NSA is a multimedia project about the intersecting politics of surveillance, sexuality, and
national security.
NSA is the National
Security Agency, a United States governmental agency.
NSA may also refer to:
No strings attached, an expression for casual sex often used in personal ads.
NSA may also refer to:
No strings attached, an expression for casual sex often used in personal ads.
In 2013, when news organizations began disclosing unchecked and pervasive
surveillance programs operated by the National Security Agency,
the implications of our digital infrastructure were laid bare. Largely through documents provided by Edward Snowden, these disclosures
detail the interception of internet
traffic, direct
access to the servers of major tech companies, and the collection of metadata from millions of cellphones.
For this project, I am using burners to override the GPS location in Grindr to
interact with men living close
to the areas of the world that the United States is using unofficial and indirect war tactics
such as
cyberwarfare and predator drone strikes. Burners are
often scrutinized because they can be used to anonymously
subvert surveillance, but, for people living in these areas of the world, they are often the only means of
accessing the internet. By manipulating my GPS location in this way I am increasing my chances of
entanglement
in domestic surveillance, because case law and surveillance defenders have repeatedly suggested that Fourth Amendment protections only apply when all involved parties
are American citizens. Any implications, even incidental ones, are stored indefinitely in government data centers for
possible future uses.
By creating and mining my own archive of communications, I have made a series of revolving works which map
the
intersecting politics of networking, surveillance, human rights, and global identity. Cues of surveillance
culture infiltrate seemingly innocuous cues of local culture: black tinted glass and RF shielding mesh, used
at the National Security Agency’s headquarters to protect their surveillance tactics, here shield mundane but
intimate moments; and a landmark speech by the U.S. Secretary
of
State on human rights become the vocals of a local gay bar soundtrack.
Local and international, personal and political, private and professional worlds converge most blatantly
online. As we move into an increasingly networked world, digital technology gives us unprecedented
opportunities for connection, but it also gives us unprecedented opportunities to be surveyed. Our rights
are
still dependent on the physical boundaries that are increasingly blurred by new technology, and, as billions
are coming online for the first time, it will become harder to ignore such scrutiny placed on our digital
activities and social circles. In the current digital landscape, where everything is considered fair game
for
exploitation, there are always strings attached.
"Ryan Aasen's installation, NSA (2015), extracted from his larger series of the same title, deals broadly
with 'the intersecting politics of networking, surveillance, human rights, and global identity,' as the
artist writes. By 'NSA,' Aasen refers to both the US National Security Agency and to the phrase 'no
strings attached,' meaning casual sex, while also denoting the lack of 'strings' or regulation over the
NSA's surveillance tactics. As much as we like to think that we're not being spied on by the government;
to deny the idea of our private cell phone activity being fully accessible, this is exactly the kind of
metadata that the NSA is rampantly collecting as they engage in cyber-warfare with other areas of the
world like the Middle East. Aasen's process was highly involved: in order to subvert surveillance via
anonymity, he used burners (prepaid mobile phones) to interact with men in these highly-monitored areas of
the world on Grindr, archiving their conversations. With the same sensibility as the NSA's tactics,
Aasen's installation reduces these individuals to a pile of bricks; their Grindr profile picture is
blurred, printed onto paper, and fastened around each brick with a zip-tie (likely a dual-reference to
hand-cuffing and consumer technology packaging). The headphones that dangle above the brick pile play a
simultaneous mix of obnoxious rave music and a human rights speech (co-curator Sam informs me that it is
former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who's speaking--likely a quip about her numerous cybersecurity
failures). It's an admittedly hilarious combination; often the current song's 'bass-drop' will coincide
sardonically with a moment of climax in the speech. This drowning-out of social-justice speak with a party
soundtrack evokes feelings of denial, phoniness, and insincerity, poking fun at the idea of anyone ever
actually protecting the rights of those who are oppressed--even those who are to be 'trusted' with the
security of this country and it's individuals. Aasen's NSA installation brings a distinct tone to You Must
Not Stand In One Place, effectively blending humor, fear, and rich socio-political commentary." Gina Lindner for Boston Hassle