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[ NNSquad ] When the NSA shamers become the shamed


When the NSA shamers become the shamed
http://j.mp/19BIFBR  (This message on Google+)

 - - -

I've generally been a fan of MoveOn dot org, but I think it's worth
noting that ethical lapses play both ways, as former MoveOn director
Tom Matzzie demonstrated today.

Finding himself on a train sitting near former NSA head Michael
Hayden, Matzzie began actively eavesdropping on Hayden's cell calls
and gleefully publicly tweeting the results in real-time, ending with 
a photo he asked Hayden to take with him.

Hayden was apparently (Matzzie could only hear one side of the
conversation, of course -- which is more than NSA has with only
metadata) providing background to a news outlet.

Did Matzzie break any laws by doing this?  Of course not ... if you
talk in public, anyone can hear you.  On the other hand, Hayden wasn't
breaking any laws with his call either.

My parents taught me that behavior like Matzzie's is wrong.  If he had heard
Hayden plotting a murder or other crime, talking about it could certainly
be justified.  But in this case, Matzzie was simply obnoxiously trying
to score points.

Remember the golden rule?  Or "two wrongs don't make a right" ... ?

Matzzie apparently forgot them both. And that's not only a shame, but
a demonstration of how the debate over surveillance around the world has
veered into the hyperbolic twilight zone.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren 
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Founder:
 - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org 
 - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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