Surveillance laws can be countered by effective civil disobedience, says Gehan Gunasekara.
For the Government it is the perfect privacy storm: the Snowden disclosures about massive NSA internet and phone surveillance continue to pour in, a journalist's phone records and swipe card logs have been inappropriately accessed, and earlier revelations through the Dotcom affair showed illegal spying by the GCSB of New Zealand residents - at the very time the Government is attempting to legitimise the illegal spying by pushing through new surveillance legislation against the wishes of the vast majority of citizens.
The issue has brought together citizens all around the world including those in the United States who have, it appears, finally turned against the surveillance state set up since September 11, 2001. Legislation outlawing the NSA spying was only narrowly defeated in Congress by the Obama Administration which has been under some pressure due to the Snowden revelations.
Companies such as Facebook and Google are losing market share as consumers flock to alternative websites promising greater security against state intrusion (whether or not that is credible) and greater respect for privacy. Corporate concern is on this occasion lined up with consumers and against government, a powerful combination. Governments worldwide are on the back foot.
The tens of thousands here and overseas marching against assaults on privacy give the lie to the sentiment that "privacy is dead". Obviously, most people do care deeply about who has access to their personal information.