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Zimmermann, Encrypted VoIP, and Uncle Sam
An anonymous reader noted that Phillip Zimmermann and his VoIP encryption software are the subject of a NY Times article today. The article touches on the FCC, privacy, and related issues. Given all the suspicious behavior of the Bush Administration relating to wiretaps and phone records, this sort of thing is all the more important to be very aware of.
why would people with nothing to hide want to have their personal conversations listened to? And why would we want to spend our tax money to spy on people who have nothing to hide? Shouldn't we be after the terrorists instead?
How do you even know what you need to hide anymore?
The meaning of the word terrorist could change at any moment and the deffinition of enemy combatant is equaly fluid.
Your logic is flawed anyway... criminals are not the only group who like privacy.
I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.
Mark Twain
and all that relates to national security. CALEA, the thing that allows wiretaps under warrant, is in place for all previous communications methods, including paging. What government wants is CALEA type access to new communications types. HOWEVER: Neither the constitution, any ammendment, any subsequent law, or even terms of use, specify that your communications have to be made in an open unenctrypted manner. In fact, in the US, if there is no evidence, there is no crime, and no way to know the criminal. Its all part of that innocent until proven guilty mindset.
... at least not yet.
If all your telephone calls, emails, etc. are encrypted by you and the other intended party or parties involved, there simply is nothing the government can do about it. With probable cause, they can 'try' to compel you to divulge the encryption key, but then you don't have to testify against yourself in the U.S.
Neither can the government, church, or any other person(s) compel you to divulge your thoughts, or secrets.
Its time for the encryption phones to start appearing on the market.
This little problem will quickly spiral out of control until those that want to snoop on others have more work to do than they ever imagined. The basic problem here is that the people they say they want to spy on are not using the communication systems the same way as everyone else, and their communications are encrypted, or hidden in ways the government cannot prevent, nor detect with the laws and practices that they wish to install.
Wiretapping on the scales being talked about recently are stupid, prohibitively stupid, and will be nearly 100% ineffectual.
They can't find Bin Laden with all the military might, but somehow they are going to catch him making a phone call? uh, yeah right.... of course, its the little people that lead to the big ones, but they have been spying on the little ones all along... still haven't caught him.
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Just don't leave the country again Zimmerman...or you may end up locked inside that customs office where they 'want to leave lawyers out of this' again. :)
PGP Story:
MPG 1.1G
WMV 378M
So, I'm the evil-agency-du-jour and today I'm auditing IP traffic. If you are a person of interest, they know:
1. You are sending packets to and from specific IP addresses.
2. Grabbing copies of those packets.
3. Putting super-computers to work on them.
4. Discover you are ordering pizza over SIP. (whatever, it's funny)
The concept of "Privacy" was dead a long time ago. I *still* don't understand the outrage when most of your activity is available through many data brokers. What's not there, is available with little procedural check or balance.
Where it is very valuable is company to company communication. Where your competitors may not have the expertise to get the info.
But, then there's the encryption problem anyone has that uses it. It's stupifyingly easy to build a case on suspicion. Trying someone in the court of public opinion is easy and swift. "He uses encryption so he must be hiding something.." is all it takes to end a career, destroy your social status.
Cryptographer==criminal. Film at 11.
If one can codify it's everyday use, I think it's a big step forward.
http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
First and foremost, I'm a long time fan of PRZ... he's a hero among heros and should be credited as such.
Secondly, am I missing the hardware solutions for things like this? I've been a Vonage customer for some time, and while Vonage seems to take a blind eye to security (just ask them they'll tell you they are happy to work with the local and federal law enforcement agencies). When will I be able to use a handheld, encrypted VOIP device, and be sure that its secure?
think before you write, it'll save me moderator points.
I'm going to vote for the candidate that likes to "shake things up."
Good luck. One such politician (before he died in a plane crash) was Paul Wellstone. A little too far left for my tastes, but a nice guy from my conversations with him.
He went in all fire and zeal, and was basically told by the party leadership to STFU and play ball or he will get NO SUPPORT on ANYTHING - including basic normal federal funding for highway projects and such.
The system is broken - I don't care WHO you elect.
You know, I love it when pundits don't even read their talking points before posting them. What part of "usually with a lawful warrant" didn't you understand. Yes, wiretapping has been goign on as long as there were wires. But the end run the current administration is doing around courts, FISA, Congress, and civil rights is pretty much unprecendented.