Do you believe that we should all give up our right to privacy just in case it allows us to save a few people here and there?
I know that makes me sound like a dick at first glance, but do you really believe that if you answer "yes" to the question above, we are guaranteed that this system will never be abused?
I think the answer to that has already been provided in light of recent events.
No, we all should not give up our right to privacy. There should be lawful means to investigate crimes with proper judicial oversight.
For example, today, and for much of the history of democratic society, the police have the power to search your person under certain circumstances. I hope you would agree that you still enjoy a "right to privacy" in our society.
"Right to privacy" has always encompassed a body of law governing privacy. It has never been an absolute.
By comparison, the same is true for "free speech". We should not give up our right to free speech. Nor should we all start shouting fire in crowded theaters.
Of course there are no guarantees that abuse is impossible. That's what the fight for free speech and privacy is about: proper and just oversight by the citizenry -- not the abolition of lawful society.
No, we all should not give up our right to privacy. There should be lawful means to investigate crimes with proper judicial oversight.
Sure. And I'm arguing that a judge that would sign a court order instructing Lavabit to turn over its private SSL key is displaying ridiculously improper, poor judicial oversight.
My comment was actually a bit more meta and high-level than that, though. My fear is that an "untappable service" might at some point become illegal. For example, if I were to put up a communications service that allows someone to send encrypted, plausibly-deniable messages, and I don't and cannot have the ability to decrypt them, the government would try to make that sort of thing illegal.
You act as if it's a binary thing. It's not all or no privacy. It's always been some privacy , and you have more or less depending on circumstances.
Nothing is guaranteed to be abused, but when checks and balances works, things get harder.
Try not to forget that before the FISA Court there was no court and the president did what he wanted in that domain. Things are getting better (even if at a glacial pace).
I know that makes me sound like a dick at first glance, but do you really believe that if you answer "yes" to the question above, we are guaranteed that this system will never be abused?
I think the answer to that has already been provided in light of recent events.