Can Democracy Survive Without Privacy?

In the early 90s, Phil Zimmermann, the godfather of privacy, released a groundbreaking encryption program called Pretty Good Privacy, or PGP. This software allowed people to protect their email communications with robust encryption. The government then investigated Phil for 3 years, claiming that by spreading PGP around the world as free encryption software, he was engaging in munitions trafficking and jeopardizing U.S. national security.

The battle goes down in history as the first Crypto Wars, against encryption, and it was waged by people all over the world who believed that privacy was a fundamental right.

PGP became the most widely used email encryption software in the world. And thanks to his effort to make sure encryption tools remain available to the public, we now have the ability to protect our privacy.

But once again we find ourselves in another crypto war, with governments around the globe once again trying to undermine privacy.

I chat with Phil about why he created PGP, the current state of global surveillance, and why we must fight for the future of privacy.

00:00 Governments Live in a Golden Age of Surveillance
00:58 Phil Zimmerman Introduction
02:34 Phil’s Motivation for Creating PGP
05:19 What’s at Stake if Government Abolishes Privacy
10:50 The Risk of Not Standing Our Ground
14:04 Surviving in a World Where Government Policy is Anti-Privacy
15:15 How to Create a Groundswell Movement
16:14 Highlighting Shifting Baselines
18:40 We Need to Obtain and Use Privacy Tools NOW
19:43 Governments are Pressuring Companies
20:18 Phil’s Parting Words of Advice
22:08 Policy vs Action

Everything that we do is surveilled and it’s not clear that democracy can survive governments having this level of omniscience. However, hope is not lost. By obtaining and using privacy tools now, we can preserve our right to privacy, and make a stand before it’s too late.

Special thanks to Phil Zimmerman, a true hero of the privacy space!

Brought to you by NBTV team members: Lee Rennie, Cube Boy, Sam Ettaro, Will Sandoval and Naomi Brockwell

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