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'Mind Control' is Achieved in Post-Snowden United States (El Espectador, Colombia)

 

"Writers are self-censoring. They are leaving certain areas untouched, especially if writing about them involves using certain terms in their communications. So it has come to this: the reality of life in the most powerful democracy in the world has achieved what has been impossible for the worst totalitarian systems and the worst theocracies - mind control over individuals."

 

By Juan Gabriel Vásquez

                                            

 

Translated By Halszka Czarnocka

 

December 10, 2013

 

Colombia - El Espectador – Original Article (Spanish)

Stranger than science fiction?: Self-censorship descends upon what used to be called the freest country in the world.

RUSSIA TODAY NEWS VIDEO: 'No way to hide from NSA unless one lives in cave and reverts to handwriting', Dec. 5, 00:01:53 RealVideo

About a month ago, PEN America conducted a poll of its members - 528 out of the over 6,000 writers affiliated to the organization - to determine the ways in which information surveillance is changing their behavior.

 

I followed the process and its results with heightened attention, since for some time now I’ve been thinking that there's only one thing more disturbing than systematic spying on citizens and violating their right to privacy: the fact that it seems not to bother us much.

 

“I have nothing to hide” is the automatic or trained reaction of some of us, as if not having terrorist intentions justifies having our actions or interests - our “digital footprint” they call it now - become objects of trade among companies and these agencies. (Ah, those hypocritical companies: remember those many times Microsoft or Google spouted words like “freedom of expression” and “net neutrality,” only to put our data at the disposal of the first government who came to ask for them?).

 

Be that as it may, the PEN survey brought some disturbing revelations. Twenty eight percent of writer-respondents said they had curtailed their activities on social networks; 24 percent took pains to avoid certain topics during their telephone conversations and in e-mails, and 26 percent had avoided writing about certain topics. The New York Times mentioned the case of Charles J. Shields, a biographer who has stopped writing about the history of civil defense in the United States because that would have forced him to put into his search engine and conversations words that would raise the red flags at the NSA. This can mean only one thing: writers are self-censoring. They are leaving certain areas untouched, especially if writing about them involves using certain terms in their communications. So it has come to this: the reality of life in the most powerful democracy in the world has achieved what has been impossible for the worst totalitarian systems and the worst theocracies - mind control over individuals.

Posted By Worldmeets.US

 

No, this isn't science fiction: if religion and dictatorship have something in common, it is their open striving to legislate our mental activity. “Bad thoughts” are a routine part of the Catholic confessional; and few stop to ponder the obscenity of a ritual that obliges them to describe to a priest their secret desires, even if those desires don't exist in the real world, and even if they haven’t acted on them nor plan to do so. The very fact of harboring them is punishable.

 

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George Orwell (forgive me, but one always ends up talking about George Orwell) invented in Nineteen Eighty Four the notorious "thought crime," which meant to hold beliefs or ideas contrary to the regime. In the novel, the totalitarian government controls not only actions and words, but thoughts. Is this not a metaphor for the self-censorship now seen among writers? Is it melodramatic, foolish, or paranoid, to make this connection between a fictional totalitarian system and a journalist who no longer puts certain words into a search engine?

 

SEE ALSO ON THIS:
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Assange's Warning 'Urgent' for Developing World
CBC News, Canada:
Australia Spy Agency Offered to Share Data on Australia Citizens
Guardian, U.K.:
Snowden Revelations Prompt U.N. Probe into Mass Surveillance
British Parliament, U.K.:
Guardian Editor Rusbridger Testifies on Snowden Files
La Jornada, Mexico:
Nations Should Quickly Heed Advice of Greenwald, Assange
CBC News, Canada:
Top Spy Refuses to Answer Queries on G20 Espionage
The National Post, Canada: No Reason for Canada to be Ashamed of Spying on OtherS
Globe & Mail, Canada: Don't Listen to Our Guests or Our Protesters
Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany: U.S. Consulate General: U.S. Spy Center in Germany
Le Temps, Switzerland: Europe's Price for Trade Talks Must Be End to U.S. Impunity
Guardian, U.K.: NSA 'Collected Details of Online Sexual Activity' of Muslim Radicals
Tagesschau, Germany: Reports Expose America's 'Secret War' in Germany
News Switzerland: Swiss Asylum for Snowden Would Win Points with Berlin
ABC, Spain: German 'Snowden-Mania' Puts All Europe at Risk
Guardian, U.K.: New York Times Defends Guardian's Snowden Leaks
Die Zeit, Germany: Germany Warns U.S. Facilities Could be Attacked Over NSA Anger
Okaz, Saudi Arabia: NSA Crisis Exposes American Dream as Counterfeit
Al Madina, Saudi Arabia: Spying Ruins 'Sanctity' of 'Holy' War on Terror
Izvestia, Russia: Moscow Tongues Wag Over 'Downfall' of U.S. Ambassador McFaul
de Volkskrant, Netherlands: Lawsuit Seeks to Halt Dutch 'Laundering' of NSA-Acquired Data
Al Madina, Saudi Arabia: Spying Ruins 'Sanctity' of 'Holy' War on Terror
Folha, Brazil: Shaming the NSA is First Step to Ending 'State of Nature'
Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland: John Kerry May Bring Happy NSA Surprise for Poles
Rzeczpospolita, Poland: Europe's 'NSA Envy'
Polityka, Poland: Allies or Enemies? American Intelligence Has Lost the Plot
Der Spiegel, Germany: Without Our Own Internet, We Have No Sovereignty
Der Spiegel, Germany: Et Tu, UK? Anger Grows over British Spying in Berlin
Der Spiegel, Germany: Germany's Quandary: The Debate over Asylum for Snowden
Der Spiegel, Germany: Free Press? Guardian Editor Laments 'Retrogressive' Government
Der Spiegel, Germany: Codependent: Merkel's Pragmatic Approach to the NSA Scandal
Der Spiegel, Germany: Merkel Spying: It's 'Unlikely' White House Didn't Know
Folha, Brazil: NSA Scandal No More than a Temporary Annoyance
O Globo, Brazil: U.S. Must Employ Famed 'Checks and Balances' on NSA
China Daily, China: American 'Anti-Terror' Spies Have No Place in China
NZZ, Switzerland: NSA and Germany: a 'Highly Toxic Outrage Cocktail'
Ryukyo Shimpo, Japan: Japan Must Safeguard Data from 'Superpower in Decline'
Japan Times, Japan: NSA asked Japan to Tap Regionwide Fiber-Optic Cables in 2011
La Jornada, Mexico: Human Rights, the NSA, and U.S. Moral Decline
Le Monde, France: After PRISM, E.U. Must Safeguard 'Emerging Global Consciousness'
Le Nouvel Observateur, France: NSA Snoops on France: 'Like Spying on Family'
Le Monde, France: 'How the NSA Spies on the French'
Le Monde, France: Fighting 'Big Brother'
Le Monde, France: NSA Wiretapped French Diplomats in America
Le Monde, France: French Phone Networks in NSA Crosshairs'
El Pais, Spain: NSA: For Europe, it's Better to be 'Heard than Ignored'
El Pais, Spain: Rather than Rajoy's Phone Calls, NSA Should Focus on JFK's Assassin!
El Pais, Spain: Conflicted Europe Must Defend Citizen Liberties
El Pais, Spain: Mass U.S. Monitoring of Innocent Non-Americans Must End
BNR Nieuwsradio, The Netherlands: The NSA Proves Dalai Lama Wrong
Dar Al-Hayat, Saudi Arabia: NSA, Drone Strikes, and Obama's 'Ethical Collapse'
Telegraph, U.K.: David Cameron 'Spies' Trouble
Der Spiegel, Germany: Embassy Espionage: The NSA's Secret Spy Hub in Berlin
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany: Say it isn't so, NSA!
Guardian, U.K.: Spain Summons U.S. Ambassador Over Claim NSA Tracked Millions
Die Zeit, Germany: NSA Blackmail of Obama Himself is Not Far-Fetched
Trouw, The Netherlands: U.S. Spying? Don't Put Your Open Data in the Town Square!
La Jornada, Mexico: Latest NSA Leak Puts President Nieto's Credibility at Stake
de Volkskrant, The Netherlands: Snowden Exposes NSA Christmas Holiday Loophole!
O Globo, Brazil: NSA's 'Anti-Privacy Services' and NASA's 'Earth-Shaking
Guardian, U.K.: France Summons U.S. Envoy Over NSA Surveillance Claims
Dep Speigel, Germany: Fresh Leak: NSA Accessed Mexican President's E-mail
La Jornada, Mexico: Nations Should Quickly Heed Advice of Greenwald, Assange
Guardian, U.K.: World Editors: 'What Guardian is Doing is Important for Democracy
Guardian, U.K.: Surveillance, Democracy, Transparency - Views from Across the Globe
Guardian, U.K.: EDITORIAL: Spies and Journalism: When Worlds Collide
Izvestia, Russia: Global Call to Arms Against 'American Exceptionalism'
Huanqiu, China: Letter By Vladimir Putin Exposes 'Exceptional' American Inequality
de Volkskrant, The Netherlands: Putin's Note to Americans a Guilty Pleasure for World
Epoca, Brazil: America's 'Undemocratic' Surveillance is More Invasive than China's
Guardian, U.K.: Committee to Protect Journalists Issues Scathing Report on Obama
Guardian, U.K.: NSA Reform Under Threat by 'Business-as-Usual Brigade' - Wyden
Estadao, Brazil: Warning to Brazil Lawmakers Before Meeting with Snowden
Folha, Brazil: NSA's Great Power Challenge to Brazil
El Mundo, Spain: The U.N.'s Yearly Show Again Plays a Vital Role
Folha, Brazil: 'In His Heart,' Obama Knows Rousseff is Right about Spying
Opera Mundi, Brazil: Outraged Evo Morales Wants Obama Tried for 'Crimes Against Humanity'
Pagina Siete, Bolivia: U.S. Fears, Not Evil, Motivate Desperate Search for Snowden
El Nacional, Bolivia: Snowden: South America Must Take Stand Against Old Europe
El Universal, Venezuela: Maduro Uses Snowden Asylum to Distract Venezuelan People
El Nuevo Diario, Nicaragua: 'Imperial Nations' Mock International Law
El Nacional, Venezuela: Bienvenido to Venezuela, Double Agent Snowden!
Hoy, Ecuador: Snowden Highlights Ecuador's Decision-Making Paradox
Folha, Brazil: Dilma Postpones Her U.S. State Visit; Saves Face for Both Sides
Epoca, Brazil: President Rousseff: Snowden Documents Show U.S. Economic Espionage
Epoca, Brazil: After NSA Scandal, Brazil Seeks Reduced U.S. Control Over Internet
Carta Maior, Brazil: Invasions of Privacy and the Tools of Terror Maintenance
O Globo, Brazil: Adjusting to Our 'Brave New World' of Liberty
O Globo, Brazil: NSA Targeted Latin American 'Trade Secrets'
O Globo, Brazil: Brazil 'Gravely Concerned' Over Massive NSA Espionage
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O Globo, Brazil: President Rousseff's U.S. State Visit Imperiled By NSA Spying
Der Spiegel, Germany: 'Follow the Money': NSA Monitors Financial World
Guardian, U.K.: Edward Snowden 'Living Incognito in Russia'
BBC News, U.K.: Reporter Glenn Greenwald to Testify at Brazil Spy Probe
Der Spiegel, Germany: iSpy: How America's NSA Accesses Smartphone Data
Estadao, Brazil: Explaining John Kerry's Shellacking in Brazil
Cuba Debate, Cuba: Castro: 'Who Was Paid to Lie' about Snowden Being Allowed in Cuba?
Jornal Do Brasil, Brazil: Chancellor Tells Kerry: 'Terminate' Spying on Brazilians
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Russia: The Prohibitive Global Price of Poor U.S.-Russia Relations
Der Spiegel, Germany: Codename 'Apalachee': How America Spies on Europe and the U.N.
Der Spiegel, Germany: Merkel Rival Calls for Suspension of Trade Talks
Telegraph, U.K.: NSA Employees Spied on their Lovers Using Eavesdropping Program
Reuters, U.K.: Close Cameron Aides Asked Paper to Destroy Snowden Data
People's Daily, China: America Must Come to the Table on Surveillance
Guardian, U.K.: Innocent have Nothing to Fear? After Miranda, We Know Where that Leads
Guardian, U.K.: Groklaw Legal Site Shuts Over Fears of NSA E-Mail Snooping
Guardian, U.K.: 'Sending a Message': What U.S. and U.K. are Attempting to Do
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Savon Sanomat, Finland: Better For Finland that Obama Goes to Sweden
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El Pais, Spain: Manning Verdict a Warning to Future 'Heroes of Transparency'
Izvestia, Russia: Turning Mr. Snowden into a Tool of Russian 'Soft Power'
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Izvestia, Russia: South vs. North: Snowden's Place in History is Assured
Kommersant, Russia: Snowden's Presence May Scuttle Obama's Visit to Russia
Izvestia, Russia: 'Servile Europeans' Inflict Huge Insult on Bolivians
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Le Monde, France: French Big Brother is Watching You!
Guardian, U.K.: The NSA's Indiscriminate Mass Spying on Brazilians
Le Monde, France: French Political Class Holds 'Outrage Contest' Over NSA Spying
DNA, France: Espionage ... From Washington, With Love
Liberation, France: The NSA 'Panopticon'
Der Standard, Austria: Mass NSA Surveillance Implies 'Bizarre Presumption of Guilt'
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Guardian, U.K.: Britain Blocks Crucial Espionage Talks between U.S. and Europe
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Guardian, U.K.: Venezuela and Nicaragua offer asylum to Edward Snowden
Elsevier, The Netherlands: Snowden's Revelations are of 'No Benefit to Society'
Der Spiegel, Germany: NSA Spying on Germany: How Much Did Angela Merkel Know?
Der Spiegel, Germany Bolivia Irate Over Forced Landing
Der Spiegel, Germany: Germany Rejects Asylum for Snowden
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El Comercio, Ecuador: Wanting to Keep U.S. Trade Privileges is Not Treason!
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Der Spiegel, Germany: Growing Alarm: German Prosecutors To Review Allegations of U.S. Spying
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Diario de Noticias, Portugal: America 'Summons World' to Renewed Cold War
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Guardian, U.K.: Snowden Leaves Hong Kong for Moscow: Seeks Asylum in Ecuador
Financial Times, U.K.: Snowden Fallout Impacts China and Russia
Russia Today, Russia: VIDEO: Former MI5 Agent Judges Snowden 'Canny'
Folha, Brazil: Trust in the State Inadequate as a Pretext for NSA's Spying
Les Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace, France: Edward Snowden is Not the Issue
El Pais, Spain: Powerless, Europe Must Nevertheless Stand Up to NSA Spying Program
Global Times, China: Demonizing China Will Backfire on Americans
Global Times, China: Extraditing Snowden Would Be a Mistake
Xinhua, China: 'Idealistic' Edward Snowden Should be Welcomed by China
Mediapart, France: 'Autonomous Machines': World Reawakens to U.S. Web Dominance
Guardian, U.K.: Britain's GCHQ Intercepted Data from Foreign Politicians at G20 Summits
Le Monde, France: French Lawmakers Scramble Over News of NSA Surveillance
Le Temps, Switzerland: Last Resort for Confronting 'Electronic Big Brother'
The Frontier Post, Pakistan: On Global Spying for Selfish National Interest
Mediapart, France: The NSA is Spying on Us! What a Surprise!
El Espectador, Colombia: Please Consider Yourself Watched!
Le Monde, France: NSA Surveillance Storm Gathers Over Cloud Market
Folha, Brazil: Being 'Carioca' Helped Glenn Greenwald Break NSA Surveillance Story
Sol, Portugal: WikiLeaks and Facebook: What Came Before Will Soon Be Rubble
Guardian, U.K.: World Leaders Seek Answers on NSA Data Collection Programs
Guardian, U.K.: Artist Ai Weiwei: The U.S. is 'Behaving Like China'
Russia Today, Russia: Putin: Government Surveillance 'Should Not Break the Law'
Guardian, U.K.: Russia Offers to Consider Edward Snowden Asylum Request
Handelsblatt, Germany: Obama's Data Nightmare is Europe's
FAZ, Germany: Protect Us from Terrorism ... and Government Snooping
SCMP, Hong Kong: What Will Hong Kong do with Snowden? ... The World is Watching
SCMP, Hong Kong: Why Hong Kong? Chinese Wonder if Edward Snowden is in Wrong Place
Suedostschweiz, Switzerland: Exposed: Spy Powers that Obama Shouldn't Use
Le Temps, Switzerland: Exploring the Limits of Sino-U.S. Compromise
Business Day, South Africa: Obama Sets 'Dubious Example' on Freedom
Economist, U.K.: The Reason We Fear Broad Surveillance
Guardian, U.K.: The NSA's Secret Tool to Track Global Surveillance Data

 

 

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Posted By Worldmeets.US Dec. 8, 2013, 8:15pm

 

 

 

 

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