The Culture of Cryptography

Kudos to the Atlantic for such an interesting piece:

For their part, the Pirates count digital privacy as fundamental right, not a privilege subject to compromise in the name of national security. Cryptography is a means to that end. It offers a sense of control and relief to people concerned that their personal liberties are being siphoned through their smartphones and ethernet cables.

“I’m worried that the government won’t grant me the privacy I think I deserve,” said Daniela Berger, a developer who attended the Berlin cryptoparty to learn about TOR. Like many Germans, she is both angry and disheartened by her country’s role in NSA surveillance operations. “I think my freedom should be of high value to my government and right now we’re steering in a direction where my privacy is an afterthought, if it’s a thought at all.”