--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Choosing providers is not a choice…" description: "\"Choosing providers is not a choice between surveillance/not; it's just choosing which feudal lord gets to spy on you.\" — Bruce Schneier" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89e/bruce-schneier-8231_choices_choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-betwe_2038494.jpg" --- # Choosing providers is not a choice between… ![“Choosing providers is not a choice between surveillance/not; it's just choosing which feudal lord gets to spy on you.” quote by Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89e/bruce-schneier-8231_choices_choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-betwe_2038494.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89e/bruce-schneier-8231_choices_choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-betwe_2038494.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89e/bruce-schneier-8231_choices_choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-betwe_2038494.jpg) > “Choosing providers is not a choice between surveillance/not; it's just choosing which feudal lord gets to spy on you.” [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing tech services is a trade‑off between privacy and control, akin to feudal surveillance. **In simple terms:** Tech choices affect who watches you. Key Takeaway Consider privacy when selecting services. Themes privacy surveillance technology Mood cautious critical Type political ethical When to use this quote - online banking - social media - cloud storage Key Concepts data ethics power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What data are you willing to share? - How can you reduce surveillance exposure? A Different Perspective Convenience often outweighs privacy concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice-surveillance-3780711/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Choosing Providers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choosing-providers-3780713/) [Gets Spy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gets-spy-3780712/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Providers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/providers/) [Providers Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/providers-choice-3780714/) [Spy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spy/) [Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance/) [Surveillance Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance-just-3780710/) ## Related quotes > [“Government surveillance, with its invasive reach into the private lives of citizens, is an egregious violation of the principles that underpin a free and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-william-steven-parker/government-surveillance-with-its-invasive-reach-into-the-private/) [James William Steven Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-william-steven-parker/) > [The Orwellian vision was about state-sponsored surveillance. Now it's not just the state, it's your nosy neighbor, your ex-spouse and people who want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-rheingold/the-orwellian-vision-was-about-state-sponsored-surveillance-now-it-s/) [Howard Rheingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-rheingold/) > [We have an opportunity to create a future where we are actually encouraging providers to keep people away from acute care, whenever possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/we-have-an-opportunity-to-create-a-future-where-we-are-actually/) [Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/) > [He called her: mother of pearl, barley woman, rice provider, millet basket, corn maid, flax princess, all-maker, weef She called him: fawn, roebuck, stag,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-grahn/he-called-her-mother-of-pearl-barley-woman-rice-provider-millet/) [Judy Grahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-grahn/) > [Understanding capitalism is in some ways simple. 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K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [As IT enters the mobile-cloud era, IT providers need to be more innovative about addressing customers' fast changing needs. Over the past two years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/as-it-enters-the-mobile-cloud-era-it-providers-need-to-be-more/) [Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/) > [Inhibition is no good provider for a needy man, Inhibition, which does men great harm and great good. Inhibition attaches to poverty, boldness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesiod/inhibition-is-no-good-provider-for-a-needy-man-inhibition-which-does/) [Hesiod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesiod/) > [Good guilt is a product of love and responsibility. It is a natural, positive instinct that parents and good child care providers have. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marzollo/good-guilt-is-a-product-of-love-and-responsibility-it-is-a-natural/) [Jean Marzollo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marzollo/) > [... in a capitalist society a man is expected to be an aggressive, uncompromising, factual, lusty, intelligent provider of goods,and the woman, a retiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-cade-bambara/in-a-capitalist-society-a-man-is-expected-to-be-an-aggressive/) [Toni Cade Bambara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-cade-bambara/) > [God has given us prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie so that we can call headquarters for everything we need as the kingdom of Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/god-has-given-us-prayer-as-a-wartime-walkie-talkie-so-that-we-can/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Enthusiastic service providers create enthusiastic customers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-kaufman/enthusiastic-service-providers-create-enthusiastic-customers/) [Ron Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-kaufman/) > [“Wouldn't it be great if health-care plans included a list of Buddhist monks among the network providers?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-brett/wouldn-t-it-be-great-if-health-care-plans-included-a-list-of-buddhist/) [Regina Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-brett/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) ## More by Bruce Schneier > [It is sort of interesting that in our society this days we are very quick to apply the term 'war' to places where thare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/it-is-sort-of-interesting-that-in-our-society-this-days-we-are-very/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [There are two types of encryption: one that will prevent your sister from reading your diary and one that will prevent your government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/there-are-two-types-of-encryption-one-that-will-prevent-your-sister/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Don't make the mistake of thinking you're Facebook's customer, you're not – you're the product,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/don-t-make-the-mistake-of-thinking-you-re-facebook-s-customer-you-re/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Cryptography products may be declared illegal, but the information will never be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/cryptography-products-may-be-declared-illegal-but-the-information/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [The real targets of terrorism are the rest of us: the billions of us who are not killed but are terrorized because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/the-real-targets-of-terrorism-are-the-rest-of-us-the-billions-of-us/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [A colleague once told me that the world was full of bad security systems designed by people who read Applied Cryptography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/a-colleague-once-told-me-that-the-world-was-full-of-bad-security/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Surveillance is the business model of the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/surveillance-is-the-business-model-of-the-internet/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [History has taught us: never underestimate the amount of money, time, and effort someone will expend to thwart a security system. It's always better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/history-has-taught-us-never-underestimate-the-amount-of-money-time/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [ID can be hijacked, and cards can be faked. All of the 9/11 terrorists had fake IDs, yet they still got on the planes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/id-can-be-hijacked-and-cards-can-be-faked-all-of-the-9-11-terrorists/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Terrorism is a crime against the mind. We win by refusing fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/terrorism-is-a-crime-against-the-mind-we-win-by-refusing-fear/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [It's certainly easier to implement bad security and make it illegal for anyone to notice than it is to implement good security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/it-s-certainly-easier-to-implement-bad-security-and-make-it-illegal/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [The very definition of news is something that hardly ever happens. If an incident is in the news, we shouldn't worry about it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/the-very-definition-of-news-is-something-that-hardly-ever-happens-if/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [“Even though we don't know which companies the NSA has compromised – or by what means – knowing that they could have compromised any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/even-though-we-don-t-know-which-companies-the-nsa-has-compromised-or/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Computer security can simply be protecting your equipment and files from disgruntled employees, spies, and anything that goes bump in the night, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/computer-security-can-simply-be-protecting-your-equipment-and-files/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Hardware is easy to protect: lock it in a room, chain it to a desk, or buy a spare. Information poses more of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/hardware-is-easy-to-protect-lock-it-in-a-room-chain-it-to-a-desk-or/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) [Explore all 82 Bruce Schneier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) [Alison James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-james/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Choosing providers is not a choice between surveillance/not; it's just choosing which feudal lord gets to spy on you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Schneier" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-between-surveillance-not-it-s-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choices" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-between-surveillance-not-it-s-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89e/bruce-schneier-8231_choices_choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-betwe_2038494.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89e/bruce-schneier-8231_choices_choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-betwe_2038494.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89e/bruce-schneier-8231_choices_choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-betwe_2038494.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Choosing providers is not a choice between surveillance/not; it's just choosing which feudal lord gets to…” — Bruce Schneier", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bruce Schneier", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Choosing providers is not a choice...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-between-surveillance-not-it-s-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/choosing-providers-is-not-a-choice-between-surveillance-not-it-s-just/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```