Love in the Time of Code Era: A Poem About Secure Communication

This Valentine's card featuring a poem about love in the Post-Snowden era was published in order to draw attention to the importance of secure communication. The text was written by netizen skylark1848, the design and illustration of the poem is the work of artist Xpectro.

Love in the Time of Code Era

With you I am not alone
this transfer protocol is falling prey
to various ARP attacks
they've launched in the name of security.

My full address list was cached
in my DN/A/S.
The one I was longing to share only with you.

They have obtained it. Flush.

It's been a year you first whispered in my ear that PGP is of no use anymore. We are no XMPPtions so, sweetheart, have you received my message? What does the server know?

And now, perhaps https protects my message but not my identity. This is not a secure chat room built from decentralised bricks of bits coming from tunnels rooted all over the world. Lanterns signaling the nodes are lit by cables taped along the pathways by ever-recording hands.

They have created this channel for you and I. They are watching us while
we are falling for each other over a pixellated video conversation. The connection lags, and you log off and on.

Our keys are corrupted. Everything you know about me has to be erased. Format your brain and write all over the drive. Fill your disk space with random floating numbers.

One click: Don't confirm.

I won't tell them I love you.
Goodbye OTR.

Love in the Time of Code Era

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