#alternate TechCrunch » Feed TechCrunch » Comments Feed TechCrunch » A Wake-Up Call To Fight Government Surveillance Comments Feed Yarn’s App Lets You Share Short Clips From Movies, TV Shows And Music Videos This $19,000 Hoverboard Will Let You Ride For Five Minutes At A Time alternate alternate TechCrunch WordPress.com Menu TechCrunch Search * Follow Us * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Youtube * Flipboard * LinkedIn * Google+ * RSS * More + Youtube + Flipboard + LinkedIn + Google+ + RSS Got a tip? Let us know. * News + Channels + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides All Topics All Galleries Video Shows * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * Gadgets * Interviews * Reviews * TC Cribs * TC Features All Shows All Videos Events * TechCrunch Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * News About * CES All Events CrunchBase * Trending * Apple * Google * Samsung * News * Startups * Mobile * Gadgets * Enterprise * Social * Europe Search TechCrunch Search TechCrunch ____________________ (BUTTON) Search (BUTTON) Search 9th Annual CrunchiesFind Out Who Will Win The Crunchie For Best Mobile App - Citymapper, Messenger, Periscope, Robinhood or Wish Get Your Tickets Today Government * Amazon Wants To Refund Your Potentially Explosive Hoverboard Amazon Wants To Refund Your Potentially Explosive Hoverboard * One Month After Lyft, UberX Finally Lands At LAX One Month After Lyft, UberX Finally Lands At LAX * State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws * Browse more... surveillance * State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws * EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance * UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO UK Surveillance Bill A Risk To Data Security And Privacy, Says ICO * Browse more... safe harbor * EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance EU-US Safe Harbor Data Flow Talks Still Sticking On Surveillance * The Cloud’s Biggest Threat Are Data Sovereignty Laws The Cloud’s Biggest Threat Are Data Sovereignty Laws * With No European Safe Harbor, Facebook Faces Privacy Complaints On Multiple Fronts With No European Safe Harbor, Facebook Faces Privacy Complaints On Multiple Fronts * Browse more... CalECPA privacy * State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws State Lawmakers Create Coalition To Overhaul Digital Privacy Laws * Facebook Expands Tor Support To Android Orbot Proxy Facebook Expands Tor Support To Android Orbot Proxy * FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds FCC Urged To Rein In Broadband Providers On Privacy Grounds * Browse more... Crunch Network A Wake-Up Call To Fight Government Surveillance Posted Dec 29, 2015 by Rafael Laguna (@rafbuff) * 0 SHARES * * * * * * * * * Next Story Yarn’s App Lets You Share Short Clips From Movies, TV Shows And Music Videos [privacy.jpg?w=738] Rafael LagunaCrunch Network Contributor Rafael Laguna is the CEO of Open-Xchange. How to join the network Look around any crowded place nowadays and it’s quite clear that many of us have literally become prisoners of our own devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops — anything and everything with an Internet connection. Our lifestyles practically require us to always be on, and connected to everyone else. That means at any point in the day, and at any point in the world, individuals freely exchange massive amounts of personal information among each other: names, email addresses, phone numbers, photos, bank account and credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, insurance details and so on. Looking at that list, it’s clear why some are calling data the oil of the digital world — data has effectively become its own currency, something we trade to either share updates about our lives or make a purchase. Yet, valuable as this information is, and much like physical currency, when it’s exchanged, governments now want to play a central role in monitoring, storing and processing it. That may not have been part of the deal at the outset of the Internet, but 15 years into the 21st century, it’s clear that more and more citizens are not only exchanging privacy for vague promises of security, but are doing so willingly. That kind of oversight comes at a cost, though, as the feeling of always being watched forces a gradual change in behavior. We act differently if we’re always being watched, always typing or sharing under the assumption that someone within our government is peering in from over our shoulder — and this forced change in behavior amounts to a gradual disintegration of our online freedoms. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Data Protection In A Post-Safe Harbor World The European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) ruling to invalidate the Safe Harbor agreement was a huge step forward for privacy advocates, both in the U.S. and the E.U. For too long, American intelligence agencies like the NSA had been able to co-opt the data transfer deal to spy on the personal information of European citizens. But with the ECJ’s overturning of that agreement — and with it, the NSA’s means of breathing down the necks of E.U. end users — American companies will now have to find alternatives for facilitating intercontinental data transfers, alternatives that put data privacy and security front and center. Data has effectively become its own currency. We’re already starting to see those alternatives bear fruit. Microsoft, whom the U.S. government has hounded to relinquish the emails of a Hotmail user stored on a Microsoft server in Ireland, recently announced that it was building a pair of new data centers in Germany, which will be managed and operated by an independent German “data trustee.” That third-party group will be the one responsible for storing and processing E.U. customer data, ensuring that it never leaves Germany — and that, even if prompted by the U.S. government, Microsoft would be unable to access that user data unless permitted by the trustee. While it’s a meager step forward, and a much bigger paradigm shift is likely waiting for us come January, Microsoft’s move is a significant signal to both the U.S. government and the E.U. public that European data privacy is not something to be infringed on so easily just to make spies’ lives easier. CalECPA And States Taking The Lead On Privacy Public Policy The adoption of the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA) in the U.S. also strikes a blow for privacy advocates and against government overreach. The ACLU of Northern California, along with state Sen. Mark Leno and top tech companies, worked to pass the law, which requires law enforcement agencies to acquire a warrant before they can search through a person’s email, texts or other online documents, regardless of it being stored on a device or in the cloud. This kind of legislation is not only sorely needed, but long overdue. The federal government passed the Electronic Communications Privacy Act way back in 1986 — and given how far the Internet and online communication have come in the last 30 years, that law may as well have been passed a century ago. That kind of outdated legislation opens a lot of potential vulnerabilities and pain points for tech companies in charge of safeguarding customer data and simultaneously fielding data acquisition requests from law enforcement agencies. More and more citizens are not only exchanging privacy for vague promises of security, but are doing so willingly. Authorities have long capitalized on these digital gaps in Fourth Amendment protections to ramp up data requests: Google has seen consumer data demands from law enforcement skyrocket by 180 percent over the past five years, and AT&T received more than 260,000 similar requests in 2014 alone. But CalECPA brings a much-needed game changer to the table, now requiring law enforcement within the state to secure a judicial warrant before they can begin rifling through a California resident’s online life. It’s the same expectation we have of police before they can begin looking through homes and physical papers — and the same expectation that 75 percent of Americans have who believe that email, texts and location data qualify as sensitive information — so why shouldn’t that be the standard for online, as well? The California state law, similar legislation of which exists in other states, such as Colorado, Maine, Texas and Utah, brings to life Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ words of how a “state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory” for wider public policy. It’s especially significant that we’re seeing this lab experiment take place in California, America’s premier tech hub and home to companies supporting the law, like Apple, Google, Facebook, Dropbox and Twitter. The overturning of Safe Harbor in the E.U. and the adoption of CalECPA in California both show that it is possible to “check out anytime,” and reassert our rights to online privacy and a democratized Internet, free of the watchful eye of Big Brother. Featured Image: Dan Bruins * 0 SHARES * 0 Share * 0 Tweet * 0 Share * 0 * 0 * 0 * * Advertisement Advertisement TechCrunch Newsletters [ ] TechCrunch Daily Our top headlines Delivered daily [ ] TC Week-in-Review Top stories of the week Delivered weekly [ ] CrunchBase Daily The latest startup funding announcements Delivered daily [ ] TC Europe The top European tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] TC Gadgets Top stories about gadgets Delivered weekly [ ] TC Mobile & Apps Top stories about apps Delivered weekly [ ] TC Startups Top stories about startups Delivered weekly [ ] TC Social Media Top stories about social Delivered weekly [ ] TC Asia The top Asian tech stories Delivered weekly [ ] Crunch Network The best from our contributors Delivered weekly View More Enter Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Latest Crunch Report * Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Facebook Sports Stadium Wants to Be Your New Sports Hub | Crunch Report Watch More Episodes * surveillance * safe harbor * CalECPA * privacy * Government * Popular Posts Featured Stories * A Wake-Up Call To Fight Government Surveillance Don Baer On Politician's Approach To Technology VIDEO | 12:03 | Breaking News * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago | Romain Dillet * Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago | Sarah Perez * Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago | Natasha Lomas Latest From TechCrunch * Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road Gravit Lets You Illustrate In Your Abode Or On The Road 1 hour ago | John Biggs * Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago | Romain Dillet * Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars Werner Herzog On His Documentary Lo And Behold, Cockroach Movies And Moving To Mars 1 hour ago | Matthew Panzarino * A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago | Sarah Perez Up Next Yarn’s App Lets You Share Short Clips From Movies, TV Shows And Music Videos Posted Dec 29, 2015 CrunchBoard Job Listings * Principal Analyst - Marketing Technology CarMax * Architect - Enterprise Information CarMax * Senior Software Developer - Web Development CarMax * Online Systems Platform Manager CarMax * Team Manager- CRM CarMax More from CrunchBoard Advertisement TechCrunch [crunch-network.jpg] * News * TCTV * Events * CrunchBase About * Staff * Contact Us * Advertise With Us * Send Us A Tip International * China * Europe * Japan Follow TechCrunch * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * LinkedIn * Youtube * Pinterest * Tumblr * Instagram * StumbleUpon * Feed TechCrunch Apps * iOS * Android * Windows 8 Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Latest headlines delivered to you daily [X] Subscribe to Subscribe to TechCrunch Daily Enter Email Address ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe © 2013-2016 AOL Inc. All rights reserved. Aol Tech Privacy Policy About Our Ads Anti Harassment Policy Terms of Service Powered by WordPress.com VIP Fonts by [b?c1=2&c2=6036210&c3=&c4=&c5=&c6=&c15=&cv=1.3&cj=1] * TechCrunch (BUTTON) * News + Startups + Mobile + Gadgets + Enterprise + Social + Europe + Asia + Old Crunch Network + Unicorn Leaderboard + Gift Guides + All Galleries Videos * Apps * Breaking News * Bullish * Crunch Report * CES 2016 * All Shows * All Videos Events * Disrupt * Startup Battlefield * Crunchies * Meetups * International City Events * Hackathon * Include * NFL’s 1ST and Future * TC Davos 2016 * All Events CrunchBase ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Most Popular Get Ready For A Smaller iPhone 6s Mini 4 hours ago by Romain Dillet Forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 Benchmarks Leak 11 hours ago by Natasha Lomas A Day After Launch, “Exploding Kittens” Tops The App Store 1 hour ago by Sarah Perez Why Cloud Computing Will Shake Up Security 2 hours ago by Tom Gillis Netflix Makes Good On Promises To Crack Down On VPNs, But Blocks Are Short-Lived 5 hours ago by Sarah Perez Apple Has A New Apple TV Ad, And It’s All About Apps 1 hour ago by Romain Dillet SpaceX Tested Its Capsule That Will Send Humans To Space 1 hour ago by Emily Calandrelli FiveStars Gets $50M To Help Small Retailers Run Loyalty Programs Like Their Bigger Rivals 8 hours ago by Ingrid Lunden Google Reportedly Paid Apple $1B In 2014 To Remain Default Search Engine On iOS 17 hours ago by Jon Russell