BBC: AOL, Earthlink Are 'Cooperating' With FBI

braddock writes: "The BBC is now reporting that 'The FBI is scouring e-mail accounts for clues as to who might have been behind the terror attacks' and that AOL and Earthlink have confirmed that they are cooperating with investigators. Earthlink maintains 'We're co-operating, but we're not installing any surveillance equipment on our networks.' AOL and Earthlink together have approximatey 36 million accounts. Scary how fast privacy can be compromised when the bulk of a country's e-mail services are centralized." I wonder which ISPs really are installing Carnivore, if not the two largest in the country. Maybe this means it's already in place?

Comments

A difficult balance....

[rootrot]

It is easy to throw away the 4th Amend. in a state of fear and/or rage. It remains my hope that rational minds will prevail...sadly, while the individual may be rational, the mob tends to act with passion.

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-Benjamin Franklin

Overall, it is worth keeping in mind that it was hate and revenge that created this tragedy and that to give way to hate and revenge is to let this tragedy demean and lessen us. Understanding something this massive and monstrous will take a long time, and the dialogue we will engage in about this will, eventually, be healthy and worthwhile. The trick is to not fall into the trap of knee-jerk "reactive" action.

/rr

Re:A difficult balance....

[rootrot]

Dear AC (subtle irony...why do you opt to post with privacy???):

I am in no way liberal. Personally, I think the focus should be on very small teams of very cold men each with a short list humans who no longer need to exist.

What I do *not* want to see is the typical American response...throw lots of money (and in this case, lives) at a "problem" with very little attention on long term goals/solutions. We are a very "reactive" culture with little patience for systemic solutions.

We sall see.

/rr

Re:just heard on the news as commentary

[Angry White Guy]

Because, if you have nothing to hide, you won't be targeted. I'd hardly take the commentary of a paid analyst who most likely has less knowledgable input on this subject than you or I over the perceptions and views of the encryption community as a whole.
Will it not affect us because we will not be monitored, or will it not affect us because it will be seamless implementation that we won't notice? That commentary makes me more worried then the actual topic. I like to know what's going on, and I don't want to be part of a government mushroom treatment of the sheeple.

Angry White Guy

--These comments should be treated as truth until I change my mind

"Laws will be changed" - Ashcroft

[JPMH]

If we all used GPG for our email transmissions, this wouldn't be a problem, would it? That is until a few months goes by and a new amendment to the constitution prohibits encryption tools of any kind... Think I'm crazy? We'll see.

Just up on Ananova:
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_400036.html?m enu=news.usterrorattacks

US Attorney General says attacks will mean changes in law

US Attorney General John Ashcroft says several US laws will be changed as a result off the terrorist attacks.

He says laws governing phone-tapping are being examined and will be changed to make surveillance easier.

He says the appearance of mobile phones has made it more difficult to keep track of terrorists.

"It's clear to me we need to upgrade and strengthen a number of laws in the US," he says.

Steps have already been taken by Congress to address this, he told reporters.

Story filed: 17:32 Sunday 16th September 2001

BS, you've fallen for the trap

[Archfeld]

Security is not our problem. The airlines have decided it is OK to trust your security to $5.50 an hour security guards, and WE SHOULD MAKE THE SACRIFICE ? The airlines make 300% of each ticket, and they cannot be 'bother' to maintain a decent security system, or even hire decent employees to handle baggage. The number of rip-offs and scams that go down in an airport PROVE THAT. If the Fed would just HOLD the airlines to the existing standards and the FINE them enough MONEY to make it worth while instead of a handslap, things would be VERY different NOW. Bottom line if the airlines adhered to existing secuirity the terrorists would NOT HAVE GOTTEN KNIVES ON BOARD.

#1 long waits ??, beyond the screwing we get now as the airline oversells seats and tries to shuffle people around at the last minute, a HUGE security hole.
#2 Higher ticket proces ? beyond the 300% profit they make per person now, How about the airlines just live up to the agreements they have already made.
#3 Less Privacy, i already am required to provide valid ID prior to getting on a plane, and that ID must match the name/id of the person reserving the ticket.
#4 My Life. I TOO am willing to die to protect my Family, and MY FREEDOM, but I refuse to go to war for a corporations's profits. When the corp's begin to take some responsibilty for the messes they creat instead of expecting Uncle Sam to re-write the laws for them, or throw his weight around so they can manuever some 3rd world country into a recievership economy. In the meantime all I can offer is my deepest sympathy for those affected by the bombing, and the hope that we can find the responsible ones.