At risk for stating the obvious (and getting in the middle of what may be a turf war of sorts), I'd add like to add to this conversation.
There are two positions: (1) give journalists (and activists) what's possible today, even though it's not ideal, and (2) create the ideal and give them that instead. Both sides make very strong arguments for both positions: Rich for position (2): https://mailman.stanford.edu/pipermail/liberationtech/2013-June/008565.html Eleanor for position (1): https://mailman.stanford.edu/pipermail/liberationtech/2013-June/008577.html Nadim for position (1): https://mailman.stanford.edu/pipermail/liberationtech/2013-June/008582.html Both positions seek to solve the same problem, and I would say both are right. There's the here and now, and what can be done today (1). And, there's the future and what could ideally be done then (2). The differences between the two positions shouldn't prevent both sides from doing all they can to advance what they feel strongly about. Both sides accomplish great things and advance the overall objective of making journalists, and activists, more effective. I see the situation like this. Today, a journalist has the effectiveness of, let's say, "one unit." Anything the libtech community can do to improve that effectiveness is great. Maybe today it's only "one unit x10". But maybe tomorrow it's "one unit x100" and then the next day "one unit x1000". There will be no "one unit times infinity", unfortunately. There were always be new 0days, new methods of social engineering, new Blue Coats, more "Patriot" Acts, and more Constitution busting Attorney Generáles and Presidéntes. All we can do is improve the chances of those that need protection, and make them more effective. So while the debate is spirited, and very interesting (thanks!!), I hope at the end of the day that everyone finds ways to complement each others work. Those on the ground working with journalists and activists now, are probably going to be more focused on (1) while those more removed and probably going to be more focused on (2). Great! Both are desperately needed!! Again, maybe this is the obvious, but it seemed like it needed to be said. The more interesting question might be how to convey to users on the ground now what their threat models are and how they can improve their chances -- to add to the motivation they feel to move from (1) to (2) as quickly as possible. Too much information becomes overwhelming, but the right balance presented in the right way becomes empowering. It seems there's no simple answer, and that the answer varys from user to user depending on the time they have, abilities, interests, etc. -- Too many emails? Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password by emailing moderator at [email protected] or changing your settings at https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
