[Chapter-delegates] ISOC BR on NSA

[Zaid Ali Kahn]

Alejandro, I could say that INET DC should have included Silicon Valley but I won't because I believe they shouldn't. PRISM is a US centric problem although its implications are international reaching. If you go International we could have a 3 day session just on China and Russia and its surveillance programs which are far more intrusive and they are not shy about it. 

I think it is way to early in the game to go global on this. We still have a lot to learn. I don't think it is fair to say that DC based ISOC staff will be open to accusations around government job security. Bottom line is that there are not really a lot of facts out there, Snowden has made some serious allegations which can be challenged at a technical level as well. His claim of US government having undersea cable and transmitting information is laughable in the Internet technical community which puts his credibility into question. I think ISOC should not take this head on as you would like (for now). We still have a lot of facts to be determined from that one abstract power point along with one mans word. FISA however is something serious and yes this is the discussion to have, not NSA ethernet taps into servers. 

Zaid

On Jul 18, 2013, at 7:42 AM, Dr. Alejandro Pisanty Baruch <apisan at unam.mx> wrote:

> Carlos,
> 
> thanks a lot for sharing. this is a solid, clear statement (worth a translation into English if someone in staff of the Brazil chapter can provide it.) People may need more nuance to decide whether they support it fully but as said, it is solid and clear.
> 
> In Mexico we are about to release a statement that also looks at surveillance of communications at the national level. We believe it is disingenuous to focus only on the US side highlighted in the news and at least a few members (the following is not a chapter position) find that many governments around the world may be raising a lot of noise about foreign surveillance while not addressing, or in order to deflect, investigation and criticism of their own activities towards their citizens and other countries, which may or not exceed the limits of legality, necessity, proportionality, limitations against abuse such as political or extortion, and transparency.
> 
> After Chris Wilkinson's note, I also want to underlilne that the ISOC Brazil statement does make the ISOC statement on communications privacy (already euphemistic and toned done from what many would want) a rallying point, so diluting it any further should be considered harmful until a lot of new arguments support such a move.
> 
> I think Chris has said what many of us had decided just to let pass about the DC INET. The furthest outside the Beltway speakers come from is the exotic and faraway Massachussets (and then, still a former high-level government staffer.) It is a great event which promises solid, in-depth analysis and a lively discussion. It does seem to deal with the issues in its program at a very local level and to skimp more than a bit on the international perspective that more often is associated with ISOC. 
> 
> It is the privilege of any chapter to organize events as it sees fit within - very broadly - the guidelines and principles of ISOC. Granting an event the INET brand does imply a full endorsement by the Society as a whole. The very locally focussed nature of the DC INET does open up questions about ISOC's global reach, awareness and participation. Also it opens up ISOC to accusations like "no DC based ISOC staff is ready to risk not being able to get a job in government later on" and the more general "ISOC is a US-centric organization." 
> 
> I would not go as far as Christopher in proposing a takedown or even changes to the present event but would call on ISOC HQ, and on us as chapters, to discuss and analyze a possible event that does look into the general problems of snooping, eavesdropping, communications interference, etc., its legality and consequences, , the impact on the Internet's architecture at lower layers and on trust and expansion, and other aspects of the problem.  CDT among other organizations is taking the lead in reflecting on the global impact; we could do well to study what they're doing and find if something is applicable within ISOC's mission and principles.
> 
> Yours,
> 
> Alejandro Pisanty
> 
> 
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>     Dr. Alejandro Pisanty
> Facultad de Química UNAM
> Av. Universidad 3000, 04510 Mexico DF Mexico
> 
> 
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> ________________________________________
> Desde: chapter-delegates-bounces at elists.isoc.org [chapter-delegates-bounces at elists.isoc.org] en nombre de Carlos A. Afonso [ca at cafonso.ca]
> Enviado el: jueves, 18 de julio de 2013 03:10
> Hasta: ISOC Chapter Delegates
> Asunto: [Chapter-delegates] ISOC BR on NSA
> 
> Dear people,
> 
> The Brazilian chapter of the Internet Society has published a
> declaration on the recently revealed actions of NSA. It is here, in
> Brazilian Portuguese:
> 
> http://www.isoc.org.br/post/declaracao-do-capitulo-brasileiro-da-internet-society-sobre-as-acoes-da-nsa/13
> 
> Please note the reference to the Internet Society declaration on the
> same issue.
> 
> fraternal regards
> 
> --c.a.
> 
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