PRISM is not the problem

Most of the recent stories and outrage over PRISM seem to have missed the mark on addressing the core issue of privacy. PRISM makes the system more effective and efficient - it doesn’t change the underlying issue of the government accessing your data.

Data requests are made in accordance with FISA, a surveillance law that has been amended beyond recognition of its original purpose. Even if the technology company (for example, Twitter) opts out of PRISM, it still has to honor requests from the government, albeit the process being more laborious and time consuming.

If the difference between Twitter and Google/Facebook is merely the time it takes the government to obtain the information, does it really make a difference? Even when PRISM is used, due process is followed to create a request. We are making an unpleasant request shorter to fulfill.

The transparency reports released by Google, Microsoft, etc. are worthless since these requests/orders are not allowed to be listed on them.

Instead of chasing the technologists that are bound by law, shouldn’t we be looking at the root cause of the privacy invasion?