[bestrapperalive]

While the video and audio feed – routed from Russia through seven proxy servers – was choppy, Snowden’s message was clear.

Edward Snowden is the gift that keeps on giving. I feel like "seven proxies" is the proof of concept for a practice that should be more common. From now on, every statement about technology, especially the intersection of technology with important issues like civil rights, should be watermarked with at least one meme or obviously absurd statement. If a reporter regurgitates the meme as fact, readers are warned about the reporter's lack of general knowledge about the subject and will be primed to read the rest of the article with a more critical eye.

[SDGT]

I thought the 7 proxies thing was just an homage to the well known meme[1]

[1] http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/good-luck-im-behind-7-proxies

[bestrapperalive]

No doubt. I'm sure it was. I just think it was also a genuinely useful indicator of exactly which reporters aren't/ don't have access to people with general knowledge of the subject and that more people should make jokes like it for that reason.

[stcredzero]

"Truth and heroic goodness through meme knowledge," seems as morally and intellectually bankrupt to me as Ivy leaguers on Mad Men using preppy/main-line subculture as a proxy for ability. Knowing about memes only says something about where you hang out online. It's the same sort of proxy for actual ability or trustworthiness as being a member of the right country club. Such proxies can work, but they depend highly on particular circumstances. The company town residents in Matewan using Bible verse knowledge as an impromptu code uses the same principle. This is not evaluating character from first principles! It's trusting a label! It's knowing that one group has a bit of information that another does not. However, we of the Internet era should know how rapidly and irrevocably this can change.

(Actually, a good test for whether someone has A-lister perception is to see if they can see past their own prejudices.)

[bestrapperalive]

I've never seen Mad Men, but your comparison seems at least a little unfair. In this case, knowledge of the particular meme or participation in the culture that created it is not necessary. A complete stranger to internet jokes, who happened to be at least generally acquainted with the technologies being discussed, could very easily identify Snowden's claim as a joke (or at least something very odd and worth investigating) whether or not they had been exposed to the original meme. "Seven proxies" should make your eyebrow raise whether or not you're aware of the original joke.

[stcredzero]

I've never seen Mad Men, but your comparison seems at least a little unfair..."Seven proxies" should make your eyebrow raise whether or not you're aware of the original joke.

Because, in your words, someone should know on the face of it, that "seven proxies" is implausible? Please explain how I should know that. Would it be worse or better if it were 6 or 8? Please answer from first principles concerning network technology. (The fact that you are not accounting for the fact that there are multiple interpretations to the term "proxy" makes my eyebrows raise.)

[UVB-76]

In fairness, the line was delivered deadpan, and I couldn't make out any laughter from the audience in the recording. I chuckled to myself.

[mikro]

Now I'm curious as to how it actually worked.

[stackcollision]

Agree completely. As soon as I read that sentence I knew to take this article with a pinch of salt. These very subtle drops of ancient memes are a great way to help raise a warning flag.

[minimax]

The idea is that the location of Snowden's FSB safehouse isn't known publicly, so they probably took some measures to keep it a secret from anyone who could have eavesdropped on the network traffic. They obviously aren't going to tell you explicitly what they've done, so someone just throws out "seven proxies" and that's that.

[happyscrappy]

FSB safehouse, yikes.

[minimax]

We don't have to speculate about what life is like for Western intelligence agents who make their way to Moscow. We have examples from history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Philby#Moscow

[grecy]

Is that more yikes than 'FBI safehouse'?