Right to online privacy: From Edward Snowden, to 60 Minutes, the NSA and beyond

USA: On the heels of the 60 Minutes segment on data brokers and Edward Snowden's live video appearance at SXSW, issues about internet privacy and the NSA were raised that will impact everyone with a computer or cell phone.

Sgrouples, the world's privacy-centric social network, today, responds to Snowden's quote that, "The NSA has set fire to the future of the Internet," and his rally to the technology community and the citizens of the United States to be the fire fighters.

"The way that all of us can be fire fighters today, is to choose to do business with companies that have respect for user's privacy," says Mark Weinstein, online privacy expert and CEO of Sgrouples, the world's privacy-centric social network.

"If we want to be true digital revolutionaries, we should choose to do business with companies that don't aggregate a packet of data to hand over to the government-regardless of whether the government knocks and ask for the data or comes uninvited through the proverbial back door. We are not products and as people we shouldn't have limited access to privacy based on color, creed, class, or opportunity. The digital privacy revolution is happening and you can be a part of it."

Complete protection currently impossible
Weinstein added: "The conversation with Snowden, ACLU's Chris Soghoian, and Ben Wizner (also counsel to Snowden), is relevant for everyone. They focused on the need for new "end-to-end encryption" solutions to make mass surveillance impossible. Circumventing mass surveillance allows law enforcement to focus their finite resources directly on the actual bad guys, instead of spreading resources thin by collecting and analyzing huge amounts of data on innocent citizens.

"However, currently end-to-end encryption is hard to do in a consumer-friendly way for groups of people in multiple locations using real time communication services like chat and document sharing. Adding to that, companies such as Google, Facebook and others are not likely to adopt this type of encryption because they need continuous access to the data shared by their customers; they are advertising platforms and their members are products -- advertisers are their customers."

Today's realistic solution
Weinstein supports the callout by Snowden to the technology community to accelerate development of new encryption solutions without the NSA's guiding hand on standards. And following up on the 60 Minutes report Sunday evening that chronicled a shocking world wide web with data brokers in control of an average of 1,500 points of date on each American, Weinstein says "we must also deal with this today. Use private search engines like DuckDuckGo; access the web with privacy-centric browers like FireFox; and choose next-generation social media companies like Sgrouples that don't spy on or track their members."

Tomorrow's ideal solution to privacy restoration
In addition to new technologies to limit unfettered access to our personal data, Weinstein advocates for citizen activism as well. "While the free-market system is a strong mechanism that supports changing consumer behavior through choices and options; the power of data brokers as reported by 60 Minutes along with the domination by huge companies like Facebook and Google has caused diminished opportunity for new privacy-centric companies to become visible in the marketplace.
"As Americans, we must also take our privacy back through legal channels and challenges to companies and the government entities that violate the privacy guarantees built into our Constitution and the Fourth Amendment."

New engineering philosophy: Privacy by design
Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner in Ontario, Canada, has been supporting a new approach to the engineering philosophy and practice of web companies, called "Privacy By Design." But this requires a brand new approach to how a web company makes money. Sgrouples is built with "privacy-by-design" and its revenue is embedded within this philosophy. The company offers its members optional products and services that add value to their experience, such as expanded data storage, special apps, and a patent-pending ad model with no tracking (or for a nominal monthly fee, eliminate advertising entirely). It's a simple, profitable model in which all parties win. Weinstein has been selected by Cavoukian as a "Privacy by Design Ambassador."

The Sgrouples difference
"Sgrouples is the world's first company where members have a Privacy Bill of Rights. Members exclusively own and control their content, there is no data scraping, no tracking cookies, and strangers don't see a member's contacts or their posts/content. Sgrouples is the communication suite we've all been looking for - enjoy sharing photos, videos, discussions, documents, privacy mail, chat, and much more. Sgrouples is more than a website-it is a "privacy-by-design" philosophy that empowers natural sharing, creating, and growing."

Bottom line
"The bottom line is we are not products and as people we shouldn't have limited access to privacy based on color, creed, class, or opportunity. We live in exciting times where social media exists as a vital component of our communication and self-expression. That doesn't mean dehumanizing ourselves to the point that our personal identities become shopping aisles for others to purchase and governments to spy on and use according to their whims. What we gain through innovative tools should be enjoyed with the peace of mind that frees us to stay true to ourselves and forge our own paths in life. Privacy? Yes. A luxury item? No, it's a natural born right. Some people call it a revolution, we call it common sense."