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Microsoft Collaborates On Child Porn Buster
pmike_bauer writes "Microsoft and Canadian authorities on Thursday launched a software program designed to help police worldwide hunt down child porn traffickers. Police departments can use it free of charge." From the article: "The program was developed by Microsoft Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Toronto police, with the help of the Department of Homeland Security, Scotland Yard and Interpol." Update: 04/08 18:09 GMT by Z : Modified to reflect the fact that it's not Open Source.
Details of how the system works are being kept secret, Hemler (Microsoft Canada president) said. "We're intentionally coy about the technology that is used in this because we think it gives the good guys an advantage over the bad guys," he said. "Think of it as an assembly of commonly available Microsoft software, using techniques from Microsoft Research and best practices that the law enforcement community shared with us."
It's not all that strange, really...it's a PR coup on two fronts: M$ likes OSS, and M$ is tough on kiddie porn.
It's difficult to take a stand against an entity after they've declared war on kiddie porn.
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~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
It's all right. They can still enjoy licensing Microsoft SQL Server, among other required back end products, while receiving the benefits of positive press.
Do you like German cars?
Correction - they cry about how evil OSS when applied to a commercial environment (i.e. "viral" licences, putting developers out of work, making support and ultimate responsiblity in limbo). In this case they don't seem to consider their police assisting child porn buster as being in the commercial realm - instead it's more along the line of some of their developer tools that are used to indirectly strengthen their platform. In this case they are trying to strengthen the Microsoft name brand among worldwide law enforcement. Since the software in question doesn't reveal the inner workings of their other software, and doesn't give up any competitive secrets, there is no need to keep it closed source.
This is the second time in about a week that we're seeing Microsoft doing something that puts it up against a greater evil. And to make it even more boggling, they're doing it open-source.
Did Microsoft hire someone new? Or did they take a look at their image and try to make amends? As much as I know my view of them is biased both by my history as a mac fan and the rants I've seen of others complaining and complaining about problems with microsoft (note I'm not trying to start an argument here, just pointing out that my view is biased); I know that Gates has funded new CompSci departments for universities like Cambridge (UK) - it's just a surprise to see what has seemed such a stereotypical corporation taking these steps against something in this way. Gates' view that open source is evil has been overtaken by the view that child porn is worse. I completely agree, and as strange as it is to say it - good work, Microsoft.
Browsing with +2 to insightful posts and a higher threshold makes the average post seen seem a lot more ingenious
Is saying "good job" too much to ask for? What does MS need to do to earn a thank you from all the nay-sayers.
MS doesn't like OSS in the retail/commerical industry - which this is not.
They did a good thing, appreciate it. It is not FUD, I am sorry to say that in this case the FUD is from you at first post.
I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
I guess one good thing is that it was built by Microsoft, so it won't work correctly until v3.0.
You better hope that means it doesn't find anything, rather than it incorrectly finding you.
How open source can it be?
1. I can't find the license anywhere.
2. I can't find where to download the binaries.
3. I can't find where to download the source code.
4. It's available for free only to law enforcement.
Has anyone actually located 1, 2, or 3? Please post if you do...
perl -e 'foreach(values %SIG){$_="IGNORE";}while(){}'
Similar stats could probably be cited for any kind of image found on the Internet, including cars, sunsets, weddings, houses, and generic boob-n-beaver shots of consenting college students. News flash: the Internet (especially the Web) has grown a lot in the past decade!
I'm not saying that child sexual abuse isn't a problem (it is, and has been since long before ARPAnet, and the perps should be beaten with rubber hoses), but this statement in the article implies a kind of exponentially-exploding disaster that it doesn't actually demonstrate.
Feeling worried? Maybe you should delete ALL your pictures. Imagine, being arrested because some computer flagged your photos of your kittens as kiddie porn. I'm sure you'll feel better once the cops take the time to come out and seize your computers (which you will never see again, even after they figure out they fucked up).
Maybe you'll even feel relieved when one comes by your office and announces loudly "Mr. Coward, you're under arrest for possession of child pornography". I hope you didn't enjoy that job.
Perhaps you'll be at ease when you're sitting in your cell reading the paper and see how "investigators found a collection of photos of little boys and girls in various sexual acts on disks in the person's desk". Haven't you ever thought it odd how its always found on disks? When nobody uses floppies anymore?
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
i agree: this is a good thing, but i think there's a gotcha. did anybody notice what exactly this app does? from the article: "by enabling authorities for the first time to link information such as credit card purchases, internet chat room messages and arrest records."
think about the uses to which you can put that underlying code, which is now all open source. now imagine what will happen when someone takes this open source code and perverts it into a complete ID theft tool. what will the M$ press release look like then?
ed
Actually, Microsoft has never said that open source is bad for commercial work. They have consistently said that BSD type licenses are fine but GPL is bad. The problem that they have with the GPL is that they feel that it can pollute other projects that touch it. (I like to think of this as the "clingy" theory of the GPL.)
Microsoft is right about what the GPL does, but they are wrong to think that it kills business. ALthough, it might put a dent into their business model.
If you want to argue with Microsoft you have to at least understand what they are saying and why. Otherwise it just comes down to two separate hissy fits....
I missed the part of the 1st Amendment that gave people the right to violate and abuse children.
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The US Constitution was written a long time ago. In those days, if you wanted a private conversation, you could just go off into the woods somewhere, prod the undergrowth with a stick to make sure nobody was hiding in a bush, and have your private conversation. There were no such things as video cameras, tape recorders or computers, and no reason to suppose such things would ever be invented. The right to privacy was obvious, and that's why it was taken for granted.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
You want MS to create OSS software to give out for free, but do it anonymously? Ok, then how are we supposed to give credit to MS for doing this generous thing? You are falling into a circle here: 1) MS publicizes the good they did and they get crap for "FUD", 2) MS does the work anon. and gets no credit. Under your model there is no way for MS to get credit for their work - which is not only publicity but a tax write-off which they are entitled too.
And who says that MS has to donate a certain amount of money? If they want to spend 10 mil on a 100k donation - that is their choice - we should thank them for the 100k donation and we should thank them for putting 10 mil back into the economy and lining someone elses pockets.
But you are right about one thing - many people will never trust MS no matter what they do - which I think is just plain old shameful since we forgive people who do a lot more graver of sins.
I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
You are one confused guy.
First, privacy and anonymity "only within your own 4 walls" is stupid, pointless and something that nobody but a Bush-brain could come up with. For one, who would I be anonymous to in my home? It's not like there'd be many people there who don't know me. Besides, my name's right on the bell sign.
It's exactly when you leave your home that anonymity enters the picture.
Now, anonymity is not, though there are some of the same letters in both words, the same as invisibility. Seing someone (walking down the streets or committing a crime, doesn't matter, any kind of seing someone) does not in any way touch their anonymity. In fact, seing someone and not knowing who they are is exactly what anonymity is all about.
Then the old "what are you afraid of?" strawman, aka "honest people have nothing to hide".
Man, I do have a whole bunch of perfectly legal things to hide. In fact, I'd rather confess that I broke into that server thing some years ago than publishing some of the totally legal things I do.
Do I have something to hide? Well, if you want to call it that, yes. I prefer to call it it's none of your damn business.
And that's what privacy is about. Keeping the things private that I want to have kept private. It includes the right to not having to justify why I want to keep them private.
Now we've come a long way from anonymity (which is one way to secure privacy, pseudonimity is one other and there are more). I hope I haven't lost you somewhere on the road.
And then the "nobody cares, you're not important, relax" argument.
I have 20 pounds of legal papers to prove that some asshole in California cares what I post on my website in Germany. I have a hundred or so people in my social circle who care - many of whom don't need to know about the details of my love life or other private information.
Someone, somewhere, always cares about you. If that's not true for you then you should really ask yourself some very serious questions.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
There is no "show". In my opine, the problem is exactly the fact that so many are content to sit on their arse, and watch frigging television.
Want a superhero? Someone to fight for your rights? I actually know where to find one!
Go to your nearest mirror, and take a close look. (Cape is optional.) Hmmm, now who would expect that ugly mug to be the face of a freedom fighter?
The way it works is, you, and every other mothers son has to stand up, put down the budweiser or moosehead, turn off the damn glowing boxen, and march your self down to the local city hall, or other local government office and make a damn pest of yourself, by actually being involved with what goes on.
I will lay odds that 99.5% of slashdot readers, for all their bullshit political raving, don't actually _do_ anything. (A simple test, do your city councilmen know your face and name?)
My city council sure as hell does not like to see my face in any council meeting, and they all certainly know my name, because they know that I am ever ready to challenge any bullshit they routinely try to pull. I have caused overly restrictive ordinance changes to be sent back to committee, for extreme modification, because they knew that I would take it to the voters for referendum. To quote the city manager... "That's the last thing we want."
So, If the will of the voters is the last thing they want, and ONE PERSON can cause this to go back for a more resonable approach to the problem, then how many freedoms have been lost in this country because people would rather sit home watching the damn glowing box than watching their local government in action, and standing up to them to keep the freedom destroyers in check.... Same in the state and federal level.
Look, these guys are mostly cowards... Most of them will fold under public scrutiny and political pressure...
But, if it appears that there is little or no resistance, then many will do whatever is expediant, and the hell with your freedoms.
Freedoms are usually not won in small increments, but they are lost or kept that way.
So, to all the readers. Don't bitch about it on slash-dot only. Get your butt involved in local, state and federal politics.
I will yeild the soap box to the next person now...
NOW, what did I do with that beer?
Drop me a line at:
Key ID: 0x54D1D809
If it's "Open Source", then where can I get the source?
/. summary, for those who don't read the articles.)
The article headline says "Open Source", but the text of the article just says that the software is free to police forces. Since it was also developed with the help of a couple of police forces, that makes sense, however, "Free for police" and "Open source" aren't the same thing.
Since most news stories have a different person writing the headline than writes the article itself, I'd assume that the headline writer is confused about what open source is (or didn't read the article carefully) and this software isn't "Open Source" at all.
(Yes, I'm referring to the linked article and headline itself, not the
The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.