My thoughts on Edward Snowden
When I was in college from 2006-2011, I spent a great deal of time listening to Trent Reznor albums, which had a political tone. Reznor took aim at the Bush administration and was critical of government surveillance. And I followed surveillance programs and anything that went against an open Internet. I wrote a thesis paper in one class defending network neutrality. The requirement was 10 pages, and I think my paper went on for 30 pages.
In the end, it was a waste of my personal time because I realized that as one person, I wasn’t going to affect much change unless I made a huge career change, and I wasn’t going to get into politics. I decided to channel my energy into startups instead.
Today I find myself being pulled back into that debate with Edward Snowden. I consciously try to resist that political pull, where I find myself arguing with people who tend to be less informed, incredibly biased, and prone to making decisions on a fear factor. And the more I read and find out, the less I like what I see. Constant denial, constant secrecy, constant statism.
The reason I’ve been apolitical for most of my life is that I don’t believe you can affect much change as one voice. I understand this attitude isn’t positive, and I feel guilty about it.
As a hacker, I simply can’t ignore what’s going on. At the same time, I can’t spend all of my time reading the countless stories and interviews that emerge. I want other people to do it for me, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation is that organization.
I’ve decided that if I ever some day “make it,” I’ll donate at least 10% of my net worth—whatever that may amount to, large or small—to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has always been at the front of defending online rights. If I ever make something that’s really successful, I would not have done it on my own. The open Internet—one run without a government surveillance system and upholds the principles of network neutrality—allows us these opportunities, and we need to remember to give back.
