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Govt Docs Reveal Canadian Telcos Promise Surveillance Ready Networks
An anonymous reader writes "Michael Geist reports
that Canadian telecom and Internet providers have tried to convince
the government that they will voluntarily build surveillance
capabilities into their networks. Hoping to avoid legislative
requirements, the providers argue that "the telecommunications
market will soon shift to a point where interception capability will
simply become a standard component of available equipment, and that
technical changes in the way communications actually travel on
communications networks will make it even easier to intercept
communications."
1. High costs to customers, check.
2. Slow speeds, check.
3. No expenses spared upgrading intercept capabilities for the government, priceless!
We kill Hitler, a new one emerges.
...when everyone is storing everything on the cloud, and relying on the cloud's encryption to protect them.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Since the US has required access network operators to implement CALEA support many products are already being designed with lawful intercept functionality anyways. Implementing it isn't a problem really, just so long as it's not abused it's not that different from a telephone wiretap.
I don't know everything.
I just don't get why doing this voluntarily is a good thing.
If it was regulatory the same work would be needed but then the companies could say to the angry users: "We didn't want to, those people you elected forced us to do it".
By being voluntary it doesn't make mainstream news, people don't vote against it, and users who do find out trust their telco less.
The typical reason for doing this is "if we don't do it first, subsequent legislation will require us to implement an even more onerous system".
Let's see how that works in practice:
The government simply waits to see what the telcos implement. If it's *more* than they wanted, they stop and say "well done!". If it's *less* than they wanted, then they proceed with legislation, which they were planning to do anyway.
In game theory terms, what does this type of policy maximize?
Trojan^D^D^D^D^D^D The team is ready for infiltration.
It appears that the time has come for an easy to use encryption technology. One that plugs into your computer and allows you to implement your own encryption scheme (that isn't the same as everyone elses). It should also plug into your phone so that your conversation is encrypted. Sure if its just janie talking to grandma, they can leave it all in the clear. If its banking or business or anything to do with money or personal records, then encrypt.
Have gnu, will travel.
If there is any spying that should be done it should be by the citizens of Canada on the government. How many little gold nuggets of corruption would be dug up? Quite a few, methinks.
Harper, Toewes, Desmarais, Irving, Bronfman... Just the data of these major players in Canada is probably a gold mine of corruption and fraud in and of itself.
As it stands, terrorism is not being stopped. Elite pedophiles are not being stopped. Innocent citizens are losing their privacy. Government is corrupt and organized crime is rampant. Canada is going to hell in a hand-basket.
Big brother has been watching for too long.
Time for little sister to tell.
We have civil forfiture lawsthat were set up to fight "organize crime" now they are being used by butt hurt Crown Counsels as secondary punishment when the cases dont go their way. Even the judges have stepped in the made statements about it in BC.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
Now that phones are powerful computers, there's no reason not to have PGP-style end to end encryption for all voice and IM traffic, with public key encryption.
Trick is, it has to be a de-facto standard, or you run into the problem that Bob can't call Jane because they use different voice encryption programs, and Jane can't call Alice, so nobody wants to use it.
It has to be as simple as "install this app", and as strong as PGP.
and genuine outrage
is appalling.
--Legal.Troll (KAB)
As an engineer who worked with Eastlink a few years back, I can say with 100% certainty that the RCMP monitor every fucking packet that traverses Eastlink's network. I know because I assisted in the installation of the RCMP's "blackbox" that sits on the inside perimeter of Eastlink's boarder routers. Big Brother HAS ALWAYS been watching, folks.
What's this all about?!?
Even if you don't believe that the government will use these backdoors for evil, what's to stop anyone else? The more backdoors and surveillance they build into the system the more likely it is that someone one will find and exploit them. Plus, there's a lot of money in information. I don't think it would take too much convincing to get someone with access to go rogue and start feeding corporate/tech info to the highest bidder.
X
DDR = East Germany
Voluntary surveillance?
Um, so the surveilled get no say?
so it's not a matter of law?
seriously.. .why are they trying to pick a fight?
They have had mandatory surveillance for a long, long time.
The devices are probably little morer than a circular buffer, so slower equipment can select and process stuff they find interesting without having to run at wire speed. Doing the wire-speed DPI (with a sandvine box) costs way too much money.
davecb@spamcop.net
Sorry, mates, but Canada is a backwards shithole.
This is just another proof how Governments are eroding citizen rights. Who the fuck wants to attack Canada? Maybe Canada should not follow into USA footsteps and just get the fuck out of the Middle East I mean why the fuck are they there in the first place? They wanna show that they are macho or something like the USA? It's amazing that humans haven't evolved enough to stop committing the acts of violence and bring oppression onto others. STUPID FUCKING MONKEYS! HUMANS ARE BELOW MONKEYS!
In the USA, their plan was to pretty much destroy the constitution and just use the patriot act as an excuse against any law breakers not just the so called terrorist, well except the banks and wall street are off the hook.
Surprise surprise nothing has changed in the house and senate, $1.1 trillion spending bill. I mean what's a trillion here and there anyway, right. That's okay because the poor USA citizen is nothing more than a cash cow for the government and corporations that control it. So we will continue to have a shitty overpriced health care system, pay property taxes because we don't really own the land or home, pay other fucking taxes that supposedly pays for roads, police, schools, etc... on top of property taxes. That 1.1 trillion could of paid for schools, police, etc... and give that tax payer a break from property taxes or even invest into a public options insurance. In 3 1/2 decades usa collected about 50+ trillion in tax revenues. Where the fuck did it all go away?
In god we trust, in all others we monitor.
Dj fuQ [url="http://djfuq.org"]djfuq urges you to listen to the beats[/url] [url="http://djfuq.org"]http://djfuq.org[
I'm not sure who I would expect to abuse this more, the telecoms or the government.
I work in telecom, and virtually all core network elements have legal intercept capabilities built in.
Nothing really new here.