If Miranda was carrying any data, which no one has said anything about, I would presume it would have been strongly encrypted. So as long as the NSA hasn't contaminated the PGP code base, that should be fine.
(Though I'd really love it if Miranda's trip were a Trojan horse operation. I wonder if everyone handling his devices will be smart enough to plug them into a fresh image on isolated hardware....)
I also think you're being a little optimistic about them not engaging in propaganda insertion on the internet. They're not being overt about it yet, and it's probably not being run out of the NSA. But I'd be shocked if some US and UK organizations don't have plants out there, or if 'company line' sites get a boost in some search engines.
]]>Obviously, I don't know his stuff as well as others, or him at all, but from everything said about him over the last few months, I'm in for quite a ride.
]]>But now I'm worried...do the Culture novels have some big linking plot that will now forever be unresolved?
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