Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Jamming UK Metadata Collection?
AmiMoJo writes: It looks likely that the UK will try to require ISPs to collect metadata on behalf of its security services, and various other agencies will have access to this vast, privacy- and security-destroying database.
How can individuals resist? Some metadata is trivial to hide, e.g. much email is encrypted between the user and server, but a record of an access will still exist. Would there be much benefit to creating fake traffic, say by sending dummy emails to yourself? What about fake browsing, or keeping TOR running 24/7 (not as an exit node, just a client)?
The goal is to make the data less useful and harder to tie to an individual or separate from fake data, and to increase the cost of collecting and storing such data. Don't worry, I'm already on the list of known dissidents anyway.
How can individuals resist? Some metadata is trivial to hide, e.g. much email is encrypted between the user and server, but a record of an access will still exist. Would there be much benefit to creating fake traffic, say by sending dummy emails to yourself? What about fake browsing, or keeping TOR running 24/7 (not as an exit node, just a client)?
The goal is to make the data less useful and harder to tie to an individual or separate from fake data, and to increase the cost of collecting and storing such data. Don't worry, I'm already on the list of known dissidents anyway.
Simple. If you use a phone, you use someone else's network, and do things that are impossible for them to let you do without them knowing what you're doing. You can't call someone without the phone company knowing who you're calling.
And the internet is a public place, period. Don't do anything on the internet that you wouldn't do in your front yard, with the neighbors watching.
If you don't like it, tough. The rules of reality don't need your approval.
When trying to solve for the problem of securing communications, one usually doesn't listen to the idiot standing there suggesting to simply not communicate.
The rules of stupidity don't need your approval either. Much like you, they simply exist.