Given the continued side channel queries regarding my identity, and specifically whether I one of “them” (presumably an intelligence agent, asset, or perhaps even as abstract as a law enforcment agent) I feel it necessary to again reiterate that I am not in the employ of the United States government – or any government for that matter. I am merely a hacker – a network engineer who has seen the tentacles of the government spying aparatus up close and thus has felt the need to speak out against this culture of the average citizen surrendering their privacy for some abstract notion of improved security against as yet undisclosed and shadowy threats (fundamental Islamism? the communists? what exactly?). So here goes, and I imagine I will be compelled to do this semi-frequently as the more conspiratorial of my readers will likely ask the same questions again in several months time:
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 I - the writer of this blog, identified by the pseudonym Mike The Crypto Goat and PGP key ID 6054D4D2 (and B7A04065 following the aforementioned key's expiry in December) state, under penalty of perjury, that I am categorically not in the employment of the United States government, nor do I perform any task for the aforementioned entity in any capacity. Furthermore I state that I am not an agent, employee or intelligent asset of any government. As of this day I have not received an order under FISA or any other secret (or otherwise) court and am under no duress as I write this statement to this effect. While I understand that the mentioned law, while abhorrent and unconstitutonal (and thus invalid) can effectively be used to 'gag' the free expression of this individual, I will not and shall not sign such a declaration if any information contained within it is not truthful, or where the information within it may be misleading. I will comply with this even if it ultimately results in the contravention of a court (an illegal and unconstitional one at that) order. As I write this declaration it is 10:25 UTC on Wednesday Jan 29 2014, and the DOW sits at 15,928.56 and the NASDAQ at 4,097.96. The current headlines on reuters.com include "U.N. envoy urges action on Yemen, Security Council to draft resolution", "Thailand to deploy 10,000 police in capital to secure voting" and "Obama warns divided Congress that he will act alone". -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.21 (MingW32) iQIcBAEBAgAGBQJS6NtdAAoJEGu3nNBgVNTSbEoP/i4X8x1PQ5ln9zI1SxQIsBhn ztOVh+4+iD2/iKyILidoIuKQUxkhMLB5lpWgrUYV5FCDnIvnF3HxcPpErJn8tTYH wZULClAuAPrf0apDOV3W9lscFMvkwNMm9qIqj/WXd1hkSBNvbgiBC3dQBnjowxXt r3t9zG+2rYnIhlmoOAP3LRiq3tYqv3ij0Gzsfn9CgMvuFtvotUgUH4LL7In4l5zW OiqORuiNKD8dmeuEWDMF9ziLNxeLkXBgAUOi5Qo5VYTi6Hw4+HjVvM+f4oTTyynz +I1RQVZk+TZ0OWLDzOd+QZTyc5paz2romLesHIoDodzLMPQSoA0CKTMeqeTmf4mU 7qXci/52FMGxulgHEYf+4NusJhjfqwsAila67QPb/vJDiMEe6ewx69/J2lL5HmTH J7sCtvckowsNtcove+PIUjv6bxBmtbGbNDIuCWKzTJFZktg8FcGrbN33Ng8qSZTp HqIJdvi3G8vaXpIF2SrN2J8T1JkahL26Zx8rIuMc4jkTk/AKRBHj+4wYhTD3zO2G KGbPF0Ko9Mdg/KDS+/J47NNLK/wvR5QKzrItw8HHPT/GDX42AjkUwq6dphvdOeFg jF5n5aw7JU6KGT8OrICq+XYZWPN1giigtPPgdmJcCPIkAPIN8v8caYVNKklFS8nm GFIKKWJmV5s7nc0ixrL1 =KiJ7 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Mike the Crypto Goat 
Agents are allowed to legally lie, they’re trained to lie, they’re entire life could turn into a lie. Verifying this would be a major privacy breach to you. So like you said there’s not much you can do that’s reasonable to dispel myths; thanks to actions of some people. The picture gets muckier w/ foreign intel agencies.
FWIW, I believe you; sort of….
Hmm,
The problem of identity… Stella Rimmington when head of a UK MI upset the then government by pointing out the obvious, that there is no direct link between the biological entity and the claimed social entity.
That is the only way to link a physical person to the paper ID is via DNA taken at birth, but wait, how do you know the busy midwife / nurse has not muddled the samples, or the lab etc etc. But how about the national ID DB integrity against those who have influance or can buy influence…
But how do you know the parents are who they say they are? It’s not even a case of not telling the truth, there are still “foundlings” even in modern western society, likewise those who have lost their memory. So unless the parents DNA is registered… But wait by whom and when…
And that’s her point you cannot 100% connect the physical person with the societal ID, and to try to do so would result in more insecurities.
At one time in the UK a convicted criminals record would be assigned to the name they gave the police. Unless somebody came forward with evidence otherwise.
The tradition of the French Foreign Liegion was that you would be given a new name and Full French Citizenship. There are many countries that do this for informants against serious crime bosses etc (it’s a shame they don’t do it for whistle blowers who find their lives ruined by previous employers). Some countries do an ID change for new citizens if they wish, and most countries alow you to change your name by “deed poll”.
If you think about it it’s not desirable for society to have absolute proof of ID for many many reasons, it’s why I’ve said for some time it’s not a persons Identity we should verify but their role.
Agree with everything you have said here Clive, as usual. I would assume that the heel pricks for PKU tests go into the intelligence databases within months of the child’s birth. That said I made my online declaration in the hope that I may somewhat allay fears. The problem here is that if I show *my* hands to demonstrate I am not a threat then I have to fully disclose my past and present projects, employment and service some of which may put me – the real life me – in real danger. So I can only attest to the limited number of statements I have made. Unfortunately words – even pgp signed words don’t mean much these days.
Mike,
A persons employment past and current do indeed impact that of future times. One problem that some people come across is “how do you demonstrate your skills to a future employer when not just what you did was TS but the very fact you were employed was TS and nothing can be said”…
Sometimes the only way out is “self employed”, but this in it’s self is problematic because the TS work you are most familiar with cannot be carried on with and a lot of it has no “spin offs” you can do either.
In effect you lose the equivalent of five years of work benifit which is problematic to the point of robbing you of career oportunity for another five years so ten years in total of lost promotion pay and pension benifit in what is generaly only a fourty year window…
So when people ask me about “Government Service” I look back at the poor pay and promotion, and the disinsentives put in place to in effect keep you a “GS Surf” and advise “unemployment benifit will harm you less”.