Comment Re:It was a myth (Score 1) 986
> First there is really big difference between countries about the privacy question. For example in Switzerland (where I live) the privacy question is far more mature
I no longer live in Switzerland but I believe this is relevant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_files_scandal particularly this quote:
"...was surprised to see that the police files contained all of his activities since 1965, although he had never been indicted before..."
Also, given this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onyx_(interception_system), a program where the price is unknown, I'd say a lot more is unknown.
My impression of the populace of Switzerland, is that they don't question authority, and so keeping privacy infringements secret is an easier task than should be. Also, with regards to voting, the vast majority of the population votes in accordance to the Empfehlung that they get from the Bundesrat, found in that little red book you'll get each time, so I don't believe there is as much discussion as there really should be, again leading from the mentality of kowtowing to authority -- at least within the open.
I suspect that a lot more spying is happening in Switzerland, but you just don't hear about it. But I also believe that if I told an average Swiss citizen that I believe this, they may be polite, to avoid any conflict, but they'll most likely think that I'm being paranoid, and won't even bother looking for themselves to see if it might be true.
However, given that there are relatively few spying scandals coming out of Switzerland, it seems plausible that the information spying apparatus like Onyx, keeps itself better insulated than the NSA has managed, and so may prevent abuses of that power from within the Government.
I no longer live in Switzerland but I believe this is relevant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_files_scandal particularly this quote:
"...was surprised to see that the police files contained all of his activities since 1965, although he had never been indicted before..."
Also, given this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onyx_(interception_system), a program where the price is unknown, I'd say a lot more is unknown.
My impression of the populace of Switzerland, is that they don't question authority, and so keeping privacy infringements secret is an easier task than should be. Also, with regards to voting, the vast majority of the population votes in accordance to the Empfehlung that they get from the Bundesrat, found in that little red book you'll get each time, so I don't believe there is as much discussion as there really should be, again leading from the mentality of kowtowing to authority -- at least within the open.
I suspect that a lot more spying is happening in Switzerland, but you just don't hear about it. But I also believe that if I told an average Swiss citizen that I believe this, they may be polite, to avoid any conflict, but they'll most likely think that I'm being paranoid, and won't even bother looking for themselves to see if it might be true.
However, given that there are relatively few spying scandals coming out of Switzerland, it seems plausible that the information spying apparatus like Onyx, keeps itself better insulated than the NSA has managed, and so may prevent abuses of that power from within the Government.
