President Trump: UK Encryption Policy 'Something You Hear About With China' 108
President Trump has directly criticized the UK government's approach to encryption, comparing recent actions to those of China. Speaking to The Spectator, Trump said he confronted UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the Home Office's request for "backdoor access" to encrypted iCloud data, which led Apple to remove its Advanced Data Protection feature from British services entirely.
"We told them you can't do this... That's incredible. That's something, you know, that you hear about with China," Trump said after his meeting with Starmer. The remarks come as the Trump administration has directed Treasury and Commerce officials to examine UK tech regulations, including the Online Safety Act, for potential free speech violations and discrimination against US companies.
"We told them you can't do this... That's incredible. That's something, you know, that you hear about with China," Trump said after his meeting with Starmer. The remarks come as the Trump administration has directed Treasury and Commerce officials to examine UK tech regulations, including the Online Safety Act, for potential free speech violations and discrimination against US companies.
I hope Trump is consistent (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I hope Trump is consistent (Score:5, Informative)
This is the same guy who when asked about calling Zelenskyy "a dictator" just last week responded with "Did I say that? I can't believe I said that. Next question,"
His supporters don't care if he contradicts himself , that's part of the appeal. It's quite convenient when you can constantly hold both sides of an issue and everyone around you tells you you're right each time. A literal hugbox where you can never be wrong, quite politically effective.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
It's the "never back down" strategy. Just lie and move the conversation on to something else. If you aren't president you can just accuse the other person of something else to get it done. Never admit you were wrong, just keep moving on to the next attack on your opponent.
Re: (Score:3)
And feel depressed about how much the "liberal" media gets pulled around by their noses with this.
How many times did Trump "disavow" Project 2025 even when he had like half the writers on his staff and the media just... went along with it and now he can just go back on his word and act like we should all be surprised. It's maddening
After tonight's televised meeting (Score:2)
After the broadcast of the meeting of Trump and Vance with Zelensky, I think we are now certain of the characters of the two Americans.
One of the jaw-dropping comments from Vance:
Zelensky - you haven't been to my country you don't know what it's like.
JD Vaince - I've seen clips on tik tok. I know.
Re: (Score:2)
One of the single most shameful displays of America on the world stage in my lifetime.
Just a room full of soft-belly-snowflakes trying to ambush a guy who has his problems but really rose to an occasion thrust upon him, all because it's a delicate situation to manage as the hegemon but Trump and Vance being the dullards that they are would prefer to run away, tails tucked then have to do actual work of leading of the state. Pathetic through and through.
Re: (Score:2)
Also anybody who like that one fat loser who asked "why don't you wear a suit" should be fired out of a cannon into the Pacific.
Re: (Score:1)
As for supporting free speech, do you think the President is asking for back doors or some three letter agency.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1, Insightful)
Hey everyone, I found the shill from the Russian social media directorate.
Re: (Score:2)
Remove censor troll mods from parent.
But no, you didn't. No one ever finds AC. And no one wants to.
Better jokes needed (Score:2)
And why did I propagate the troll's moronic Subject?
Anyway, I forgot the obvious joke:
"Buy my crypto-coin! It has all the decryption keys for everything in it! What do you mean it doesn't work that way? Elong [sic] told me that's how it works."
And no, and AI didn't help me write that attempted joke. But I might be suffering from severe schadenfreude from the little explosion in the White House today.
I'm not advocating violence, but if someone shot him in the hand we wouldn't have to see any more of his idio
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
A bit of tact is helpful in diplomacy.
You mention tact and Trump in the same sentence. The man with the golden toilet and daily intake of big Macs and ketchup laden steaks. He sells Chinese made bibles, tacky sneakers and fake currency https://www.nbcnews.com/news/u... [nbcnews.com] to rubes. Tact indeed.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
ArchieBunker.,..Do you think that the UK government should have backdoor access to all encryption? Do you hate Trump so much that his declaring the request as something you would see in China as being abhorrent to your values? It seems to me people on this site used to think things like the Clipper Chip were wrong. Now when the acting President of the United States condemns a strikingly similar request what you do is spew hate against him versus his message. Even if you hate him this is not a sentiment th
Re: (Score:2)
Now when the acting President of the United States condemns a strikingly similar request what you do is spew hate against him versus his message.
In US criminal court and generall in most common-law systems there are distinctions in terms of motive or mens rea. It's literally the difference between a Murder 1 and Murder 2 charge, "what is your state of mind at the time"
The same applies to Trump. I say all the time that Trump is *usually* right about the problems the USA has, but anyone can call out problems. What also matters is why he considers it a problem, what are the causes of the problem and what the solutions are and that's where the proble
Re: (Score:3)
If this was a criminal court you might have a valid point, but you already know that it isn't. What do you think he should have said verbatim to keep people like you from attacking his comment? His message was on point and aligns with the Slashdot I remember. It's sad that Slashdot people are more hateful of Trump than respectful of a right to privacy. The corporate media has done it's job well.
Re: (Score:2)
How about a simple factual statement of "if you build a back door for someone, that back door is potentially available to anyone who can figure out where it is and how to kick it open. Security through obscurity doesn't work."
He wouldn't even need to come up with it on his own - that's what he has legislative affairs aides for. He just needs a talking point written in sharpie on a note card produced by someone with a fucking clue, like any other politician.
Re: (Score:2)
In my opinion, that message would be lost on the bulk of Americans who seem to believe that the back door would only ever be used for good. The UK is our ally and can be trusted etc. A blunt statement equating the request to that of a country that has no illusions of privacy casts a wider net, and captures the nuance of the erosion of privacy that is commonly sought by governments around the world and at home.
Re: (Score:2)
Most American's dont actually care about "privacy" in this sense though anyway. I mean half the country *wants* the government to intrude into what private citizens view in their house or are there still people who think the state porn-age-verification is about anything other than Christian moral enforcement through the state.
Re: (Score:2)
Not like any other politician, don't equivocate his stupidity like that.
Say what you want about people like Liz Warren or Ron Wyden but while they politicians they do understand issues like this and can articulate their own thoughts as well as taking the advice of aides.
Also are we really at the point that the President of the United States and we can just be OK with the fact that "He just needs a talking point written in sharpie on a note card produced by someone with a fucking clue" like we just accept he
Re: (Score:2)
You are expecting every politician to be an expert on every single topic of policy in front of the federal government?
But you also talk of equivocating stupidity?
There is literally no one that has as deep a knowledge about encryption and data security as they do macroeconomics, as they do health policy, as they do transportation policy, as they do agriculture, as they do education, etc.
Not a single person. This is why they have a White House Office of Legislative Affairs - so they can have subject matter e
Re: (Score:2)
You are expecting every politician to be an expert on every single topic of policy in front of the federal government?
You know the fact you took my (I think) reasonable answer and pulled this kinda reductio ad absurdum bullshit, I'm just gonna stop reading. Dishonest and childish.
A politician in those positions doesn't have to "has as deep a knowledge about encryption and data security" to understand the implementations, challenges and possibly problematic outcomes to have a coherent response about it.
And yes, it is a stupid equivocation. You want me to pull clips of George W Bush showing understanding of complex issues
Re: (Score:2)
No I don't agree with the UK but Trump is for sale and not even hiding it.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe instead of spewing hate you could stay on message about the loss of privacy the world leaders seem bent on engineering. It is fine to despise Trump, but by turning the debate into another Trump is sweaty and eats fast food cesspool, you are doing nothing other than shifting the conversation from the real problem and helping the media gloss over the painful truths. Trump is not the problem here. What he said made sense and people should recognize that this is not a partisan issue. If any world leader
Re: what would you have him do (Score:2)
And you're different how? Remember, you gave your anus to Tim Cook in exchange for an apple watch with "the whole pantry" preinstalled.
Re: (Score:2)
Read through its replies, note the overwhelmingly consistent syntax and paragraph structure. After a few you'll start to 'hear' the "engagement tone" bots use.
Go back further and you'll see an abrupt demarcation between 1/13/2025 and 1/20/2025. After the 20th it seems to me this quickly becomes full-on reply bot postings. Before the 13th these seem to be pretty standard
I've gotten rather good at spotting these on Bluesky. They seem designed
Re: (Score:2)
This really escalated now with him and JD bullying Zelenskyy in front of the press, completely giving Russia everything they want. I just hope Americans will realize that at this rate the term surrender monkeys will soon no longer be applied to the French.
Re: (Score:2)
Zenenskyy was actually presenting facts: it was in fact Russia who broke the ceasefire. [wikipedia.org]
Not an auspicious start to your post. But it gets worse: Ukraine has not received "hundreds of billions" in US support. It's actually a total of $135.1 billion starting from Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea. [state.gov] Of that total, $65.9 billion has been provided since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion.
Remember Trump was the one who poisoned the meeting by referring to Zelenskyy as a "dictator" a few days earlier. And you think Tr
Re: (Score:2)
Regarding Russia (not Ukraine) breaking the ceasefire: I posted a link to an earlier violation by Russia. Here's the correct one, from 2023. [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
You are right, I posted the wrong second link. Nevertheless, Russia doesn't have a stellar reputation with ceasefires. [thehill.com]
In the meeting, Zelenskyy referred to ceasefires in the plural [cbsnews.com] and pointed out correctly that Russia had a history of violating them.
As for the 2014 ceasefire, [wikipedia.org] it didn't hold. Both sides accused each other of violating it; it's not clear who was first.
Re:what would you have him do (Score:5, Insightful)
Let me ask a serious question for a moment:
What has happened in your life that compels you to make excuses for a President who abjectly and provably lies to the press?
Would you be doing the same gymnastics routine if Biden had done this? If not, congratulations, you're a partisan hack with no objectivity at all.
Re: (Score:1)
Trump is WAY more entertaining than Biden.
Entertainment is what I am looking for at this point.
Re: (Score:2)
i am appalled (and amused) by trumps antics, and terrified with what he might be brewing under the hood for palestine. then again the rift he has opened in us foreign policy is the best thing since sliced bread for humanity, plus the added entertainment to watch all the european clowns running around like headless chickens is priceless (and i'm european, mind you), although not without dangers.
then again i would be surprised if the us hasn't backdoors all over the place. so yea, hipocrisy is still the norm
Re: (Score:1)
Yup!!!
I don't agree with a lot of what he does (senseless breaking govt, firing and mass layoffs of employees, etc).
And I don't always agree with how he goes about doing the things I do agree with.
But he is entertaining as hell, and I love how varies parties are having their "holy shit" moments.
So, overall, he will be fun to watch until I die (next year or so). Way more fun than Kamala.
And maybe the funniest thing is that he is NOT wrong about a lot of stuff. I mean, it has LONG been past time for Europe to
Re: (Score:2)
to answer your question: no it isn't.
but i would make 3 points:
- it's only europe's problem in so far this doesn't end in a nuclear war. i know you particularly don't worry too much about this but, man, i have kids ...
- it is europe's problem indeed, and also largely europe's own making, but definitely orchestrated by the us deep state. trump now walking back is a good thing, but it is really falbbergasting to see how he just intends to walk away like the us had nothing to do with it, and even intends to ex
Re: (Score:1)
I agree about the nuclear war. But honestly, I don't see Putin launching nukes first because that would be the end of Russia. The only ones who would launch a nuke first these days are terrorists and Muslim countries. People who have absolutely nothing to lose, or are completely driven by religious fanaticism.
As for Trump....one man's flabbergast is another man's funny (;
I'm not surprised at all. I mean, what does he care? He's a billionaire. He can't get re-elected. He's very old and can't be THAT far
Re: (Score:2)
,,, if he takes Ukraine, or Poland, or Estonia, or whatever else. America DOES have more important fish to fry in the Pacific.
Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. All of this tension is left over from WWII and the US Soviet cold war, so yes its our problem. No, Putinini is not going to be satisfied with just one bite off the European pie. Firm consistent resistance and diplomacy is a much better answer than throwing shit slinging mad men at each other maybe? Whats the worst that could happen? You could live to see our new orange dictator start WWIII.
Re: (Score:1)
All fine and good. My point is that it all that fancy firm consistence and diplomacy should be done by the Europeans, not the Americans.
Common complaint about America, heard around the world: why the fuck does America have to be involved in everything around the world, pushing its weight around?
I completely agree! America should get the fuck out of the way and let the highly superior and free healthcare Europeans work this one out on their own. No need to involve America.
Is one really believes America need
Re: (Score:2)
Volodymyr Zelenskyy's term ended quite a while ago, he has the legal status in Ukraine of "some random guy, who for some reason is ordering troops around"
Look I know you don't care about the US Constitution much less the Constitution of Ukraine, you can just say that next time instead of trying everything in your power to justify bad diplomacy.
A bit of tact is helpful in diplomacy.
Yes, if only we had some today.
Re: (Score:3)
PACE President Tiny Kox: It is up to the Government, Parliament and the people of Ukraine to decide when and how to conduct elections [coe.int]
If elections in Ukraine are so important to you then please go ask Russia to stop fighting, withdraw from recognized Ukrainian borders (border that Russia recognized in treaty) and then the Constitution of Ukraine (yes, that is a thing, just because you lack literacy does mean it does not exist) says in the absence of an active war martial law can end and elections take place
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
to recap for the people who get their news from Rachel Maddow -- Volodymyr Zelenskyy's term ended quite a while ago, he has the legal status in Ukraine of "some random guy, who for some reason is ordering troops around" -- he censors media including putting an American journalist in jail -- he does other stuff that would not be allowed in a constitutional democracy).
To recap for those who get their news from right-leaning Xitter influencers or Infowars: He was democratically elected as the President of Ukraine in 2019, winning a landslide victory with over 73% of the vote His term was originally set to end in 2024, but due to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, elections have been postponed under martial law. Ukraine's constitution allows for delaying elections during wartime, as organizing a fair and safe election under these conditions would be extremely difficult
Re: (Score:2)
He was democratically elected as the President of Ukraine in 2019, winning a landslide victory with over 73% of the vote
indeed. on a peace platform from which he walked back as soon as biden (and the host of uk/european lackeys) whispered in his ear. then again i heard he got himself a nice mansion in ... california? he might even live enough to enjoy it for a while.
His term was originally set to end in 2024, but due to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, elections have been postponed under martial law. Ukraine's constitution allows for delaying elections during wartime, as organizing a fair and safe election under these conditions would be extremely difficult. The Ukrainian parliament regularly votes to maintain the state of martial law, most recently on Feb 26th where there were 286 votes for and none against the extension. Therefore he has, with the blessing of parliament, the status of President.
i will concede this point. although many independent journalists and critical thinkers consider his stay in power illegitimate or even illegal, i'm not privy of the exact legal mechanisms laid out by ukranian constitution and am in doubt. it is probably at least
Re: (Score:2)
although many independent journalists and critical thinkers consider his stay in power illegitimate or even illegal
And plenty of those people would say the same thing about the current US President and lot's of the same people and many in the US itself said the same thing about the last President. Fact is "critical thinkers" opinions are worth about as much as the paper i wiped my asshole with this morning. Give us a name and we can comment on their opinion. Most "critical thinkers" do neither.
What matters the Ukrainian Constitution and it's pretty clear on what happens during active war. Maybe everyone should read
Re: (Score:2)
What matters the Ukrainian Constitution and it's pretty clear on what happens during active war.
yes, that was my question. so could you explain and provide some details and references?
Re: (Score:2)
There is an entire Wikipedia article just for this, i'm glad you are interested to learn but do you see how this could be frustrating, to have such a strong opinions without seemingly doing the most cursory of google searches first?
Basically active war means martial law and martial law means no elections until it is lifted for various reasons that are obvious, the country is not really in the position to hold regulated and secure elections when the entire eastern 1.3 of the country is under occupation. Do
Re: (Score:2)
so you really have no additional information either beyond these obvious assumptions. thanks anyway.
Re:what would you have him do (Score:5, Insightful)
Perhaps you have heard that Ukraine is fight a war against unjust aggression, and is under martial law? That immediately disenfranchises 700k voters [ukraine.ua], as that is the number of Ukrainians involved in active military operations (i.e. war-fighting), thus in circumstances where polling cannot be safely or securely done. But this leaves another problem: in the Ukrainian constitution, no soldier or officer can run for office. Since these soldiers are largely conscripted, a vote now would deprive them of their civil rights. Finally, 81% of Ukrainians support the suspension of elections until hostilities are finished.
But it is shocking that both you and Donald, or perhaps 'you, Donald' would hold Ukraine to a higher standard than the aggressors. When was the last fair and free Russian election? How long has Putin been in power?
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Russia is not Ukraine. This may surprise you but they are two different countries with different laws, and one of them has a law saying you can't hold an election during a period of martial law.
As for no evidence that Russian elections aren't legit. I agree with you comrade. *wink* Someone tried to show me some evidence one day but I quickly shut my eyes so I have not seen it either.
Yes I'm mocking you.
Re: (Score:2)
nonBorg: judging by your name, you protest to much. But your logic holds that the Russian invasion is justified on the grounds that it is Russian policy. I hope you see that contravenes international law, and especially the aggression doctrine found in the UN Charter.
BTW Putin won his last election with 87,8% of the vote [reuters.com]. That certainly sounds legitimate to me. Oh, I forgot: he had the main opposition leader imprisoned and killed [wikipedia.org]. Surely that had no chilling effect.
Re: (Score:2)
Volodymyr Zelenskyy's term ended quite a while ago
No it hasn't. The Constitution of the Ukraine says the president's term doesn't end until a new president takes office. And the Martial Law act says an election can't be held and voted positions can't be terminated during a war.
Zelensky is the fully legitimate president in the legal framework of the the Ukraine, he's is not some random in any legal capacity.
Stop spreading bullshit. Or if this factoid is news for you, stop listening to whomever is lying to you.
Re:I hope Trump is consistent (Score:4, Insightful)
You are looking for consistency from a guy who is 78, credibly showing signs of dementia, who has essentially abdicated power to an unelected private citizen who has no interest beyond self-dealing; and as a cherry on top, has been a compulsive liar for his entire adult life, never accepting accountability for anything even remotely non-positive.
You might want to adjust your expectations.
Re: (Score:2)
You are looking for consistency from a guy who is 78, credibly showing signs of dementia,
Guess you haven't been paying much attention in the 20+ years because his thought and speech patterns have not changed.
who has essentially abdicated power to an unelected private citizen who has no interest beyond self-dealing
Do you expect a President to sit there and go over every single line item? Hell no, he is a leader and leaders delegate.
and as a cherry on top, has been a compulsive liar for his entire adult life, never accepting accountability for anything even remotely non-positive.
I am guessing that you met any old school New Yorker because they all act like that.
Re: (Score:2)
Are you paid to make excuses for billionaire politicians?
Why are you ok with being lied to constantly?
Not even going into the policy which just confuses things. If you can't trust someone to make good-faith statements, you cannot trust them to actually deliver on anything at all. And you are somehow ok with that.
Would you be ok if you were a manager and had an employee lying to you constantly? Because that's what this is - HE WORKS FOR US, not the other way around.
Adjust your outlook please.
Re: (Score:2)
Do you expect a President to sit there and go over every single line item? Hell no, he is a leader and leaders delegate.
Straw man. Nobody ever said that he's not supposed to delegate. However, there are rules to how this shit works:
The Court listed in Morrison v. Olson (1988) certain factors as hallmarks of "inferior Officer" status, such as removability by a higher executive branch official other than the President, and limitations on the officer's duties, jurisdiction, and tenure. In Edmond v. United States (1997) the Court stated that "'inferior Officers' are officers whose work is directed and supervised at some level by others who were appointed by Presidential nomination with the advice and consent of the Senate."
So if Musk isn't senate-confirmed as an Officer of the United States, which confirmed officer is directing and supervising him? In theory he reports to the Chief of Staff, who also isn't Senate-confirmed. Therefore, under the appointments clause of the Constitution and binding SCOTUS decisions, he should either be Senate-confirmed, or he doesn't have the authority to do what he's doing.
Please
Re: (Score:2)
Plus, the GOP is now literal hostage to MAGA extremists who want the train of ideology and greed to keep moving despite the screams and mangled bodies. But government employees are the first step in a Trump-Musk robbery. Have you seen the GOP budget? It is stupidly optimistic. Somehow, stealing people's wages and welfare will cause more spending. (No, it will cause a depression.) Then, they will levy tariffs, as punishment against 'enemies', as control of inflation, as revenue for a bankrupt governmen
Re: (Score:3)
He's not big on consistency in general, but this is an area where he might be fairly consistent. He doesn't like US law enforcement and intelligence agencies broadly speaking. He's about self-enrichment by whoring out the government to the highest bidder, and none of those folks want the government to have this sort of access either.
Re: (Score:1)
Site should be renamed to TrumpDot for the next few years.
Re:I hope [orange] is consistent (Score:2)
Mod parent funny. You were going for funny, right? The word "consistent" in this context is completely hilarious.
I am already sick and tired of the daily doses of orange stupidity in so many flavors. (But also disgusted by the latest cheap blackmail.)
How about if Slashdot implements an option so my "front page" just skips over stories of the whatever stupid thing the orange puppet says today? Should be a simple check to see if that string is included in the story. Case sensitive, if you insist.
I actually th
Re: (Score:2)
America would never do that. I mean never do that again https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
X has the best "free speech" policy (Score:2, Informative)
Musk's Xitter has the best "free speech" policy.
Say anything you want as long as it supports Trump and the Nazis.
Get banned when you criticize Trump, Musk and the Nazis.
Gotta stop the Bill Burrs of the world!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
Elon tries so hard to look cool to his base. Trying to ban comedians telling jokes about you on twitter just makes you look like a lame asshole....not the cool-boy "Dark Maga" look you're going for. It just makes you look like a "snowflake whiny little bitch."
Re: (Score:3)
It just confirms you are a "snowflake whiny little bitch."
Fixed.
Re: (Score:2)
Tone down the hyperbole.
Meanwhile (Score:2)
Trump and the attorney general are the only two people in the country who get to say what is legal. https://www.yahoo.com/news/fac... [yahoo.com]
Trump banning news agencies from access because they do things that hurt his feefees. https://www.reuters.com/legal/... [reuters.com]
And something that conservatives never mention. Trump taking guns first and worrying about laws later. https://www.c-span.org/clip/wh... [c-span.org]
I can't believe that... (Score:4, Insightful)
...I actually agree with Trump on this issue
Reminds me of the old saying...Even a broken clock is right twice a day
Re: (Score:2)
When?
https://www.politico.com/story... [politico.com]
Or I suppose where... probably best to specify both since Trump's position seems to be very multifaceted.
Re: (Score:2)
More like a broken calendar. It's right once every seven years. (When the month, day of month, and day of week align.)
But the orange buffoon is so self-contradictory that there is no way to predict when he might say something right. And it doesn't matter because he's already contradicted it and will contradict it again.
This cannot be ... (Score:2)
... Trump would never say no to the back door
Pot Meets Kettle (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Are you kidding? (Score:2)
Trump would scribble that executive order in sharpie today if he was told it would catch illegals or women seeking abortions.
Chiiiina (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
So you mean purging non-loyalists in government and using FBI to persecute political opponents isn't like China?
That's why there's the expression "takes one to know one".
Worst Person You Know Just Made Great Point (Score:2)
Indeed. Or with the US. (Score:1)
Pot - kettle - black.
As usual, Trump is just being a pompous and insightless ass. His only mode.
Re: Indeed. Or with the US. (Score:2)
Trump is just crass.
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed. I did give him too much credit there.
More Donald doublespeak. Ignore it. (Score:2, Insightful)
When Donald Trump speaks publicly, he does so with an eye toward remaining in the spotlight. He knows many of his supporters won’t hold him accountable if he contradicts himself—even within the same day—because they value his brazen style more than consistency. This dynamic rewards him for making ever more incendiary statements, which the media then dutifully amplifies.
Worse still, he’s remarkably easy to goad: just point a camera at him, ask a provocative question, and watch him per
Re: (Score:2)
"Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow. The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refug
Re: (Score:2)
"The Origins of Totalitarianism" 1951 p382
Hannah Arendt 1906-1975
Oh, how the tides change (Score:2)
I'm surprised that no one has yet pointed out the hypocrisy on this matter.
Yes, obviously, I agree with him that the UK is overstepping. However, back in 2016 [cnn.com], his solution to the FBI's inability to unlock the iPhone of the San Bernadino shooter was for the general public to boycott Apple until Apple decided it was willing to give the FBI the passcode.
Now, it's possible that his mindset on the matter has evolved over the past decade. Perhaps he's gotten an ever-so-slightly better understanding of the proble
Is that a bug or feature in MAGA-land? (Score:1, Flamebait)
Trump absolutely depends on encryption to communicate with his Russian handlers. If countries start intercepting/breaking/backdooring encrypted communication apps, he may be exposed (not that everyone doesn't already know that he's a Russian asset).
I don't know if Trump is a Kremlin asset, but if he was, I can't imagine what he'd do differently than what he's doing now. WIth him going full pro-Putin and anti-Ukraine/NATO/Europe last week and MAGA-nation not seeming to mind...even if it leaked that he was a FSB asset...would his fanbase care?
Could Trump actually do anything to lose his audience?
He shamefully cowered before Putin in Helsinki long ago and still won reelection. He could literally be on the FSB payroll and have given them all of A
Re: (Score:2)
Could Trump actually do anything to lose his audience?
Probably not, had he come out as a Putin stooge they would simply declare that Russia have always been USA:s best ally