every year. The very latest statistics show at least three guests will plan a terrorist attack while staying at the hotel. While a nation mourns the police approaches the hotel chain owner, this is the conversation that followed:
Police: “Some of your policies towards guests may have contributed to the success of the terrorist attack last week. If we had known their plans before they attacked we could have prevented it.”
Hotel chain owners: “What can we do to help?”
Police: “In order to prevent further terrorist attacks we’ll need to go over some of your policies towards criminal activity. We’ll also need greater access to rooms where known extremists are residing.”
Hotel chain owners: “Anything to prevent terrorist attacks — there is only our Users privacy. Will you handle the data that we provide with care?”
Police: “Grand, we’ll send you a list of rooms we’ll need access to. Also, you’re assisting national security so we’ll need youto sign this non-disclosure form.”
The police also visits the postal service and delivers an even longer list of names to have mail rerouted.
Another terrorist attack occurs, this time in Oceania, a neighbouring country. Oceania’s police service tells Eurasian police that terrorists had planned the attack using Oceanian and Eurasian telephone services. However, laws prevent Oceanian police services from ‘spying’ on Oceanian people and Eurasian police cannot ‘spy’ on Eurasians for the same reason. A meeting is arranged between the two forces, here are the minutes:
Oceanian police: “We need to step up our game fellas, too many folks are being attacked by terrorists.”
Eurasian police: “You’re right, but we’re having some legal trouble at our end that’s stopping us from foreseeing crimes like this. We’ve got a pretty tight net but extremists are still slipping through.”
Oceanian police: “We hear you loud and clear, we’ve got an even worse system here — all we want to do is collect all criminal communications but the politicians are getting in the way. How are we supposed to find the needles if we don’t have the whole haystack?”
Eurasian police: “We’re doing our best, but hold on now — there are no legal restrictions on collecting terrorist communications from foreign states — what about a partnership? We’ll show you ours if you show us yours?”
Oceanian police: “That sounds like a plan — let us run this past our chief.”
Oceanian oversight commision: “It’ll prevent crime? Sounds fine.”
Oceanian police: “Ok, we’re good to go.”
Eurasian police: “Awesome, let’s start sharing the suspects then.”
Telephone call data is now collected from both Eurasian and Oceanian telephone services. Eurasian police and Oceanian police now share all communications data from their anti-terrorism efforts. They also bring into the partnership police services from three other states.
The Eurasian police provide the Oceanian’s list of terrorist suspects to the Eurasian postal service. The number of suspects now lists more than 1.2 million people, the postal service chiefs aren’t happy and a meeting is arranged:
Postal service: “This is too many people for us to manage — we can’t reroute this much mail without disrupting our service.”
Police: “We hear you, but I thought you wanted to prevent crime? We can’t help that there are this many bad people in the world, and the list is only going to get longer.”
Postal service: “Well surely there’s another solution? The problem is we don’t have the staff to deal with this much mail.”
Police: “Hmm, tricky. Well why don’t we lend a hand, if you really want to keep helping prevent terrorist attacks we can organise a team that will sort through all mail going through your service and we can make decisions on its importance. This will also prevent your staff infringing on your users’ privacy.”
Postal service: “That would be ideal, but won’t it mean that a lot of innocent people have their mail read?”
Police: “I suppose this is price of security. Besides, we’re not interested in innocent people — we’re only after the terrorists.”
A similar conversation occurs at the Oceanian postal service. Cameras and microphones are installed in hotel rooms across Eurasia in case terrorists stay in them in the future.
There is a recession. Many people lose their jobs and life becomes much harder for middle-income people. Petty crime increases.
A new political party is elected on the promise of an improved economy and a crackdown on crime. Their leader promotes patriotism and a return to better values.
The Eurasian national threat level is raised to ‘Severe’. Legislation is pushed through to give police new powers to prevent crime. This legislation allows increased collection of criminal communications.
Street police officers are assisted in their work with access to Eurasian and Oceanian surveillance data.
Several former Oceanian police officers leak classified information on the extent of police surveillance in Eurasia and Oceania.
Journalists who report on police surveillance are placed under greater surveillance as it is possible they could inadvertantly assist terrorists.
There are riots and protests against increasing police powers. Those arranging and attending protests are placed under increased surveillance in an effort to curb extremist activity.
Politicians and judges who oppose the increase in surveillance are thought to inadvertantly promote extremist activity. They are placed under surveillance to ensure they are not also extremists.
Lawyers who defend suspected extremists are also placed under surveillance.
Oceanian and Eurasian police services have total access to communications data of all suspected extremists and potential future extremists.
Providing secure communication systems to anyone but police is made illegal. Only police-approved communication providers are permitted to operate.
Transparency is heavily promoted to improve society; if people want to hide what they’re doing maybe they shouldn’t be doing it at all. Social networks are forced to become 100% open.
Privacy becomes illegal. If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear.
A criminologist is looking back over crime statistics from 2000 to 2050. Recently declassified documents show crime has remained steady despite increased surveillance and police powers. He is arrested before he is able to publish his findings and the documents become reclassified.
End.
This is what I fear will happen -is happening- in the name of greater security. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
We need to defend our human right to privacy now.
If we do not speak up for whistleblowers who are put on trial in secret courts, or journalists and lawyers who are placed under surveillance, and if we continue to elect politicians that promote greater surveillance we are going down a road from which we cannot return.
Those that grew up on the East side of the Berlin Wall know how bad life under surveillance can be. 25 years after the Berlin Wall fell people living in Berlin and around the world are under greater surveillance than any generation previously.
The 1.2 million people on the NSA watch list are not all ISIS soldiers or Al-Qaeda agents. The list also includes people like myself and my colleagues, software developers that work on programs like Tor, journalists that cover current affairs, lawyers that defend ‘extremists’, even politicians that oversee NSA and GCHQ.
We are at a tipping point. We must educate, protest, vote and fight back to save our children from growing up in surveillance states. You can help by supporting these organisations: Electric Frontier Foundation, Privacy International and Open Rights Group.
Sign up now for Lavaboom — secure email for everyone. And visit the crowdfunding campaign to show your interest in being a private person and protecting your #privacy.
