artharg

seanismorris said:

Currently I turn on my VPN when there is privacy/security concerns.  Soon my VPN will need to be on 24/7.
[snip]
The ISPs can still go F themselves.  Let’s see them “optimize” the traffic when they have no idea what the traffic is…

They do. It's VPN traffic. This will either be a low priority data stream, or you'll have to pay for the privilege of a fast VPN.

"After thoroughly wetting our thumb and extensive sucking thereon, we conclude that Apple will sell 3% less iPhone 7s this year."

avonord said:

I'm unsure about this one. 

What if if the search phrase was something like "place bomb in Times Square"?  

What if some government agency bashed in your front door because you used those words just now? What if that phrase is the trigger to monitor all your digital doings in the next 30 days, just to see if this was an innocent remark or a clue to the existence of a really stupid terrorist? What if some of your doings might be interpreted as preparation for an attack if one assumed that you were a terrorist because you have just now, here, in this forum, used those words?

Dutch 'Loesje' had a quite good take on this: "I have nothing to hide. But they don't need to know that."

Ouch. Seems like no one here has been around long enough to recognize this. It's the clock of the processor you're hearing through some sort of electromagnetic coupling to the enclosure. In this case it must a beat frequency that is within the audible range. I remember being able to tell by ear which part of a program a CPU was in. Different loops made different noises.

maria f said:

I'd rather be safe than worried about someone knowing what I'm up to if I intend no harm.  

Yes, the problem is: if the Feds get their way, then you won't be safe anymore. Privacy is not just about keeping what you do and think private. It is also about minimizing attack surfaces.

It's like you have these unbreakable windows against burglars, and the Feds are asking the manufacturers to put a weak spot in it so they can break it for Fighting Terrorism™. They promise that only they will break the glass. The problem is that the burglars won't be held to the Fed's promises. And now you have security glass with a way of breaking it.