[discuss] Snowden Revelations: What concrete activities were revealed that led us here?

Tue Jan 21 20:03:29 UTC 2014

On 21/01/2014 21:44, Nick Ashton-Hart wrote:
> Greg, Inline thoughts.
> 
> On 21 Jan 2014, at 07:30, Shatan, Gregory S. <GShatan at ReedSmith.com> wrote:
> 
>> This is what I’ve come to  suspect, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions.  So, I’m looking for some concrete facts and connections to see if I can make the “If Snowden, then Montevideo” logic less of a leap.
> 
> There is what can be proven, and then there is the political link. This latter doesn't need facts, but it can (and is) certainly driving the international politics of Internet policy, just as at a national level local hosting obligations are seen as a panacea for how to resolve overbroad foreign spying on nationals, but as we all know, actually won't.
> 
>>  As for  “due process, accountability and oversight,“ there may be very significant issues with each of these and the US surveillance program (though I suspect that this could be said about most if not all national surveillance programs, to a greater or lesser extent).  These may be profound multilateral  issues, but they are only IG issues to the extent that lack of same allowed the US to use its “special relationship” to the Internet to its advantage.
> 
> Your last phrase is a key part of the anger other countries feel about this situation.

And considering that every other major player is known or assumed to have
its own sigint system, and that therefore the same suspicions might apply,
do you see why I'd like ICANN to offshore itself and operate with no
contract with any government or body of governments?

    Brian