I saw this yesterday and it made me so happy:
The list of technology companies allegedly participating in a vast US government surveillance program known as PRISM, which was just reported by the Washington Post and Guardian, is notable for one name that’s not on it: Twitter.
When we think of features of services we use, we don't often think of the backbone that the organization behind the service has. But we should.
This week has been notable for the firehose of news stories coming out about how our government is spying on us. My partner Brad and I talked about it on the subway ride up to a lunch in midtown yesterday. Brad explained to me that in the analog era, the government had to do a lot to get a wiretap. It was possible, but not simple. In the digital age, it is a lot easier. And we are getting spied on more and more.
We've got bills in front of congress like CISPA and CALEA that would make it even easier for our government to spy on us. I am shocked that this issue hasn't become a mainstream political issue. Are we all that immune to it? Is it OK to treat all of your citizens like they are criminals? Shouldn't the fourth amendment extend to cyberspace?
Until the masses wake up to this issue, we will need the web and mobile services we use to stand up for us. And that is a feature that I value immensely. Thankfully, Twitter has that feature.
