I think this continues in the tradition of the Silicon Valley Dunning-Kruger effect, in which the wealthy elite pundits of SV have illusory ideas about their competence or ability to solve deep social or political problems.
There is no quick tech-fix for this issue, nor do SV companies really have any power to pressure the government with threats of civil disobedience. The real work of changing the laws will require traditional politics, getting new representatives elected who have a commitment to stop NSA abuses. Recognize that most of the existing legislators have already bought into the system save a few, so any moves they make are really just to placate the news cycle.
SV companies could use their tremendous financial reserves to fund candidates who promise to fix the laws, they could pull on the purse strings of the existing legislators, but really, with the 2014 elections, and politicians fixed over Syria, Obamacare, and other issues, I doubt any of the campaigns see this as a winning wedge issue.
I guess what I'm saying is, change will be slow, the NSA didn't evolve this capability overnight, it's been building it secretly since WW2, and they are not likely to relinquish it just because some protests from techies in the valley.
Some people in the SV 'bubble' like to imagine our SV entrepreneurs as some kind of Atlas Shrugged super-men, and you know, if Larry Page, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, and everyone else just went all "John Galt", the government and everyone else would have to cave.
There is no quick tech-fix for this issue, nor do SV companies really have any power to pressure the government with threats of civil disobedience. The real work of changing the laws will require traditional politics, getting new representatives elected who have a commitment to stop NSA abuses. Recognize that most of the existing legislators have already bought into the system save a few, so any moves they make are really just to placate the news cycle.
SV companies could use their tremendous financial reserves to fund candidates who promise to fix the laws, they could pull on the purse strings of the existing legislators, but really, with the 2014 elections, and politicians fixed over Syria, Obamacare, and other issues, I doubt any of the campaigns see this as a winning wedge issue.
I guess what I'm saying is, change will be slow, the NSA didn't evolve this capability overnight, it's been building it secretly since WW2, and they are not likely to relinquish it just because some protests from techies in the valley.
Some people in the SV 'bubble' like to imagine our SV entrepreneurs as some kind of Atlas Shrugged super-men, and you know, if Larry Page, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, and everyone else just went all "John Galt", the government and everyone else would have to cave.