Preparing for American samizdat.

[Girard442]

Samizdat

A system in the U.S.S.R. and countries within its orbit by which government-suppressed literature was clandestinely printed and distributed; also : such literature.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samizdat

"We're losing a lot of people because of the Internet. We have to go see Bill Gates and a lot of different people that really understand what's happening. We have to talk to them about, maybe in certain areas, closing that Internet up in some way. Somebody will say, 'Oh freedom of speech, freedom of speech.' These are foolish people. We have a lot of foolish people." -- Donald Trump.

Donald Trump doesn't like to be criticized or contradicted. Donald Trump has no respect for American democratic traditions, the Constitution, or as far as we know, any law. He clearly expects to be obeyed unconditionally.

Censorship is inevitable. Who knows how far it will go, but I believe that we as technically skilled people have an obligation to use our abilities to ensure that information continues to flow freely through our society in the face of efforts to block it.

We have a great advantage over the dissidents in the former USSR. Unlike them, our society is permeated with information handling gadgets. Imagine using those gadgets in a milieu where possessing and promulgating some kinds of information has become a crime. I have a few ideas and I hope people others will feel free to add their own.

* Don't expect what's here today to be here tomorrow. Remember what happened to DU.

* Stock up soon. We can't predict the future. Who knows, maybe recordable CDs and USB thumb drives will become contraband some day.

* Get smart about encryption.

* Consider alternatives to the Internet. All eyes are going to be on the Net and it's likely that every communication will be recorded.

* Learn how to create products without "fingerprints" (or literal fingerprints, for that matter). Get smart about the hidden information that's frequently embedded in data files. remember that Adam Savage of "Mythbusters" fame inadvertently gave up the location of his home embedded in an image.

* Remember that older, less sophisticated technology may be more appropriate at times. Even ink on paper may be the best choice sometime.

* Use open-source stuff without industry-embedded backdoors. It's a well-known fact that Windows 10, for instance, surveills its users, even without censorship issues.

* Pay cash. Buy old stuff at flea markets. Your purchases are much less likely to end up in a database somewhere.

* Be on the lookout for attempts to choke off the free flow of information and increase surveillance. In a Trump government, don't be surprised if people in your local community suddenly get in high dudgeon that PCs in the local library are being used to view pornography and access must be restricted and monitored.

[Leghorn21]

1. Helluva, HELLuva post, Girard442 - I am not personally a tech-type

(don't even have a cell phone!!), but I DID finally read "Gulag Archipelago" early last year, and I DO clearly recall what "samizdat" was, and what it entailed and how intricate and dangerous it was, for all involved - life, death, jail...gulag...

I do hope DUers read this and heed your pointers as they see fit, and I thank you for posting this!

[sarcasmo]

2. Stocking up is right, old school media like CD's, cassette tapes and DVD's will be like Gold.