KGB Wants Control of Email and VOIP

blair1q writes "The FSB (really just a rebadged KGB) is worried about the abilities that internet communications services such as Hotmail, Gmail, and Skype give to people they consider black-hats. In particular, they don't like the fact that these services allow encryption. They say they aren't going to seize or block them, yet, but are just 'studying' the situation, with an eye possibly toward implementing controls like those in China. Their increased interest in the tools may be related to a DDoS attack on Russian President Dmitri Medvedev's own LiveJournal account, which he termed 'revolting and illegal.'"

Comments

Re:Join the club, comrade

[timeOday]

I disagree. Convenience dictates the vast majority of people will migrate to one of a few centralized solutions, which can be pressured (or legislated) to honor wiretap orders. And the few who go out of their way for extra privacy are practically volunteering themselves for extra scrutiny by doing so.

Re:ever heard

[hairyfeet]

Why are they doing this now? One word: Egypt. The fact that with Internet organizing one of their old boys club could be run out on a rail? I'm sure that scares the shit out of them.

As for TFA? I'm sure we'll be seeing more of this in the coming months. Anything that can threaten power the way it did in Egypt will have to be monitored (for the children/terrists/etc) and sadly most folks won't know nor care that everything is being monitored as long as it isn't THEIR door that gets kicked in. If you're doing nothing wrong, right?