"It makes me wonder why the NSA is pushing so hard to keep unconstitutional spying programs in place"

CYA? Seriously, leadership never takes responsibility. When you dump every possible thing on the table for the leaders to look at, at no point can the phrase "we didn't know" be said honestly.

What I think is most disturbing about this is that a company could seed/pay some fly by night person to upload come code to an OSS competitor and basically bring the project to a close, killing a competing product.

http://consumerist.com/2011/02/11/hp-pretends-linux-voids-netbook-hardware-warranty/

Hmm Imagine if lenovo or dell put that in their warranty.

How about being outraged on the premise that installing of software is a warranty violation. I'd not be at all surprised that Verizon was involved.

Because its neither a simple system or is it "just" a web site. This is a false equivalency (propagated by whom, I don't know) that seems to 1) imply that a 'website' is equivalent to Bob's geocities html page from 1992 and 2) thats all that is going on with it.

I have to really wonder if any of the 'concern trolls' have actually tried to deploy a database drive web portal in which 1) all parts are under your control and 2) without other regulatory overhead, and 3) has to handle more than a few hundred people.

But hey, if it really is that "simple", then the market is ripe for your technical prowess. Seize the opportunity.

Because the ramp you have to take to break away from Lotus Notes is very steep indeed. There is also a massive amount of inertia.

Citation?

Well it could start by not ignoring actual reports of people doing things, instead of being reactive and banning water.

So which, pray tell, personal data would they take as sufficient to allow water to be carried again?

Of course as we know all those potential explosives (that are too dangerous to allowed on a plane) are disposed of.. on site.. in a trash can.... at the screening station.......

Flashback 1997 Micheal Dell says he would shit down apple and give the money back to the shareholders..
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-203937.html

Well MIkey, perhaps you should do the same thing.

Is this really any conceptually different than different privileges for different accounts? Or account exclusion on different tables in a database?

It would also seem to just be moving the privileged chain to another level from UN/PW to current user/passcode.

I don't think you know what illegal means.

I'm not a detractor and I think hes been broken. Ceding to the 'chain of command' to disavow bad action by the organization is one of the ways fascism grows unchecked.

Its a good thing its just Snowden that would be the cause. And totally not an out of control power hungry paranoid organization that finds enemies in every crevice; that is hell bent on hiding its activities while co-opting the privacy of those they are allegedly supposed to protect. Because if it was that, it would be a horrible commentary on the state of affairs of our failed political system.