Governments Covertly Fund Internet Freedom Activists

[Seth]

On Tue, 03 Mar 2015 01:45:40 -0800, rysiek <rysiek at hackerspace.pl> wrote:
> I cordially invite you to provide sufficient funding to all the
> freedom/privacy/human rights related initiatives that are  
> government-funded
> today.

I'm not sure that cordially inviting an individual to single handedly  
replace the 'funding' provided by a violent organized criminal  
organization that can extract funds from entire populations under the  
threat of violence, and also 'print' their own goddamned money is really a  
solid counter argument.

Is the funding of FLOSS privacy enabling software a problem? Yes.

Does it therefore follow that lining up at the government's stolen money  
slop trough until another solution can be devised is ever going to be a  
good idea in the long run? I would argue 'No'.

Look at the history and deviousness of government infiltration of 60's  
counterculture groups that were deemed a threat to state power. Timothy  
Leary an FBI snitch [1]. Richard Aoki, the man who helped arm the Black  
Panthers, an FBI snitch. [2].

Is it not reasonable to assume that these FLOSS privacy software projects  
represent a direct threat to state power? Is it not reasonable to assume  
that the state is therefore going to try and co-opt them? Say by creating  
financial dependence via a seductive flow of stolen money, among other  
tactics?

Look at this recent Pando.com expose of the BBG (Broadcasting Board of  
Governers) which recently started pouring money into these privacy  
projects via the Open Technology Fund. [3]. These people are not on our  
side.

Also, regarding funding as a method of control. What did the U.S. federal  
government do when certain states were balked at raising the drinking age  
to 21? They threatened to cut their federal highway funds. Every state  
ended up caving to this demand. That's just one high profile example.

It's simply disheartening to see how gleefully some privacy activists  
accept the tainted govt blood money and then look hard the other way.

Never mind that the money was obtained by putting a metaphorical gun to  
the head of every person it was taken from. Never mind what the ulterior  
motives are of the organizations which are lavishing this stolen money  
upon the software privacy projects. Never mind the dependence this is  
going to create and the subsequent influence and control this is going to  
buy.

The means *are* the ends. And when the means are corrupted, so are the  
ends.

[1] http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/investigation/turn-tune-rat-out
[2]  
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/fbi-files-reveal-new-details-about-informant-who-armed-black-panthers-17906
[3]  
http://pando.com/2015/03/01/internet-privacy-funded-by-spooks-a-brief-history-of-the-bbg/