\n company\u2019s refusal to turn over customer data<\/a> that is
\n requested by an administrative subpoena instead of a warrant.
\n Ashdown refuses to honor subpoena requests because they prove
\n that the government agency seeking the data did not, or was
\n unable, to provide \u201cprobable cause<\/i>\u201d mandated by the
\n Constitution. \u00a0\n <\/p>\n
Verizon, AT&T, Google, Facebook, and other tech giants have
\n tried to maintain the public\u2019s trust by blaming the government
\n for forcing them to turn over personal information. However, a
\n recent report indicated that some of the companies profited from
\n the turnover. \u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I started XMission in 1993, I was mainly trying to get a
\n stable Internet connection at home,<\/i>\u201d Ashdown told RT. \u201cI
\n had one where I worked, at [computer graphics company] Evans and
\n Sutherland, and where I was going to school at the University of
\n Utah, but home was sporadic. I figured if I needed one, there
\n were other techies like me who needed one too.\u201d<\/i>\n <\/p>\n
When he founded XMission 20 years ago, Ashdown could never have
\n predicted how people would come to rely on technology in their
\n daily lives.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly had no idea the Internet would become as
\n ubiquitous and essential as it is today,<\/i>\u201d he said. \u201cI
\n thought my server would live in a closest and I\u2019d collect a tidy
\n check each month, and that would be the end of it.\u201d<\/i>\n <\/p>\n
Frustrated by the lack of technology literate lawmakers in
\n Washington, Ashdown ran for Senate in 2006 and 2012 against
\n Republican Orrin Hatch, who has represented Utah since 1977.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cAs time went on, it became apparent to me that there was
\n nobody on the technology front in office in Washington<\/i>,\u201d he
\n said. \u201cThere still isn\u2019t anyone.\u201d \u00a0<\/i>\n <\/p>\n
\n ![\"Pete](\"http:\/\/rt.com\/files\/news\/1f\/bb\/d0\/00\/1.jpg\")
Ashdown\u2019s consecutive losses came
\n as little surprise \u2014 Utah is consistently ranked among the most
\n conservative US states. But Ashdown still found himself
\n frustrated over the amount of money pervading politics. A
\n candidate running on their conscience is forced to run against a
\n machine that dominates both parties, he said.
\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cI would need overwhelming outside financial support to
\n convince me to run for Congress again<\/i>,\u201d Ashdown said. \u201cI
\n ran against PAC money and for a constitutional amendment to
\n overturn Citizen\u2019s United in 2012, and interests in the
\n Democratic Party campaigned against me for that reason. With a
\n number of disappointments from the Obama administration on civil
\n liberties, I find the modern Democratic Party quite distant from
\n my ideals.\u201d<\/i>\n <\/p>\n
That disappointment is especially disheartening because of
\n Ashdown\u2019s support for Obama in 2008, when much of the country was
\n hopeful that the first African-American president would lead the
\n nation away from post-September 11 paranoia.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cI owned a building that the Utah for Obama office worked out
\n of in 2008. I walked door to door for President Obama with my
\n wife Robin, who also campaigned for him in Colorado. He has been
\n beyond disappointing for me. America needs another FDR more than
\n ever right now, someone who doesn\u2019t cower to military and
\n financial interests and will stand for fundamental human
\n rights.\u201d<\/i>\n <\/p>\n
Perhaps the only way for an individual to fight back against
\n invasive government tactics is by voting with dollars. The
\n Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital-rights group, has
\n praised XMission, while the company\u2019s transparency report proves
\n it is a model for start-ups looking to avoid the profit-first
\n attitude that pervades Google and the like. However, XMission
\n only offers email, web hosting, and cloud services for customers
\n outside Utah.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cIf they don\u2019t or can\u2019t use XMission, I encourage them to
\n question the companies they do use, and if they don\u2019t get an
\n answer they respect, look into a small local provider who may
\n take their concerns more seriously,<\/i>\u201d Ashworth said.\n <\/p>\n
The shift in public opinion is a direct result of the disclosures
\n made by former National Security Agency contractor Edward
\n Snowden, who revealed widespread government surveillance
\n targeting American citizens and visitors from abroad. Snowden,
\n who 55 per cent of Americans regard as a conscientious
\n whistleblower, has been demonized by lawmakers on both sides of
\n the aisle.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cTo hear some of the rhetoric about Snowden being a traitor
\n angers me,\u201d<\/i> Ashdown said. \u201cSnowden isn\u2019t the one who
\n committed the crime. He reported the constitutional crimes of the
\n people who are running the agencies monitoring Americans. \u201c<\/i>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cIf the government really wants to keep secret information
\n secret, they should follow the law and the Constitution in their
\n actions, not only here, but abroad. Don\u2019t get me started on
\n Guantanamo.\u201d<\/i>
\n <\/p>\n