Intellectual Property Law

The Secret Room: EFF Designer's Cartoon on Illegal Spying

By hugh

I was asked recently to create a mural-sized political cartoon (and to paint it live!) at a show of experimental drawings and cartoons at the Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco. I chose as my subject the NSA's "secret room" at AT&T's Folsom Street facility. As part of the Bush administration's massive and illegal spying program, the communications of millions of ordinary Americans are illegally intercepted and copied via fiber-optic splitter, and diverted into this secret room, which is controlled by the NSA.

What exactly goes on inside that room? Here's a time-lapse video of my fanciful answer to that question:

The finished piece is available for viewing now through September 14 at the Mission Cultural Center, along with lots of other great drawings by various artists. Video shot and edited by EFF staffers Chris Contolini and Richard Esguerra, with CC-licensed music by Skandalo Publico.

Full post as published by Electronic Freedom Foundation - Deep Links on August 22, 2008 (boomark / email).