Slashdot Mirror
USA Busted Trying to Bug China's Presidential 767
morcheeba writes "A new Boeing 767-300ER was refitted to become China's presidental aircraft. What goes into a plane like this? Besides the bedroom, sitting room, bath with a shower, there was a 48" TV, satellite communications, anti-missile defense systems and advanced avionics. And oh yeah, numerous high-tech listening devices. Wonder how those got in. Read the article at washingtonpost.com." CD: The question is, what was the bug in the headboard for?
That's like President Bush sending damaged helicopters to Afghanistan to be "repaired" by Al Quida...
If you celebrate Xmas, befriend me (538
Don't let the CIA bite.
Just when people were starting to trust the US government they up and do something like this!
Maybe they set their watches wrong, and are now set to Apr 1st?
Could it be true?
Make even shorter URLs - 8LN.org
The bug in the headboard? For picking up pillow talk, obviously.
-russ
Don't piss off The Angry Economist
Ummmm I'm just waiting for the washingtonpost to actually post these stories in their paper before I believe them ... and I would really like to see other sources.
Right now it's looking like someone is having fun with their systems and submitting the faked stories to slashdot. I mean really ... since when does slashdot link to any paper besides the (Registration Required) NY Times?
Ignore the "p2p is theft" trolls, they're just uninformed
How's M$ software like chineese plains?
Both are filled with bugs that are hack by the Chineese.
Payback for CodeRed anyone?
Make even shorter URLs - 8LN.org
Is how the description of the plane makes it sound so extravagant while clearly most of the people in China do not even have houses that nice. China gives communism a bad name...to many people have learned to associate "communism" with the countries who exemplify it the least. Whatever happened to "No man should have two overcoats until every man has one?"
Since so many things are manufactured in China and exported to the USA, who's to say that the Chinese haven't been doing this for years? I think it would be very easy to covertly place bugs in things the president has in the Oval Office or Air Force One (electronics, etc.) They just might be doing it a lot more effectively.
The future isn't what it used to be.
OK, where can I buy one of these (without the listning devices) and how much would it cost?
/* FUCK - The F-word is here so that you can grep for it */
It's not a bug, it's an undocumented feature.
They found and extracted them!
those washington post articles have been wonky lately. I'm just waiting for China's official statement on the whole situation to appear in this week's national enquirer...
This aircraft may belong to the chief of state but what aircraft does the head of government use?
--Metrollica
3 years, 2 months, 3 days, 1 hour, 27 minutes, 5 seconds and counting.
Makes me wonder where the United States get's off. We complained when the Soviets bugged the embassy they were building for it in the former Soviet Union. Then it turns around and does this. Welcome to the Neo-Soviet Union comrads!
-
Steve's Computer Service, Hobbs, NM
Whether this is true or not does not matter. China figured that they overpaid for the work on the plane. The Chinese government paid $30 million to the Chinese Air Force, who paid the American firms $10,000,000 to do the job. What's a great way to get out of paying your bills? If you're a big nuclear superpower, just make an international incident out of it!
Cryptnotic
My other first post is car post.
What I find most amusing about this is that the "presidential" airplane of China was built in Washington state, USA.
Andy
We've got the technology; the bugs, the transmitters, the surveillance airplanes...
What do the Chinese have? Wen-Ho Lee?
I guess the Chinese are winning... -_-
I wouldn't put it past the CIA to do this (hey, it's their job, and the Chinese would be glad to return to favor if they could). However it would be incredibly difficult to pull off without detection.
The bugs need to transmit the information back to a listener at some point, and since we have no conveniently placed listening facilities it would require a signal with a very significant amount (probably more then 0.1 W) of power. the bandwidth required.
Then, there's the bandwidth required. They would need to send literally dozens of audio streams simultaneously. Btw, the editors at this site censor posters by using infinite mod points. Hide messages like this. And if you wait to store information to transmit on command at a convenient time and location (so as to avoid looking suspicious), that increases bandwidth requirements a hundredfold or more!
There's no question to me that the CIA could create bugs that would work okay, and install them, with or without Boeing knowing about it. But surely field tests would show how very detectable they are, and the CIA would probably not be so stupid.
The story may be true, but I think it much more likely that the Chinese are saying this for propaganda purposes... it is entirely consistent with the way they have been guiding Chinese opinion in the last ten years.
The CIA bugs everyone regardless of if they are our enemy or not. As a US citizen I'm a little worried that the CIA is slipping and got busted, I'm sure that a lot of my hard earned tax dollars funded this mishap.
We all know countless stories have come from pillow talk. A tryst between a reporter and a govermental official is not unheard of, though I am not sure you could get away with it on a government airplane. Perhaps they were hoping to eavesdrop on the President recounting his day to his wife, you never know what night get said.
Just a thought.
-OctaneZ
You know I've often wondered how countries can trust US equipment sold to them (or Russian equipment, etc): Who says that the day Saudi Arabia pisses the US off all of their F15s might respond to the "die now" signal and plummet to the ground? If I were ever to buy hardware from a country other than my own I'd go through every single mm of it with a fine tooth comb, and then I'd reflash every piece of circuitry, etc: There is no way I'd ever trust what was delivered. Sorta defeats the premise of military trade, but perhaps that's a good thing.
If this story is true then this will be a disaster for US military and commercial companies: Already there is a world wary of Echelon, but if now they have to worry about every other device being trojan horsed. Having said that, the next time you drink from that "made in China" cup, think to yourself "Would it be in their national interest to put a chemical that slowly leaches into Westerner's systems, causing cancer or just stupifying the society (i.e. lead)."
What are the odds that these bugs were put there to be found. Now China will take the plane apart looking for bugs and when they are sure there are no more, there is a good chance that it will go back into service for its intend use. Is the CIA good enough that there will still be working bugs on the plane after its declared clean?
I do not understand. -Metrollica
If there are in fact bugs on China's presidential jet then it is not the fault of the US. Boeing is not a division of the United States government, it's a private corporation that makes its own decisions. No one is to blame but the executives at Boeing. If the wheel fell off your new BMW would you blame the German government??
Bugging products you sell is certainly not a friendly business practice. I suggest that China take its business to a company that more appreciates it such as AirBus.
...was for Cinemax's new "World Leaders: EXPOSED" series. Coming this fall. You don't wanna know what they caught Jean Chretien doing -- or DO you?
- A.P.
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
Is this a surprise? Gotta wonder how much of the tech China bought during the Clinton administration is booby-trapped
Well, the other side will own up to it... now for the CIA....
---
Mod me down, you fucking twits. Go ahead. I dare you.
(I read with sigs off.)
our missiles go further and work better.
As the article mentions, the Soviets bugged the new US embassy in the 80's, and although we (the US) complained about it, there was no real effect on relations. The Chinese are complaining now, as we complained then, more for the benefit of the domestic population. Btw, the editors here use unlimited mod points to censor posts. Hide messages like this. There is a small chance that they cooked the whole thing up as propaganda anyway. Now, it will affect how ordinary people think and act, but the very high level diplomatic officals on both sides are well trained to ignore matters like this when in negotiation.
The US has also used the following nifty tricks to spy on its enemies and its allies:
1. The ambassador in some Communist country (maybe even the USSR, I don't remember exactly which) would avoid potential bugs in his office by holding conversations on the balcony outside. Intelligence officials noticed there was often a lot of branches on the ground, so they put together a fake tree branch containing a listening device and planted it outside the balcony. Eventually a gardener picked it up, but said intelligence officials grabbed it out of the trash, dusted it off, and replanted it.
2. When Khruschev came to visit the US during the 1960s, the CIA spent $2 million to divert the plumbing to his hotel bathroom to a special container so they could analyze his fecal matter. Apparently they were hoping to find out if rumors he had cancer were true. The $2 million conclusion? Khruschev needed more fibre in his diet.
3. The Cabinet room in Ottawa (the capital of Canada for the ignorant) has special curtains that are always drawn. The reason? The US Embassy (an ugly postmodern glass-and-steel combo with foot-thick windows) is just across the street, and happens to have a ton of spying equipment on the roof, including laser devices capable of picking up subtle vibrations of windows and passing the data to a computer that spits out a coherent version of the conversation.
4. The CIA (although I thought the NRO - National Reconnaissance Office - ran American spy satellite operations) is rumored to have at least one satellite that has the space version of stealth technology. This satellite reportedly uses mirrors to foil visual detection from the ground, thereby enabling to spy on without knowing he is being watched.
What's the bug in the bathroom for? Some things you just don't want to listen to, no matter what intelligence you might gain!
From Lenin to Jiang Zemin is obviously not progress.
A CIA spokesman, Bill Harlow, declined to comment on the report, saying, "We never comment on allegations like these, as a matter of policy."
...did you by chance work for Microsoft before?
doesn't mean its true.
As for me, if it turns out to be true, I'm glad at least that we, the USA, are starting to push back a bit.
I'm still working on a clever footer.
Yes, and all that occult stuff the Nazis were involved with is what REALLY made them look bad. And their language just sounds, oh, I dunno, kinda angry.
Please give me just a small fucking break.
CIA agent to Boeing exec, after arriving at Boeing facility at midnight: "Hi, we're taking over your facility for the next 8 hours for a matter of national security. Go home. If you tell anyone about this, you'll be put in jail for the rest of your life."
Boeing exec: "Uh.... ok.... uh...."
Probably not too much more complicated than that.
q:]
MadCow.
I used to have a sig, but I set it free and it never came back.
The question is, what was the bug in the headboard for?
"Awww, thats just pillow talk baby!" --Ash, housewares (Army of Darkness)
42 - So long and thanks for all the fish.
Okay, it's certainly the most likely scenario that the CIA would bug this plane, but I can't help but wonder if it isn't too obvious? Besides isn't 20+ bugs a little overkill? With that many you're almost certain to get caught and the you'd have to really want the intelligence enough that you'd hope a few wouldn't get found.
So what are the alternatives? I suppose there are a few other countries with the technology, and a few that might want to spy on China. India might be the next most likely, but they still seem pretty unlikely to be in a position to pull it off. Perhaps it was an inside job then? Maybe China wants a diplomatic incident? Or, maybe their spy agency would be interested in bugging their own president?
Since no one ever confesses in these situations, and it's unlikely that there will ever be enough proof to really say who accomplished this or how. My money is still on the CIA though, but it forces me to wonder whether the administration is a bit more frightened than they let on? I mean what does it really say if the intelligence is so valuable that they'd risk an almost certain diplomatic incident by using so many bugs on the hope a few bugs would remain undiscovered.
On the other hand, it's equally fair to wonder whether the US wants a diplomatic incident? But I have a hard time justifying that one in these times. Isn't terrorism a good enough evil for the 21st century?
So by "our" you mean the United States. By "go further" you mean further up America's rectum. And by "work better" you mean that it works better than George Bush's manrod reaming out that same enlarged rectum that is America.
-Metrollica
Well you know we had to try. If they didn't try, I'd want my money back. This is much less embarassing than the "tunnel beneath the Russian Embasy in Washington."
Name one communist country where the vanguard of the proletariat didn't use its power to gain material advantages.
Just ask Trotsky.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
China: Nuclear Arms
America: Espionage
Great, I am certain this double standard will go over quite well with arms negotiations.
Even the Politburo concurs with Process of Elimination http://process-of-elimination.net
Yes, but the plane was debuged. Say that about M$ software if you can.
Khmer Rouge, USSR, North Korea.....
Man, China's starting to look good.
Pretzels part of the menu?
Buy a Nintendo DS Lite
CIA Spook: "Boss, we've heard some rather interesting transmissions from the Chinease leader's bedroom"
Head Spook: "Please, don't tell me if this is gonna be some more 'Happy Fun Time' stuff with him and his missus."
CIA Spook: "No, sir, we have the translation for you, right here."
++++++++Begin Transcript****TOP SECRET+++++++
"HAHAHHAHAHAHAAHA! YUO IZ OWN3D HAHAHAHAHAH COCKSUCKER HAHAHAHAHAHA DUMB LAMAZ, ALWAYS PLAYING HW GUY! HAVEN'T YOU GOT A 1337 RIG LIKE ME? I IZ USING VIRTUAL PC ON MY WICKED 233 IMAC!!!! I CAN RUN TEAMFORTRESS ON UNIX, THAT'S LIKE LINUX, WHAT ALL THE SMART KIDS USE, BUT, NOT AS GAY HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!"
++++++End Transcript**********************
You are still at positive karma? I thought you would be negative after your recent posts. How much karma do you have?
-Metrollica
This is not suprising: the US spies on everyone, including allies (yes, even Britain.) (In fact, I saw a documentary the other day about how we bugged the Xerox machine at the Soviet embassy, and got snapshots of all their documents for years.) So while it may be a little embarrassing to get caught, it isn't a revelation. China shouldn't take it personally--we spy on everyone.
Of course, that doesn't mean spying is moral or ethical--that is another discussion entirely.
The lessons to take away are what was done wrong that led to the bugs being discovered.
dominionrd.blogspot.com - Restaurants on
I don't now if it bytes, but something is funny.
Picture used on the post of this on Slashdot is "TOPICUPGRADES.JPG".
Is Slashdot commenting that news with picture??? Picture is worth a thousand words they say. But the name of picture is important too.
(start sarcasm here) Publicly undermining the integrity of our great nation while at war with a nation, which, according to many accounts, recieved funding from China. Gee. Why would we bug China? (end sarcasm here) They're funding terrorist groups. The Post can't help itself. This type of expose thrives on diminishing the appearance of government, but in fact, such tactics are necessary to the welfare of our nation.
When the new Chinese embassy was built in Canberra, Australia, the Australian intelligence agencies attempted to riddle the building with bugs. Unfortunately, they got caught and it made the national papers. However, the Chinese barely made a squeak about it in public. I think we can safely assume they try to do the same things to us.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
Last year, the People's Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper, carried an editorial in which it SAID the import of high-tech products from the West constituted a security risk because Western governments would place secret codes or technical Trojan horses inside the products to collect intelligence.
So do the Communists think they are the only ones having their privacy invaded by the Western government?? What about the bill that was passed after 9/11 that allows the U.S. government to implant back doors into encryption? By the people, for the people, my ass.
as you can imagine. I've heard a rumor when I was working for IB? in 1994 but since I couldn't find proof of it so take it a grain of salt.
A report saying that H? has shipped to Middle East some printers which have suspicious chips hidden. It was discovered by China's agents. Due to embargo China had problems getting many advanced equipment thus must rely on their 'partners' to resell some of them, and discovered the case.
Rumor said that these chips are not merely listening devices, but for more dangerous missile-guided purpose.
Soon after this instance Microsoft shipped software that included anti-communist messages.
China has already lost much confidence in using US' technology since.
very true, but the US does have one of the highest percent of wealthy middle class. Though seems to be going the other way recently :(
Maybe China forgot that the extra $20 million they spent were for the bugs.
Typical American.
What do you expect when you get your plane refitted in an "enemy" nation? A hug?
He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.
You're gonna get what's coming to you. hAHAHAHahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!
The Washington Post is a fine paper, in many ways better than the NYT in their coverage of international economic and (some) political issues.
And kudos to the Slashdot folks for posting this. As of 11:34pm PST, there is still no mention of this on CNN, although I believe Drudge had the scoop about an hour ago. Since discussions of high-tech developments in China seem to make the rounds here, it is nice to see something like this get coverage as well.
I'm surprised the Chinese had the plane retrofitted in the US though. If they've got REAL moxie, they'll sue.
"CD: The question is, what was the bug in the headboard for?"
All Your Headboard Are Belong to Us
=)
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur
In the words of the great Homer J Simpsons, "In theory! In theory, communism works, in theory."
What?
You are assuming that the news story is correct. How often is this the case? Besides with the stories coming out of the Washington Post atm I would wait for confirmation from another seperate source first (And not just a re-write of that article like so many news outlets do, when they didn't have the story first).
Now assuming the story is correct (big if)
Who's to say it was the US?
If the Chinese officials took $30 mil from their own government, and paid $10 million to contractors. ie They stole $20mil from their own government.
Who's to say they didn't pay to have the bugs installed for their own finacial or political gain? These are military officials, they have access to communications infrastructure too.
Or from another perspective. You are a military official of high rank, who just happens to own a fab. plant for local copies of older Intel and/or AMD processors (or insert some other technology here), the government seems to be leaning towards honouring US IP laws. So what do you do? You find a high profile purchase from the US, add in some listening devices that you purchased from one of many US companies that manufacture them, have them installed by someone you trust (or someone you can pay to stay quiet, that $20mil went somewhere).
What do you get? Distrust in foreign products, opposition to honouring foreign IP laws, in short a huge payoff.
Of course there is huge risk as well, but I would be surprised if they got to a high office without taking some calculated risks.
Hacked by Americans!
(* The U.S. spys on everybody, including friends, so how did they think they would send an airplane back to the U.S. and not have the CIA get their hands on it? *)
The article said that Chinese security guards watched the entire retrofitting.
It appears US hired a lot of card-trick magicians or something to pull that off.
Table-ized A.I.
Rather than searching the plane to make sure all bugs/listening-devices are discovered, it would be easier just to fit a cone of silence
"What's that Chief?!"
"I'm sorry Max, you'll have to speak up!"
:)
When a country has found itself being spied on like this, it is far less likely that they will lash out at the perpetrating nation. Rather, they will be upset with their own people who allowed the lapse in security. That countries will attempt to spy on others is a given nowadays; it's not an act of war or an aggressive thing. I can just imagine China's leadership: "Oh, those sly Americans are still up to their clever tricks. Now who's the dead man who fucked up and let it happen?"
-------------------------
Stupid people suck.
So, a regime that murders tens of millions of the people it rules through forced starvation doesn't bother you, but when that regime demonstrates hypocrisy, you have a problem all of a sudden?
I'm just boggling at the idea of "giving communism a bad name." It's like calling the Devil himself a "meanie".
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
After that incident, I could see the U.S. wanting to "get back" at the Chinese. Maybe they put the bugs there specifically so that they would be found, or just because they think the Chinese like taking apart planes. You could see it as an "international practical joke".
This is of course, assuming that the bugs were actually there. Right now, all we have to go on is second hand statements from the Chinese military. Personally, I think it is more likely that they are trying to get out of paying the bill.
Cryptnotic
My other first post is car post.
-1 Troll? It's an old Monty Python song, and there's absolutely nothing trollish about it.
So they can hear Xiang sob over his tiny, tiny Chinese penis.
pr0n - keeping monitor glass spotless since 1981.
I've figured it all out. The US has been spying on China for quite some time (the new cold war?) and I know what they want. I can't believe I didn't discover this fact when the US spy plane went down over China. They want the infamous egg salad recipe. So much trouble for such a small item.
(* Besides isn't 20+ bugs a little overkill? With that many you're almost certain to get caught... *)
Perhaps each department planted its own bug without coordinating with the other departments.
Or, perhaps many other countries planted a bug of their own in the same plane.
How would the French know if the CIA already planted one, for example? (or care)
China should make money off of that by starting a bug/spy museum. I would rather pay to see actual spy widgets than Disney Land.
I visited China once. Their "off limits" signs sometimes say "no into".
Table-ized A.I.
Way back when Xerox sold copiers to the Soviets, they installed little microfilm cameras in them. The Soviets paid Xerox for maintenance contracts. The field technicians who serviced the copiers would secretly replace the microfilm cannisters when they changed the ink cartridges. The film cannisters were given to the US government as part of a separate service contract with the US.
Eventually, the Soviets figured out the ruse.
Obviously, the US government has taken advantage of US technology to bug the Chinese plane also. Just shows there is a benefit to being the world's technological leader. All your enemies have to come to the US for parts and service.
"On the other hand, it's equally fair to wonder whether the US wants a diplomatic incident? But I have a hard time justifying that one in these times. Isn't terrorism a good enough evil for the 21st century?"
Maybe, but note that the plane was retrofitted during the us spyplane colliding with a chinese jet.
Terrorism wasn't quite the issue it is now.
I have not doubt our government would pull this. Actually, I can't blame them.
:) Red Flag Linux anyone?
Should we spark up the topic of the NSA key in windows? Remember how China almost banned MS operating systems from government use? I bet they are reconsidering that now.
If you want a job done right you have to do it yourself
Hrm... I wonder if Airbus will recover some contracts from this incident, having said that, the French are hardly innocent when it comes to spying, the EU investigation into Echelon whilst the French were expanding three listening stations is one good example.
:)
MI5 managed to get some listening kit into Gerry Adam's car, it's all cloak and dagger huh
Heck, it's not the spying they're taking personally. It's the insult of not bothering to cover your tracks well enough.
To put 20+ bugs in a plane and assume that the Chinese won't find them is simply insulting the Chinese intelligence community and via them, the Chinese government. That's what they're taking personally. It's kind of a "Just how stupid do you think we are?" personal.
That Jesus Christ guy is getting some terrible lag... it took him 3 days to respawn! -NJ CoolBreeze
I recently returned from there, and I can tell you it's not nearly that bad. I travelled through the countryside and large cities, and can say that although the standard isn't up to the west it's still very liveable.
People aren't starving by the millions, people aren't generally homeless (though this is a problem for the migrant workers in the large cities, as it is in any number of capitalist countries in south america or asia). By and large, the average standard of living is far better than most of south-east asia.
Now, the issues of political freedom are entirely different. Yes, the oppression of speech and religious freedoms is extreme and prohibitive, and the corruption is significant (though whether it's truly worse than the US is debatable).
Don't blindly jump on a cause without knowing what you're talking about, in this case you look like a fool.
is not that we did it, but that we got caught. China wouldn't pass up on a chance to eavesdrop on our leaders....hell, FRANCE probably wouldn't. But anyone contemplating this kind of move has to consider the risk benefit ratio. What were we risking? Not much. China already knows we spy on them, just as they do us. But getting caught does make us look stupid, and someone's head should role for that.
Ah....but who will Moderate the Meta Moderators?
I can't imagine what, but I bet it had something to do with an inuit carving...
...it's how many bugs DIDN'T they find.
I'm sure the CIA is jumping up and down with glee that China only found 27 of the bugs. Of course, the "to date" phrase is noted pretty distinctly in the article as well.
Too bad the Chinese government can't find the people responsible for this and run them over with tanks.
I think a better question is, how did the bug on the headboard get there?
...but I think you are paranoid. Just because you see conspiracies everywhere doesn't make it the truth.
I am sure the fact that we (USA) could sink most of there boats before they got in range of ours and shoot down most of there aircraft before they got in range of ours would have no effect at all??? After all Sheer manpower sure helped Iraq. They where the 3rd largest army at the time...
I'm wondering: were this bugs marked "made in USA"?
Seems silly, but (slightly offtopic): years ago, the US tapped a Soviet military communications cable that was running underwater in some bay somewhere near the Asian Soviet coast. Worked well for a while, but when the Soviets finally discovered the tapping device/recorder, it turned out it was marked "Property of the United States government". Somewhat amusing.
You can read all about it in "Blind Man's Bluff" by Sherry Sontag et al.
MSN 8: Now Microsoft even has bugs in their ad campaigns.
not a big deal. americans are getting rewarded for being monitord all the time (big brother serial, bar, etc). they just thought that all civilized people of this earth would love to do so, but forgot to tell it to them.
anyway, it is not so serious like the Chinese embassy in Jugoslavia that Americans bombed (thus killing all the chinese actors there).
maybe, if bombarding of chinese embassy is the equivalent of the twin towers attack (in the wide sence i mean), it is time for us to have 24h online show from AirForce 1
We have these things called Facts...
1: The American spy plane was in international waters (as recognized by the rest of the world save China)
2: The pilot of the Chinese plan was killed because he flew too close to a larger plane and ran into it
Those Chinese people speak some crazy language that Americans can't understand anyways. Now all we have is a bunch of surveillance equipment that records people going 'ching bong ding pow wok doy poon tang' all day.
I mean, that shit's even better than the Navajo code-talkers, man!
How the hell are we supposed to crack that?!
Big Big Loader!
bigspender540@hotmail.com
Does anyone think that the Chinese did it on purpose? Meaning, that they new that it would be bugged when they got it back and they decided to "discover" that the bugs were there just as the summit meeting between USA and China are about to begin. Maybe they are using it as leverage.
just a thougt
Those are two _good_ examples of great places to live.
Maybe you don't understand, you are supposed to give a _counter_ argument to your opponent, not _support_ his argument.
Geeze! Some people!
But apart from the name Washington which WP seems to misusing i have been analysing their articles for the last three months - seems they get the scoops or they have very imaginative writers - why does this remind me of a Bond Movie? ha?
Communism is shared property. Capitalism is private property.
The GNU License gives billions of dollars worth of software to each of us. We each have full ownership, individually, not colletively.
You can do whatever you want with the source code, as long as you distribute the source code to all your customers, the same way you were given the code. If you make changes and keep them internal to yourself or your company, you don't need to distribute your changes.
Free software is 90 degrees to both communism and capitalism. It is the revolution of the information age.
Trying to talk about a new age in terms of the old age will always result in your being wrong. Like trying to talk about the iron age in terms of the Middle ages, or talk about the middle ages in terms of the Roman empire.
The DMCA and SSSCA are the old institutions trying to take control of the information age. In a very heavy handed mannner, reminds me a lot of facists or communists.
But they will fail because the information age is an age of perfect communication and instantaneous sharing. When Dimitry was arrested, the Adobe campus was picketted the next day. We respond to threats across all political boundries and with lightening speed. We are bigger and more powerful than any government, or any corporation.
We are going to win, and you really won't recognize the world in 25 more years. The media related corporate structure is really not needed in the information age. And it is really so funny, because they had just managed to perpetually control all information for the next 150 years too.
Why do I need a book publisher when I can publish my own book to the world with the click of a mouse button?
Why do I need a movie studio when I can shoot my own movie with a $10,000 movie camera that I can rent for just a few thousand dollars.
Why do I need a software publisher when I can work with a world wide team of programmers who will customize software for me, in exchange for my help?
You should probably prepare yourself for the coming changes.
.. even software.
Any manufactured item which doesn't have it's guts wide open always have the possibility of stuff like this.
It is actually rather impossible to know wether for instance MS-software does not have government requested back doors.
Free software probably also have some risk, because it would be impossible for someone to be sure that the millions of lines of source code, some which are rather difficult to understand, could not have some small back door.
Ok, I found a web page for it!
From the Associated Press, in response to the Enron ordeal:
[snip]
The spokesman [Ari] said Bush is always ``looking out to protect America's jobs and taxpayers' money.'' He noted, for example, that Bush has talked to China about purchasing a Boeing aircraft.
[snip]
I'm always looking in this paper for the dumb shit they report, but this is got to be the funniest thing I've seen in a while.
Of course they want them to buy Boeing aircraft, the special ones.
I must somewhat defend the CIA or whoever did this. I mean, they spy on us... why not spy on them for a change. I'm sure the Chinese have planted a few bugs here and there.
It's just funny they got caught is all.
Get your Unix fortune now!
Why in the name of all that is un-american, would the chinese let a bunch of yankies have _anything_ to do with their leader's transport plane? we all know that the american government cannot be trusted, period, (especially since bush came in). surely they can make their own planes and 48" tv's?
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
As long as the Chinese Commnits Party insists upon occupying Tibet, making threats against Taiwan, jails and murders it's own citizens in record numbers, executes those prisoners by blood type in order to harvest organs for transplants, is building a nuclear arsenal with ICBM delivery with increased accuracy (Thanks Bill Clinton), then every means possible needs to used to watch the leadership of China. I approve any method used to monitor these people. China has been selling technology and weapons to terrorist organizations and even gloated in a public bradcast when the Trade Towers were hit on 9/11. By buying Made In China labels, more money is flowing into the treasury that allows the Red Army to expand.
I would have been disappointed if an attempt had not been made.
In the eyes of the chinese govt, this cannot be but another reason not to trust closed source operating systems made in the US.
dammit this is funny.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Joe Stalin?
Mao?
Pol Pot?
The dumb shits in North Korea?
Fidel Castro and his vibrant economy?
Karl Marx himself, who was downright stupid enough to think that economics is a zero-sum game, and that workers would work without any incentive?
I'll at least give Lenin credit for *using* communism to take power. If you think communism *deserves* a good name, you're one of Vladimir Ilyich Ulanyov's "useful idiots".
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Anyone has the specification of a
2x2 cm device that can contact
american spy satellites?
Maybe it was one of the X10 cameras...?
Anyway, you can get the headboard pics and wavs over at alt.binaries.erotica.amateur.chinese.government
I gave myself to Jesus, but now he never calls
There is a good reason you put 20+ bugs on the aircraft.
You know the Chinese will inspect the aircraft with a fine tooth comb - they aren't stupid. So, one of two possible outcomes:
So the trick is to plant N+M bugs, making sure that they are all so difficult to find that the Chinese are likely to only find N+X bugs, where X<M.
As for the issues of spying - EVERYBODY SPYS ON EVERYBODY ELSE. That's how the game is played. You don't get pissed when you get fragged on "the hill" when you are playing King of the Hill (unless you are a complete lamer), and you don't get pissed when you find you are being spyed on by another contry. However, you DO make political hay of the event - that's part of the game as well.
If we DIDN'T spy on everyone else, if we DIDN'T bitch when we caught them spying on us, then the rest of the world would point at us and make "googley" circles around their temples.
www.eFax.com are spammers
Let's look at this from the conspiratory angle:
1) china begins building up nuclear arms
2) china buys us-made jet from boeing, a company that could use ANY business
3) china pays $30 mill for a $10 mill job
4) bush chokes on a pretzel
6) the plane gets bugged (wow, what a surprise...)
7) china makes a big deal about this...
the only conclusion that makes any sense is that china wants baywatch
is for fags. Go take a shower, loser.
It sounds like somebody has been reading David Gerrold's _War_on_the_Chtorr_ series.
Um things like this have been going on for years, during the cold war the cia had xerox implant a survelance device into the copier that was installed in the russian embassy, apparently it provided information for quite a long time. (Thanks discovery channel documentary and my personal boredom)
I hear the secrets that you keep
When you're talking in your sleep
As for your titillating thoughts of listening to the guy in bed... maybe he talks in his sleep. In fact, they probably don't know if he does or doesn't, but wouldn't it suck if you didn't put one there, and found out later he did?
...to have joined the Mile High Club much earlier in life, and simply be - ahem - maintaining my membership status while in my eighties. 62 years is too damn long to wait, sorry. Seriously though, if Ben Franklin was bonking french court chicks while a diplomat in France during the Revolutionary War, why can't this guy be enjoying one of the perks of power? Good ole' Ben was, I think, in his seventies at the time.
One last thought: if I were the Chinese premier, I would be flattered the CIA thought I'd still be an active member of the mile-high club.
I'm the stranger...posting to
They need to keep that nationalist fervor strong, since they're an unelected, despotic oligarchy, and it damages Boeing's rep at a time when they're desperate to sell planes.
Maybe someone can substantiate these rumors I've heard:
1) The Chinese embassy in Belgrade was being used as a command & communications center against NATO, which is why it got hit.
2) Chinese companies were installing equipment to help Iraq shoot down US planes in the no-fly zone.
And a question: Does anyone think that the hostage situation was just China capitalizing on the accident caused by a hot-dog pilot, or did they actually plan it as an ambush?
It seems like the purchasing party always finds bugs in these kinds of deals. In fact, the Chinese probably wouldn't have been happy stripping the plane apart until they found at least one bug.
So, if your the CIA, the obvious thing to do is plant a few bugs were they will be found....and hide the others much better.
Kind thoughts do not change the world
In all seriousness, would YOU recommend sending our Air Force One to China for refitting? Of course not. It would be an obvious security breach. Hence the "Duh."
It's one thing to buy toys and trinkets from a hostile country, another to give your most important military air vehicle over to them to refit. That's just stupid.
And as far as those toys and trinkets go, we shouldn't even be buying them from China. McDonald's Happy Meal toys -- what could be more American than a Happy Meal? -- are made mostly in terribly unsafe factories by young Chinese women and girls who are fired if they try to unionize.
When another Chinese toy factory burned down a couple years ago (it happens a lot) several workers died choking on poisonous smoke because there was only door out of the factory. "Witnesses interviewed by Guangdong television said the workers were unable to escape because the windows were sealed by metal screens to prevent theft." Many women have died from handling toxic chemicals without being provided with the proper education or necessary protection. Many more are breathing in chemicals every day which are known carcinogens.
In America, we wouldn't let anyone work in these conditions, yet we let corporations manufacture and import goods that were produced under such conditions.
So, yeah. I feel no pity for the Chinese government. They deserve what they get and more. But I wish the same retribution on Corporate America for sacrificing people's lives and safety for cheaper Barbies.
He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.
Voice of the US government:
Remember you are free... to do as we tell you!
Ooh say can you see by the dawn's early light,
what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts we watched...
USA! USA! Get those little red bastards! Whooo!
Message to Chinese. Don't f__k with us. We'll get back at you. Care for another quality American-made plane?
Bug in the headboard? It's called extortion. Nice to have it handy. Nice to know when others can use it as well.
This was explained in another Slashdot story. They were installed by another branch of the Chinese government to monitor the email and web surfing on the plane..
;-)
A very good series too!
First off two wrongs don't make a right. The bigger question to me is why would the US do this to a plane that will be examined from the top down the second it gets delivered? The mostly likely conclusion is to generate more tensions between the US and China.
From the get-go the bush administration has been very adamant on trying to create a new red-scare ostensibly to help defense contracts get through. Think back before 9/11 and look at the various games of cat and mouse the US has been playing with China.
The sad part is that there is lots of trade to be lost by being percieved as the world's biggest spy. Look at the European take on MS and government collusion, Echelon, etc.
In the end this kind of strategy will cost companies revenues, jobs, and negatively affect the economy just to appease the military-industrial complex. In a slumping economy pissing off your potential customers is very bad business and I doubt the big defense contracts are going to make up for what the US is going to lose in trade by its reputation. Even if they did the money comes from American taxes, so its a no-win situation.
This is cold war politics at action. The Russians took this kind of thing as par for the course, but our current administration does not have a firm grasp on how important perception is in the 21st century. The old cold war games may now not be non-event exchanges but could cost us dearly.
They spy on us, we spy on them, and generally it's not a bad thing because it gives insight into whether those you are spying on are posing a real threat or just being belligerent, and prevents either side from preparing surprise attacks. The diplomats know this, which is why you rarely hear of spying - it's just business.
The question you should be asking is, why is China making such a big deal out of this now, when they haven't before? Why were they so aggressive towards that EP-3, and more recently the P-3? What might they have up their sleeve - an actual push on Taiwan, or a military challenge to the US in the Pacific? You should read Jane's and Stratfor's reports on the subject before you go crying on how unfair this is, particularly when the US has strong alliances with South Korea, Taiwan, and the Phillipines, and an obligation to defend Japan.
---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?
Bush and his henchman obviously "convinced" Boeing to do this. There is no doubt in my mind that Bush's approach to USA will guarentee that we are heading for the crapper. How many countries will quite buying American products due to M$'s Backdoors and now Boeing's Bugs? When Bush and his buddies were busy screwing over the nation with enron, it was obviously only the top of the barrel.
There are always bugs in the residences of diplomats and the various cubby holes of mid-range political activity. But at the higher end of the scale. . . That is, if there are bugs on the Chinese version of Air Force One, then you can safely bet that they WILL be found.
Which means that they were meant to be found.
Bugs aren't interesting.
The interesting thing is that it made high profile 'real' news (i.e., the Washington Post).
Why? Easy. -To further the programming of public awareness on both sides of the Atlantic.
-See stories about how China now filters Email. Look for similar material over the next few months.
The highschool play unfolding on the world stage is clearly being performed in order to cast China in the role of the next big bad guy.
Why?
So that when the curtain finally goes up on 'act 2' (-That'd be the whole plot development between Pakistan, India and China, each with nukes, BTW), the U.S. will have paved the way for public sympathy in supporting the country most able to provide, um, oil. And general fear.
I'm betting on concentration camps being open for business in the U.S. in another ten years. Maybe sooner.
Why?
Cuz Fear is Food. Solution? Refuse to play. Fear is a choice. Laugh a lot. Love your friends. Stay healthy. Learn how to avoid the bullshit, in the air, in your food, in the programming. The end of the world, (beginning of the new), only happens once in a very long while; Try to enjoy it!
-Fantastic Lad
i bet they didn't find any. i think its more a propaganda ploy by the
Chinese government. they are probably hoping mr bush falls for it and goes
on the defensive. perfect timing for his visit next month.
This country has nuclear weapons and the delivery system to get to the US. If our intelligence teams haddn't tried to take advantage of this chance, they would have been failing in their duties. My only regret that they got caught. They would have done the same thing if the situation had been reversed.
I'm wondering: were this bugs marked "made in USA"?
Try "Made in Taiwan." Or even, "Hecho en Mexico."
All Your Conversations Are Belong to Us
-nd
From the BBC:
"The reports in Britain's Financial Times newspaper and the Washington Post quoted Chinese security sources as saying that the tiny, satellite-controlled bugs were discovered when they emitted static during test flights in China last year."
Static? As in they made noises? When last I checked, listening devices have small microphones, not speakers. And while a problem could cause sound to come out of the microphone, would it really be loud enough to hear? And are US listening devices so unreliable that all 20-something malfunctioned in the same way at the same time?
Either the story is made up, China isn't saying how they really found them, or these devices were meant to be found for whatever reason.
At any rate, finding the bugs only when they made their presence known is what happens when you have a system that values loyalty over skill...
Ya know, considering the microphone in the headboard, I guess this adds a whole new twist to the saying "Don't let the bed bugs bite."
;-)
You may all groan now...
Bruce Lane, KC7GR,
Blue Feather Technologies
and why isn't this moded down?
Since the story validates most Slashbots' worldview, (US evil, everyone else good) I guess that's not surprising. I wouldn't doubt that these are the same people who during October were saying that any attacks against the Taliban were unjustified because the US gov't was fabricating evidence, and are even now a bit disappointed to learn the truth.
But then, what do you expect from people who also believe The X-Files is a documentary.
Looking at the political fallout in the PRC because of this, I wonder if they were really bugs at all.
Here's what we know so far of what happened: A plane that was built in a hangar guarded by the People's Army, put together by workers under constant surveilance by officers in the PRC military, using parts gone over with a fine-toothed comb, had not one, not three, but over twenty "listening devices" planted on it. By all accounts, there is already some big political backlashes working their way through the ranks of the PRC military, with several arrests already made of the soldiers that were supposed to be guarding the plane.
On top of that, we know the plane was supposed to have the best defenses that money could buy. It might very well be the most secure plane in all of the PRC. But now that it's known to have been bugged, can the Party really believe that all the listening devices were removed? In a crisis with the US or one of its allies (like, say, Taiwan), can the plane truly be considered a safe and trusted hideaway for their president?
So will he be using an older, less well-defended plane instead? Wouldn't it be funny if that plane was the one that really had the bugs?
All the "listening devices" on the plane were discovered after somebody reported hearing static. Was that really static, or was it really an MP3 of the Marine Corps Band playing Stars and Stripes Forever, flaunting the PRC with the placement of these "listening devices?"
they spy on us... why not spy on them for a change.
:)
For a change? That's a new one. You either have to go for the big sarcasm price or be the most naive person alive.
Not that it is necessarily a bad thing to spy on the Chinese, that judgement I leave to others.
"Chinese Diplomats are Weenies" :)
/^[A-Z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z]{2,4}$/i
Consider this: Boeing manufactures or has a hand in manufacturing several successful military aircraft, including the F-22. Increased tensions between the US and other countries, and increased military spending are potentially quite good for them -- potentially worth much more than the now-at-risk $2 bil. deal with China. It's not hard to imagine that someone within Boeing would take the initiative to do this without any prodding from the government.
So much for the word, "intelligence".
A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess? - Joshua (Wargames)
Anybody look at their website lately? Here is their lame attempt to respond to ubiquitous evidence that the CIA in the past provided training and funding to terrorists like bin Laden. Even the tobacco companies did better than that! But what I really want to know is how much of our tax dollars funded the CIA's development of this "terrorism busters" logo. yeesh.
This guy was actually making sense until the last half-sentence.
If I have to give someone a second overcoat I worked to own then why would I bother with the effort in the first place..?
Anything material I accumulate affects someone else about as much as my not eating peas as a child affected kids starving in Africa.
********************
I object to Intellect without Discipline.
Actually, she is the Queen of Canada, and the United Kingdom.
More accurately, she is the Queen of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, The Bahamas, Tuvalu and the United Kingdom.
Apologies to any people that I have forgotten, or included erroneously.
that he was compiling his own personal library of nuke secret tapes, which ended up in a landfill and were recovered by the FBI. i have yet to hear a good explanation of why he was doing this. regardless of if he was convicted of espionage, that behavior is highly suspect, and as it turns out, a major felony which he was convicted of. BTW he was not effectively exonerated of anything, he was given a plea deal because the Clinton White House was afraid that the investigation looked racist, which is now the most serious crime of all. The government never said he was not spying, nor did any jury exonerate him of any charges. get your facts straight.
that those are the 20 bugs they wanted them to find?
What does Raise the Red Lantern have to do with the revolution? And you listed it twice too, btw.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Us - China relations were FINALLY starting to improve, even with the national missile defense program: now it's all straight down the crapper.
"The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw."
Deng Xiao Ping once said "There is nothing wrong with getting rich". When the defacto ruler of your country says that, you don't live in a communist country anymore.
When Mao died the CCP leadership basically decided that 'capitalism' was better then 'Maoism' and the related insanity. They now claim only to be 'socialist' and are trying to model their government on the neo-fascist Asian governments in Singapore, South Korea and (formerly) the Republic of China on Taiwan.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Are you NUTS!?. Sure, the USSR may have managed to industrialize quickly, but so did the damn Nazis. That isn't much of a statement in and of itself. Stalin's Russia was a brutal nation and loaded with oppression. Inside and outside of the government. Probably as close to Orwell's '1984' as any society so far.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Dude, cuba trades with every other contry in the world. Not trading with the US couldn't possibly be hurting them that much.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
hahaha
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
The chinese government hasn't claimed to be communist since Mao died. Read a history book!
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
With all of the crap the RIAA is pulling with ripping stuff to MP3 and streaming audio, the White House was just looking for something new to listen to, that's all...
The dumb shits in North Korea?
The guy's name is Kim Jong-il.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
As of now China only has a few nuclear weapons. Mostly just a 'see we have nukes too' kinda thing. China basically said that if the US goes ahead with their missile shield, they'll start building more. In a couple of years china will have a whole new lineup of modern, shield penetrating technology.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
The government of Taiwan calls itself the "Republic of China", and at one point claimed to be the legitimate government of the whole thing. It's easy to see how people with the inelegance level of Janet Reno could be confused.
(Also, there are three ethnic groups in Taiwan, Taiwanese, who are Han Chinese who immigrated in the 1600s. Chinese or "mainlanders" who moved over in the 1940s when the communists took over, and promptly took over the island. And 'natives' who would be like Native Americans here)
Oh, and btw Anti-communism in the Kuomintang government that took over Taiwan in the 1940s would have made Joe McCarthy look like Karl Marx. But they did have a lot more to worry about : P
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
I've got an idea. Why don't we agree to mutual eavesdropping... They let us plant a bug in their presidential meeting room, we let them plant a bug... in our presidential toilet. I'm sure they'll find it quite equitable.
Boeing didn't retofit the plane. Three smaller contract companies did! Boeing made the plane, but they didn't furnish it. And they would never had had a chance to put bugs in.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
And of course there's the 1950's era cyborg cat we tried to cook up. Didn't work to well though.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
(* Even a perfectly trained engineer can't see through the sealed components, and most of components are like that - tested and sealed at the factory. *)
They should have X-rayed everything I suppose.
(* For example, it would be trivial to add the surveillance circuitry to some existing electronic component,.... *)
The description hinted that they were fairly obviously bugs. But, we don't really know the details.
I wonder what would happen if Boeing sued the US gov for harming its reputation. I bet the US would deny any involvment. IOW, it would be Boeing's burden to show that the defendant planted them, which nobody will ever admit to.
But, it would make a cool trial.
Table-ized A.I.
Why the hell would you want to have a monarchy anywhere?!
It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds. - Captain Hammer
dumbass
Arg! Boeing didn't do the refit job. Several US contractors did. Quoth the artical "Dee Howard Aircraft Maintenance L.P., Gore Design Completions Ltd., Rockwell Collins Inc. and Avitra Aviation Services Ltd., a Singapore firm, " Also, They purchaced the plain from Delta Airlines, not Boeing.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
No, the message we sent was more like "We can't install bugs for shit."
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Why is it that people can base such strong convictions on such stupid foundations. The static mentioned could have been radio static, or static electricity. audio static would have been the last thing I would have thought they meant. Haven't you ever heard the stewardess say 'turn off all cell phones and electrical devices during takeoff' before? It's not because they make white noise in the cabin that distracts the pilot.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
If you read carefully you'll see that the Bush administration just inherited this from Clinton.
...
Just for the sake of accuracy
D.
1: The American spy plane was in international waters (as recognized by the rest of the world save China)
I had the strong impression the case was such that the plane was in international airspace (as defined by the US for China), but if a Chinese airplane were as close to the coast of the US, the US would say it was in US airspace (as defined by the US for the US). Pretty damn close, anyway.
yes, we have no bananas
The US should have delivered the plane as parts for them to assemble.
War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
With all the Cameras going up in the world to look in on the general population, why should the governments feel left out?
I mean, if having cameras on the general population helps to curb crime, then imagine the crime reduction we can all experience from making the government internals public broadcast.
and think what we could do with the savings!
personally I'd like to see a purly Canadian (ie, non shared) monarchy in Canada.
What! Why on earth would you want to return to an archaric leadership concept. Monarchies represent a past littered with cruelity, poverty, slavery, oppresion, injustice . . . well you get the idea. Time to let it die. The French had the right idea a few hundred years ago.
A bit like the modern US of A then ...
A vapid swipe with no justification.
Oh, and the French went on an imperialistic rampage throughout Europe after toppling the monarchy, with associated cruelity, poverty, slavery, oppresion and injustice.
Actually the French wrongly went from a Monarch to an Emperor. Bad move.
It should be noted that Napoleon did destroy entrenched feudalism thru out Europe. He did grant constitutitions and instantiated formal law codes where none existed before.
However, the point of this discussion that privilege and power by birth is absurd and wrong. If you prefer to be ruled over by an aristocratic class hurry, get your passport ready, there are a still a few more ruling monarchies around, but not for long.
All totalitarian style governments are unjust and immoral and fortunately fast becoming obsolete. The Monarchy is one of this set and should be relegated to the reject pile of history.
Last October, days before its planned maiden voyage, Chinese military communications experts discovered numerous high-tech listening devices planted inside the plane, according to Chinese and Western sources, who said they had been told of this by Chinese military officers and aviation officials. The plane was grounded and has not been flown since it was delivered.
Ahh... let's see... Chinese and Western sources heard it from some Chinese military officers and aviation officials.
Definitely must be the truth.
I'm not saying they didn't find them, but I haven't seen any pictures, or anything other than hearsay.
Remember, this is being put out by the same government that did wonderful things like the Tiananmen Square massacre, countless human-rights violations, more executions than all other countries combined last year, and other fine things.
Personally, I hope we've got listening devices planted everywhere we can in their government.
"Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives" should be a convenience store, not a government agency.
I think that it would have been comparitively easy for US intelligence agents to get their technicians placed among the workers of the companies that did the outfitting of this plane and install the bugs, even though they were being watched by Chinese Security Officials. I suspect your average Intelligence Official is an oxymoron and wouldn't really know what to look out for or what an electronic spying device was even if it was placed directly in front of him.
And what can happen with an unknown plane outfitting company could just as easily happen with Microsoft, or at least I can imagine that the Chinese would be given to thinking along those lines. Since this incident happened before China oficially decided to use RedFlag as it's main OS I can well and truly understand the rationale.
I just wish that some other national institutions in Europe would act likewise, most notably the Bundestag in Germany, which is trying to decide whether to Linux or not.
Try now.
They're elated 'cos "only 20 of the bugs were found."
...are you curious again an hour later?
For example, when communicating with China (or a compromised computer), the NIC might stop sending for, say, 20s. In an even-numbered minute for 0, or odd (for 1). And depending on the type of NIC, there are probably much broader channels.
Ask me if I've been required to disclose any crypto keys.
Here's a good article that describes the extensive security measures taken by the chinese during the retrofitting. For example...
- chinese experts swept the plane for bugs 3 times before the plane left san antonio for beijing
- a 6 foot chain link fence around the plain guarded 24 hours/day by 25 chinese troops
- close supervision of work (i.e. someone looking over your shoulder all the time)
- control of tools and equipment brought on to the plane.
The article ends up suggesting that maybe the chinese did it... after all, 21 chinese airforce people were arrested.
HIV Crosses Species Barrier... into Muppets