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Bavarian Police Seeking Skype Trojan Informant

Posted by kdawson on from the heavy-hand dept.

Andreaskem writes "Bavarian police searched the home of the spokesman for the German Pirate Party (Piratenpartei Deutschland) looking for an informant who leaked information about a government Trojan used to eavesdrop on Skype conversations. (The link is a Google translation of the German original.) There is a high probability that the Trojan is used illegally. A criminal law specialist said, 'The Bavarian authorities worked on the Trojan without a legitimate basis and now try to silence critics.' The informant need not worry since 'every information that could be used to identify him' is protected against unauthorized access by strong encryption. The Trojan is supposedly capable of eavesdropping on Skype conversations and obtaining technical details of the Skype client being used. It is deployed by e-mail or in place by the police. A Pirate Party spokesman said, 'Some of our officials seem to want to install the Big Brother state without the knowledge of the public.'"

11 of 252 comments (clear)

  1. Bavarian police invading privacy!?! by gnick · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who would have thought that even a country like Germany could deteriorate into a police state?

    I kid, I kid... I'm in the US...

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    1. Re:Bavarian police invading privacy!?! by Daimanta · · Score: 4, Funny

      `Then bare hands.

      Hello, I am Leopold II and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

      --
      Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
    2. Re:Bavarian police invading privacy!?! by Larryish · · Score: 2, Funny

      it is called svchost.exe

    3. Re:Bavarian police invading privacy!?! by myowntrueself · · Score: 2, Funny

      For example, if we decided that it was very practical for people to protect their lives by equipping themselves with thermonuclear destruct devices activated by the lack of a heartbeat

      Please, nothing so complex.

      A thermonuclear device mounted on a motorcycle sidecar will do me *just* fine, thanks. Glass knives are optional.

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
  2. Re:Actung! by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 4, Funny

    Look! I 'drew' ASCII Hitler! It's OK, though, the Bavarian Gendarmerie already pre-Godwinned the topic!

    (\:7=[

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  3. Could be worse... by Deadstick · · Score: 5, Funny
    ...Most governments screw you without one.

    rj

  4. Bavarian Police Seeking Skype Trojan Informant by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Likes outdoor activities, pets, and long moonlit walks on the beach. Mild uniform fetish. Possible LTR. Call me soon - let's drink beer and eat Souvlakia on Walpurgisnacht!

  5. Re:Actung! by djdavetrouble · · Score: 2, Funny

    Zero to Godwin in 3 posts, a new record !

    This part was particularly compelling: In January 2008, the Pirate Party unbestätigtes letter from the Bavarian Justice Ministry zugespielt.

    Love that translation program.

    --
    music lover since 1969
  6. Vacation in scenic Souvlakia... by zooblethorpe · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... where the wild souvlaki herds roam! :)

    Cheers,

    --
    "What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
    "A four-foot prune."
  7. Re:Stasi 2.0 by Dunbal · · Score: 2, Funny

    well, I guess we can't really blame everything on them.

          Nah, we have George Bush for THAT.

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  8. Re:We really need by geekgirlandrea · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'd like to see them install a trojan on my UltraSPARC.