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Wiretapping the Web Easier Than Ever
theodp writes "All the trends are toward easier to tap, says an EFF attorney in MSNBC's recap of last week's 5-0 FCC vote to require broadband and VoIP providers to provide Uncle Sam with wiretapping backdoors and a recent Court decision that stored e-mail is not protected under a strict reading of wiretap laws. Civil-liberties concerns aside, MSNBC notes the FCC is also exploring its Internet regulatory options, including placing tariffs on online newspapers and requiring e-tailers to process 911 calls."
I recommend everyone look into it, install it, and use it. All emails go
plain text without encryption, so it's the least you can do to enhance your privacy.
As for VoIP, I don't know.
http://www.gnupg.org/
...for those of you worried about your email getting read:
Don't use IMAP or webmail services. Have your POP client poll servers frequently, and delete messages after they've been retrieved..
Most small to medium-sized ISPs don't archive email messages, due to the costs involved. (Particularly because of SPAM.)
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Even 10 years ago, there never was an expectation of privacy on the internet (which is why SSL was developed for secure web transactions). Maybe they're making it a little more plug and play than it used to be, but sniffing a network for plaintext passwords and messages has always been relatively easy.
This is really just another kick in the butt for us all to be using various forms of strong encryption (SSH, PGP, etc) as a regular part of our daily communications.
As I have said before on my site, there is ample reason to believe that the police are the "standing army" that our founders warned us of. Let's look at what our founders worried about, what the police and military are today
Standing army of our founders' day and age:
The police of our day and age:
No knock raids, unprecedented surveillance, military grade equipment, they are a paramilitary, not "peace officers" anymore. Don't ever, ever make the mistake of assuming that they are peace officers anymore. Between their militarization in tactics/armament, and the legal powers that put us at a distinct disadvantage, they are closer to an occupying army than what they were originally created to be.
If you think that gun control is "common sense" yet you are worried about issues like police powers then ask yourself who you would really trust with a gun. The police, many of whom are neurotic, egotistical control freaks (that's why they are attracted to positions of power, surprise, surprise....) or your neighbor? How about your own family and friends. People you can trust.
See I trust the latter, because I come from a law enforcement family that has former law enforcement from both the state and federal agencies. I have seen many more law enforcement officers in personal settings than the average person so I have a good idea of what the personality types are. Trust me, people, especially those who think gun control is a good idea, these are often some of the last people that deserve a state sanction to abridge your liberties while carrying a firearm.
The best thing that could happen to our civil liberties would be for the average citizen to be able to own any weapon that the cops can use, for the government to not be able to register those weapons and for the people to have a right to use force to resist unlawful arrest. Oh wait, unlawful arrest basically doesn't exist anymore because who are you to tell a cop that they don't have a legitimate reason to detain your unconvicted (probably felon) ass? See my point?
Click here or a puppy gets stomped!
>they are not putting cameras in our houses...wait, are they?
Not yours, don't worry. You aren't, let's see, both of Chinese/MiddleEastern/Jewish/FlavorOfTheWeek ancestry and working in the high tech industry. So no worries, mate.
But pre-9/11, if they had wanted to put their own cameras and microphones in your house, they would have needed a court order, signed by a judge, who would actually (all counter-claims aside) review the evidence supporting the request.
Now, post-9/11, they don't need a court order at all.
Now you ask, how is this bad, what is so private? Gosh. How do I explain to you. It's like explaining water to a fish. But in this case, maybe an IQ challenged fish.
I'll tell you what. I'll do a study whereby you can sign up to have devices hidden in your house. These devices may or may not be active microphones and cameras, and they will be well hidden from you. If you participate, the devices may or may not be installed. If you look for them, you will be mocked on the internet.
The audio and images collected by the devices may or may not be, at some point in the future, released and or leaked onto the internet. You and other adults in your household, by participating in this study, take responsibility for the fact that any minors under your guardianship may have embarassing childhood episodes revealed on the internet in the future. Of course, they may or may not care, but you can decide for them since you are their guardian.
I will hire qualified personnel meeting stringent background requirements (physically strong, young, graduated high school) to protect any information collected, and let them work in offices with minimum wage clerical staff who are given large binders containing writeups that mention protecting the information. We will protect your information from release unless there is a mistake or unless we decide, or any future custodian of the information, or anyone who steals the information, decides, at any time, for any reason, to release it.
If you are interested in participating in such a study, just reply here with your active email addresses, phone numbers, your home address, your mother's maiden name, the maiden name of your spouse and your spouse's mother, the names of your closest neighbors, the names of five friends, your complete school transcripts, a transcript of a recent intimate pillow talk conversation with your spouse, and the names, addresses, and social security numbers of your family members and any relatives through previous marriages. For any private information of others that you do not have, just provide what you do know and we will find the rest.
I know, it's still hard for you to understand. Re-read the part about them no longer needing a court order. Now think about it, 'them' could be local police, sheriffs, almost anyone.
You know what? I actually don't believe you. I think you do understand.
Want to prove me wrong? OK, then just post your information, go ahead.