The "Amazon [web site] has always looked and felt like something an intern threw together in an afternoon and was then hastily built on top of over the next couple decades."
Amazon managers: Don't mod the parent comment down. Instead, fix the problems!
Some manager at the TSA may have found a way to "enhance" the statistics. Probably that. Nothing more.
There was a 20% increase in 1 year? Not likely, unless the TSA was failing to find guns before.
MOD PARENT UP to +10. Quote: "Many of the founders specifically objected to the Bill of Rights for this reason because it made it seem like if the constitution wasn't giving a right to the people, then they didn't have that right."
That is certainly NOT a "purely political" story; although I can understand why someone would make that mistake. It's a story about the decline of technology in the United States caused by those who make money favoring secret actions by secret U.S. government organizations.
The NSA does not provide "Security". Instead, the secrecy makes everyone feel insecure. Anyone can claim that a secret organization did something destructive; that's an easy sale when a small group wants violence. Suppose an NSA manager wants a promotion. The manager can arrange something likely to cause violence; there is no outside review; new violence can be used as a reason for new authority.
Consider the Culture of fear. Nazi leader Hermann Goring: "The people don't want war, but they can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."
Quote from that same Wikipedia page: 'Former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski argues that the use of the term War on Terror was intended to generate a culture of fear deliberately because it "obscures reason, intensifies emotions and makes it easier for demagogic politicians to mobilize the public on behalf of the policies they want to pursue." '
Another quote: "... journalist Adam Curtis argues that politicians have used our fears to increase their power and control over society."
NSA = No Structural Authority.
There are complicated problems in running ANY organization. Managing secret organizations sensibly is impossible. Each manager of a secret organization has an excuse to hide his or her mistakes. There can be no outside ideas to fix problems because no outsiders are allowed to know what is happening.
Backdoors:
The U.S. government allows secret government agencies to go to any executive in any company, make demands for "security", and threaten the executive with prison if he or she doesn't do what the secret agency wants. Is that the reason that U.S. computer equipment has backdoors? We are not allowed to know. Secret agencies are allowed to lie, so even if an agency says it didn't force a backdoor, no one can know if the statement is true.
A few of the many stories about backdoors in U.S. hardware:
Quote: "The LVL 1 support team at Netgear took my information and had me try 2 beta firmwares that did not resolve the issue. They asked for all the devices connected to the router and screenshots with the config file. All the information was supplied and escalated to a higher LVL support group.... My time is being used to beta test their product. They obviously know something is not right with the unit as my Actiontec GL1000 router works perfectly as does my Nighthawk R7000. The Nighthawk R8500 will lock up with no access to the internet or internal setup. All lights remain on but the unit becomes unresponsive and a power cycle is required to restore access."
I've had the same problem with Netgear FVS336G routers, random lockups. The problem: Configuration is more complicated than the manual suggests.
I sent those and a lot more negative reviews to Netgear Sales, Netgear Investor Relations, and the Netgear Media Inquiries email addresses. There was no reply.
I think the biggest factor is that it is almost impossible for a small business owner to find fully competent technically knowledgeable people to do the work.
My experiences today:
A representative of Ally Bank showed complete, utter incompetence, while pretending to understand.
I told someone that Wells Fargo Bank management is not technically competent. She said, "My husband works there. He strongly agrees."
I got a message from United Parcel Service. UPS no longer supports Windows XP. Crazy.
Why did Red Hat adopt SystemD? Red Hat makes money supporting Red Hat Linux. SystemD requires a lot of support. Adopting SystemD causes Red Hat to make more money.
Since Red Hat is the dominant provider of Linux, other distributions were forced to adopt SystemD, also.
There is some conflict of interest. A long time ago, Red Hat gave Linus Torvalds Red Hat stock.
Red Hat's decision gives short-term gain. Over the long term, adopting software that is not finished is destructive toward the entire Linux community, and the entire world.
Yes, I didn't think clearly about that. Silicone rubber has problems with adherence.
I agree with the idea of using black Shoe Goo. I'm surprised your methods don't last longer. Problem: Shoe Goo emits a poisonous chemical for more than a month.
Is Goop any better?
You didn't say anything about the $14 door handles I found.
Is long-term parts availability a serious issue? Aren't there many, many people selling parts from old cars online?
I find it shocking that articles about the NSA seem to start from the assumption that, except for the theft of a huge amount of data by an employee of a sub-contractor, Edward Snowden, the NSA is well managed. To me, it is utterly obvious that the NSA is not well managed.
If NSA employees can listen to all telephone calls, do you think that none of them notice an increase of traffic at a company and listen to the recordings to find stock tips?
My perception is that governments don't manage technology companies well. (NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy, for example.) Part of the reason is that the best technology people want to work for organizations that are known for their good work. A government, especially a secret government agency, cannot hire the kind of people who are creative with technology. What technology genius wants to go to prison if he talks about his work?
"Cryptographic backdoors are one of the best ways for attackers to break into systems. '[The backdoors] take care of the hard work, the laying of plumbing and electrical wiring, so attackers can simply walk in and change the drapes,' Green said."
It is definitely not reasonable to think that the NSA can hire people who are smarter than all those who want to break into computer systems. Cryptographic backdoors are a bad idea, and not only because they kill the sales of any nation that sponsors them.
When a government agency can break into any company's affairs, do you think the managers never take advantage of that information to make money?
Who chooses the sub-contractors, and decides how much they are paid? Suppose a relative of an NSA manager owns a contracting company?
Secrecy causes huge problems. It is difficult or impossible to review the quality of management. Bad managers can hide their mistakes. That effectively assures that the management will be poor.
Also, democracy works only if citizens can know what the government is doing.
The NSA is based on an idea that just does not function correctly, and cannot be made to function correctly.
NSA Helped British Spies Find Security Holes In Juniper Firewalls Quote: "... British spy agency GCHQ, with the knowledge and apparent cooperation of the NSA, acquired the capability to covertly exploit security vulnerabilities in 13 different models of firewalls made by Juniper Networks..."
"Cryptographic backdoors are one of the best ways for attackers to break into systems. '[The backdoors] take care of the hard work, the laying of plumbing and electrical wiring, so attackers can simply walk in and change the drapes,' Green said.
"The door handles are wearing out and GM wants $1100 for a full set."
Toyota dealers near where we live are VERY aggressive. We needed a new window motor, found one online, and installed it ourselves. The motor cost $53, seems very high quality, and works perfectly.
"GM can't die... fast enough." I'm guessing that's what is happening. GM is dying.
GM went bankrupt in 2009 Why? Apparently because GM was deliberately selling cars with poor reliability so it could make more money selling new cars, and so GM dealers could make more money fixing GM cars.
It amazes me that, when I go to the Ally Bank web site to see my accounts summary at the following URL, Ghostery says "Ghostery found 8 trackers":
https://securebanking.ally.com/#/accounts/summary
The Ally Bank URL contains the words "secure banking"!
Here are the trackers:
Advertising.com
Google DoubleClick Floodlight
Google DoubleClick Spotlight
Google Dynamic Remarketing
MediaMath Advertising
Omniture (Adobe Analytics)
Qualtrics
RUN (https://match.rundsp.com/)
There is nothing "secure" about notifying other companies that I am looking at a summary of my bank accounts!
Microsoft has a long history of extremely incompetent management. For
example, the cover of the January 16, 2013 issue of BusinessWeek
magazine has a
large photo of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (now replaced by Satya
Nadella) with the headline calling
him "Monkey Boy". See the BusinessWeek cover in this article:
Steve Ballmer Is No Longer A Monkey Boy, Says Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The
BusinessWeek cover says "No More" and "Mr.", but that doesn't take
much away from the fact that the magazine called Ballmer Monkey Boy -- on its
cover.
Worst CEO in the United States: Quote from an article in Forbes Magazine about Steve Ballmer: "Without a
doubt, Mr. Ballmer is the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company
today." Another quote: "The reach of his bad leadership has extended far beyond Microsoft
when it comes to destroying shareholder value -- and jobs." (May 12, 2012)
For Microsoft, "End-of-life" means more control over users by forcing them to use new software that makes Microsoft's methods more dominant. My opinion, shared by many others.
"... letter is available only in MS Word format and LibreOffice refuses to open it."
The.DocX letter opens in Wordpad, with a message saying some of the information may not be viewable. See the text below.
"The Dutch government is a bunch of clueless computer illiterate idiots."
Probably Microsoft made another new file format so that new documents cannot be opened by old versions of Microsoft software, or other software. Microsoft is then able to sell everyone new versions. Not everyone can know all the methods of abuse by software makers.
_______________
Aan de Voorzitter van de Tweede Kamer
der Staten-Generaal
Postbus 20018
2500 EA DEN HAAG
Datum 4 januari 2016
Onderwerp Kabinetsstandpunt encryptie
Ministerie van Veiligheid en Justitie
Kabinetsstandpunt Encryptie
Hierbij sturen wij u het kabinetsstandpunt toe over encryptie. Hiermee
wordt tegemoet gekomen aan de gedane toezeggingen tijdens het AO
Telecomraad van 10 juni 2015 (TK 2014-2015, 21501-33, nr. 552) en AO
JBZ-Raad van 7 oktober 2015.
Inleiding
Encryptie, ook wel versleuteling, is in toenemende mate eenvoudig te
verkrijgen en gebruiken en maakt daarmee steeds vaker onderdeel uit van
het reguliere dataverkeer. Door de overheid, bedrijven en burgers wordt
encryptie steeds meer toegepast om de vertrouwelijkheid en integriteit
van hun communicatie en opgeslagen data te beschermen. Dat is belangrijk
voor het vertrouwen van mensen in digitale producten en diensten en
voor de Nederlandse economie in het licht van de zich snel ontwikkelende
digitale maatschappij. Tegelijkertijd vormt encryptie een belemmering
voor het verkrijgen van informatie die noodzakelijk is voor opsporings-,
inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten wanneer kwaadwillenden (zoals
criminelen en terroristen) hiervan gebruikmaken. De recente aanslagen in
Parijs, waarbij mogelijk gebruik is gemaakt van versleuteling van de
communicatie door de terroristen, leiden tot de gerechtvaardigde vraag
wat er nodig is om opsporings-, inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten
goed zicht te bieden en laten houden op aanslagplanning.
De in de vorige alinea beschreven tweeledigheid was eveneens te horen in
het publieke debat van de afgelopen maanden over de dilemmaâ(TM)s rondom
het gebruik van encryptie. Ook uw Kamer heeft over dit onderwerp
gesproken. Tijdens het AO Telecomraad is gevraagd wat het Kabinet gaat
doen aan het stimuleren van sterke encryptie. Daarnaast is vanuit de
Tweede Kamer gevraagd om te komen met een kabinetsstandpunt rond
encryptie.
Hierna wordt ingegaan op het belang van encryptie voor de systeem- en
informatiebeveiliging van de overheid en bedrijven, en voor de
grondwettelijke bescherming van de persoonlijke levenssfeer en het
communicatiegeheim. Daarnaast wordt het belang van opsporing van
ernstige misdrijven en bescherming van de nationale veiligheid
geschetst. Tot slot wordt na weging van de belangen gekomen tot een
conclusie.
De Nederlandse situatie kan hierbij niet los worden gezien van de
internationale context. Sterke encryptiesoftware is in toenemende mate
wereldwijd beschikbaar of al geïntegreerd in producten of diensten.
Gelet op de brede beschikbaarheid en toepassing van geavanceerde
encryptietechnieken en het grensoverschrijdende karakter van het
dataverkeer is het handelingsperspectief op nationaal niveau beperkt.
Belang van encryptie voor de overheid, bedrijven en burgers
Cryptografie speelt een sleutelrol in de technische beveiliging in het
digitale domein. Veel cybersecuritymaatregelen in organisaties leunen
sterk op de toepassing van encryptie. De veilige opslag van
wachtwoorden, het beschermen van laptops tegen verlies of diefstal en
het veilig bewaren van backups zijn moeilijker zonder het gebruik van
encryptie. Het afschermen van gegevens die verstuurd worden via
Slashdot Mirror
The "Amazon [web site] has always looked and felt like something an intern threw together in an afternoon and was then hastily built on top of over the next couple decades."
Amazon managers: Don't mod the parent comment down. Instead, fix the problems!
Some manager at the TSA may have found a way to "enhance" the statistics. Probably that. Nothing more.
There was a 20% increase in 1 year? Not likely, unless the TSA was failing to find guns before.
MOD PARENT UP to +10. Quote: "Many of the founders specifically objected to the Bill of Rights for this reason because it made it seem like if the constitution wasn't giving a right to the people, then they didn't have that right."
That is certainly NOT a "purely political" story; although I can understand why someone would make that mistake. It's a story about the decline of technology in the United States caused by those who make money favoring secret actions by secret U.S. government organizations.
NSA = No Sales for America.
Boeing Might Lose $4B Brazil Deal For F-18 Jets After NSA Surveillance Scandal; Analysts Say Politics Won't Trump Business (09/12/13)
Three months later: President Dilma Rousseff Announces Brazil Is Buying Sweden's Saab Gripen Jet Fighters (12/18/13)
NSA = Not a Sensible Arrangement.
The NSA does not provide "Security". Instead, the secrecy makes everyone feel insecure. Anyone can claim that a secret organization did something destructive; that's an easy sale when a small group wants violence. Suppose an NSA manager wants a promotion. The manager can arrange something likely to cause violence; there is no outside review; new violence can be used as a reason for new authority.
Consider the Culture of fear. Nazi leader Hermann Goring: "The people don't want war, but they can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."
Quote from that same Wikipedia page: 'Former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski argues that the use of the term War on Terror was intended to generate a culture of fear deliberately because it "obscures reason, intensifies emotions and makes it easier for demagogic politicians to mobilize the public on behalf of the policies they want to pursue." '
Another quote: "... journalist Adam Curtis argues that politicians have used our fears to increase their power and control over society."
NSA = No Structural Authority.
There are complicated problems in running ANY organization. Managing secret organizations sensibly is impossible. Each manager of a secret organization has an excuse to hide his or her mistakes. There can be no outside ideas to fix problems because no outsiders are allowed to know what is happening.
Backdoors:
The U.S. government allows secret government agencies to go to any executive in any company, make demands for "security", and threaten the executive with prison if he or she doesn't do what the secret agency wants. Is that the reason that U.S. computer equipment has backdoors? We are not allowed to know. Secret agencies are allowed to lie, so even if an agency says it didn't force a backdoor, no one can know if the statement is true.
A few of the many stories about backdoors in U.S. hardware:
D-Link: Reverse Engineering a D-Link Backdoor (Oct. 12, 2013)
Arris: 600,000 Arris cable modems have 'backdoors in backdoors', researcher claims (Nov. 20, 2015)
Juniper Networks: Juniper drops NSA-developed code following new backdoor revelations (Jan. 10, 2016)
Cisco: Snowden: The NSA planted backdoors in Cisco products (May 15, 2014)
Netgear
If they had replied, maybe this wouldn't be discussed on Slashdot.
11% negative reviews: NETGEAR Nighthawk X8
... My time is being used to beta test their product. They obviously know something is not right with the unit as my Actiontec GL1000 router works perfectly as does my Nighthawk R7000. The Nighthawk R8500 will lock up with no access to the internet or internal setup. All lights remain on but the unit becomes unresponsive and a power cycle is required to restore access."
Quote: "The LVL 1 support team at Netgear took my information and had me try 2 beta firmwares that did not resolve the issue. They asked for all the devices connected to the router and screenshots with the config file. All the information was supplied and escalated to a higher LVL support group.
I've had the same problem with Netgear FVS336G routers, random lockups. The problem: Configuration is more complicated than the manual suggests.
Extremely negative reviews of one Netgear product on Amazon ...
NETGEAR ProSAFE FVS318G 8-Port Gigabit VPN Firewall (FVS318G-200NAS)
Customer Reviews: Average 2 stars of 5
Worked for Two Weeks, Then Nothing But Trouble
Locks up after 5 mins
both hardware and production support are horrible. I bought 2 and have to return both
Fast FW-Router when it works....
Bad firmware out of the box
Slow, solid and slow
Very ridiculous and disappointed.
Flakey administration; otherwise a good firewall for the price
Dont buy this - nothing but problems
brand new unit, updated firmware, Very Flaky.
Do not waste your time and money!
Quote: "Ive purchased 20 devices and many of them lock up within 5 minutes. Ive updated to the latest firmware and the issue continues. I am returning all of them. Do not buy this device."
fails consistently, less than consumer grade
Locks up twice a day
Dead on arrival
(Retrieved 12/27/2015.)
I sent those and a lot more negative reviews to Netgear Sales, Netgear Investor Relations, and the Netgear Media Inquiries email addresses. There was no reply.
Does SystemD make money for Red Hat by causing more demand for support?
I think the biggest factor is that it is almost impossible for a small business owner to find fully competent technically knowledgeable people to do the work.
My experiences today:
A representative of Ally Bank showed complete, utter incompetence, while pretending to understand.
I told someone that Wells Fargo Bank management is not technically competent. She said, "My husband works there. He strongly agrees."
I got a message from United Parcel Service. UPS no longer supports Windows XP. Crazy.
The reality is that there is a HUGE amount of resistance to technology. One example: What Computer? Why Small Business Shuns Technology
Excellent. That's my experience.
Why did Red Hat adopt SystemD? Red Hat makes money supporting Red Hat Linux. SystemD requires a lot of support. Adopting SystemD causes Red Hat to make more money.
Since Red Hat is the dominant provider of Linux, other distributions were forced to adopt SystemD, also.
There is some conflict of interest. A long time ago, Red Hat gave Linus Torvalds Red Hat stock.
Red Hat's decision gives short-term gain. Over the long term, adopting software that is not finished is destructive toward the entire Linux community, and the entire world.
Microsoft Windows will die. Microsoft Windows has a universal back door through which any change whatsoever can be imposed on the users. Windows is spyware.
The world needs a standard operating system. Maybe ReactOS will be the future?
Yes, I didn't think clearly about that. Silicone rubber has problems with adherence.
I agree with the idea of using black Shoe Goo. I'm surprised your methods don't last longer. Problem: Shoe Goo emits a poisonous chemical for more than a month.
Is Goop any better?
You didn't say anything about the $14 door handles I found.
Is long-term parts availability a serious issue? Aren't there many, many people selling parts from old cars online?
I'm not suggesting using a mold. I'm suggesting repairing the current seals with silicon rubber by putting silicon rubber everywhere it is needed.
NSA = No Sales for America
I find it shocking that articles about the NSA seem to start from the assumption that, except for the theft of a huge amount of data by an employee of a sub-contractor, Edward Snowden, the NSA is well managed. To me, it is utterly obvious that the NSA is not well managed.
If NSA employees can listen to all telephone calls, do you think that none of them notice an increase of traffic at a company and listen to the recordings to find stock tips?
My perception is that governments don't manage technology companies well. (NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy, for example.) Part of the reason is that the best technology people want to work for organizations that are known for their good work. A government, especially a secret government agency, cannot hire the kind of people who are creative with technology. What technology genius wants to go to prison if he talks about his work?
I posted links to 8 more articles about Juniper Networks below. A quote from one of them:
"Cryptographic backdoors are one of the best ways for attackers to break into systems. '[The backdoors] take care of the hard work, the laying of plumbing and electrical wiring, so attackers can simply walk in and change the drapes,' Green said."
It is definitely not reasonable to think that the NSA can hire people who are smarter than all those who want to break into computer systems. Cryptographic backdoors are a bad idea, and not only because they kill the sales of any nation that sponsors them.
When a government agency can break into any company's affairs, do you think the managers never take advantage of that information to make money?
Who chooses the sub-contractors, and decides how much they are paid? Suppose a relative of an NSA manager owns a contracting company?
Secrecy causes huge problems. It is difficult or impossible to review the quality of management. Bad managers can hide their mistakes. That effectively assures that the management will be poor.
Also, democracy works only if citizens can know what the government is doing.
The NSA is based on an idea that just does not function correctly, and cannot be made to function correctly.
NSA Helped British Spies Find Security Holes In Juniper Firewalls Quote: "... British spy agency GCHQ, with the knowledge and apparent cooperation of the NSA, acquired the capability to covertly exploit security vulnerabilities in 13 different models of firewalls made by Juniper Networks..."
... eventually
Secret Code Found in Juniper's Firewalls Shows Risk of Government Backdoors Quote: "This is a very good showcase for why backdoors are really something governments should not have in these types of devices because at some point it will backfire."
New Discovery Around Juniper Backdoor Raises More Questions About the Company Quote: "Juniper added the insecure algorithm to its software long after the more secure one was already in it, raising questions about why the company would have knowingly undermined an already secure system."
Juniper 'fesses up to TWO attacks from 'unauthorised code'
'Unauthorized code' that decrypts VPNs found in Juniper's ScreenOS Quote: "And it may have been there since 2008, making this a late contender for FAIL of the year."
How to log into any backdoored Juniper firewall -- hard-coded password published
Juniper promises to fix ScreenOS cryptography
Listen up, FBI: Juniper code shows the problem with backdoors Quote: "FBI director James Comey should be taking notes: The Juniper debacle shows why security experts are up in arms over government-ordered backdoors."
Another quote from that article:
"Cryptographic backdoors are one of the best ways for attackers to break into systems. '[The backdoors] take care of the hard work, the laying of plumbing and electrical wiring, so attackers can simply walk in and change the drapes,' Green said.
People on Slashdot don't react appropriately negatively when they are abused. That amazes me.
"GM discontinued the rear door seals"
... fast enough." I'm guessing that's what is happening. GM is dying.
Can you make your own seals with silicon rubber?
"The door handles are wearing out and GM wants $1100 for a full set."
Toyota dealers near where we live are VERY aggressive. We needed a new window motor, found one online, and installed it ourselves. The motor cost $53, seems very high quality, and works perfectly.
"GM can't die
Here are Chevy Astro door handles: $12.55 with free shipping.
Dilbert on cloudy thinking.
Laches (equity) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Laches refers to a lack of diligence and activity in making a legal claim...
GM went bankrupt in 2009 Why? Apparently because GM was deliberately selling cars with poor reliability so it could make more money selling new cars, and so GM dealers could make more money fixing GM cars.
Here are a few examples: The Ten Worst Cars GM Ever Built.
Apparently, nothing has changed. 2014 General Motors ignition switch scandal.
GM is moving away from being a U.S. company: G.M. Will Import Buicks Made in China to the U.S.
My experience is that most ads are abusive in some way. I use these add-ons in Firefox: uBlock Origin ad blocking, NoScript, and Ghostery.
It amazes me that, when I go to the Ally Bank web site to see my accounts summary at the following URL, Ghostery says "Ghostery found 8 trackers":
https://securebanking.ally.com/#/accounts/summary
The Ally Bank URL contains the words "secure banking"!
Here are the trackers:
Advertising.com
Google DoubleClick Floodlight
Google DoubleClick Spotlight
Google Dynamic Remarketing
MediaMath Advertising
Omniture (Adobe Analytics)
Qualtrics
RUN (https://match.rundsp.com/)
There is nothing "secure" about notifying other companies that I am looking at a summary of my bank accounts!
PostgreSQL is impressive, especially now that software companies are becoming more and more abusive.
Adobe software becomes inoperative if you don't let it contact Adobe every time you start a program.
Microsoft's Software is Malware: Microsoft Windows has a universal back door through which any change whatsoever can be imposed on the users.
We need a government that supports the people (democracy), rather than a government that supports the rich and powerful (dictatorship of the rich).
Microsoft's Software is Malware. "Malware means software designed to function in ways that mistreat or harm the user."
Microsoft has a long history of extremely incompetent management. For example, the cover of the January 16, 2013 issue of BusinessWeek magazine has a large photo of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (now replaced by Satya Nadella) with the headline calling him "Monkey Boy". See the BusinessWeek cover in this article: Steve Ballmer Is No Longer A Monkey Boy, Says Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The BusinessWeek cover says "No More" and "Mr.", but that doesn't take much away from the fact that the magazine called Ballmer Monkey Boy -- on its cover.
Worst CEO in the United States: Quote from an article in Forbes Magazine about Steve Ballmer: "Without a doubt, Mr. Ballmer is the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company today." Another quote: "The reach of his bad leadership has extended far beyond Microsoft when it comes to destroying shareholder value -- and jobs." (May 12, 2012)
For Microsoft, "End-of-life" means more control over users by forcing them to use new software that makes Microsoft's methods more dominant. My opinion, shared by many others.
"... letter is available only in MS Word format and LibreOffice refuses to open it."
.DocX letter opens in Wordpad, with a message saying some of the information may not be viewable. See the text below.
The
"The Dutch government is a bunch of clueless computer illiterate idiots."
Probably Microsoft made another new file format so that new documents cannot be opened by old versions of Microsoft software, or other software. Microsoft is then able to sell everyone new versions. Not everyone can know all the methods of abuse by software makers.
_______________
Aan de Voorzitter van de Tweede Kamer
der Staten-Generaal
Postbus 20018
2500 EA DEN HAAG
Datum 4 januari 2016
Onderwerp Kabinetsstandpunt encryptie
Ministerie van Veiligheid en Justitie
Turfmarkt 147
2511 DPDen Haag
Postbus 16950
2500 BZDen Haag
www.nctv.nl
Ons kenmerk
708641
Kabinetsstandpunt Encryptie
Hierbij sturen wij u het kabinetsstandpunt toe over encryptie. Hiermee wordt tegemoet gekomen aan de gedane toezeggingen tijdens het AO Telecomraad van 10 juni 2015 (TK 2014-2015, 21501-33, nr. 552) en AO JBZ-Raad van 7 oktober 2015.
Inleiding
Encryptie, ook wel versleuteling, is in toenemende mate eenvoudig te verkrijgen en gebruiken en maakt daarmee steeds vaker onderdeel uit van het reguliere dataverkeer. Door de overheid, bedrijven en burgers wordt encryptie steeds meer toegepast om de vertrouwelijkheid en integriteit van hun communicatie en opgeslagen data te beschermen. Dat is belangrijk voor het vertrouwen van mensen in digitale producten en diensten en voor de Nederlandse economie in het licht van de zich snel ontwikkelende digitale maatschappij. Tegelijkertijd vormt encryptie een belemmering voor het verkrijgen van informatie die noodzakelijk is voor opsporings-, inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten wanneer kwaadwillenden (zoals criminelen en terroristen) hiervan gebruikmaken. De recente aanslagen in Parijs, waarbij mogelijk gebruik is gemaakt van versleuteling van de communicatie door de terroristen, leiden tot de gerechtvaardigde vraag wat er nodig is om opsporings-, inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten goed zicht te bieden en laten houden op aanslagplanning.
De in de vorige alinea beschreven tweeledigheid was eveneens te horen in het publieke debat van de afgelopen maanden over de dilemmaâ(TM)s rondom het gebruik van encryptie. Ook uw Kamer heeft over dit onderwerp gesproken. Tijdens het AO Telecomraad is gevraagd wat het Kabinet gaat doen aan het stimuleren van sterke encryptie. Daarnaast is vanuit de Tweede Kamer gevraagd om te komen met een kabinetsstandpunt rond encryptie.
Hierna wordt ingegaan op het belang van encryptie voor de systeem- en informatiebeveiliging van de overheid en bedrijven, en voor de grondwettelijke bescherming van de persoonlijke levenssfeer en het communicatiegeheim. Daarnaast wordt het belang van opsporing van ernstige misdrijven en bescherming van de nationale veiligheid geschetst. Tot slot wordt na weging van de belangen gekomen tot een conclusie.
De Nederlandse situatie kan hierbij niet los worden gezien van de internationale context. Sterke encryptiesoftware is in toenemende mate wereldwijd beschikbaar of al geïntegreerd in producten of diensten. Gelet op de brede beschikbaarheid en toepassing van geavanceerde encryptietechnieken en het grensoverschrijdende karakter van het dataverkeer is het handelingsperspectief op nationaal niveau beperkt.
Belang van encryptie voor de overheid, bedrijven en burgers
Cryptografie speelt een sleutelrol in de technische beveiliging in het digitale domein. Veel cybersecuritymaatregelen in organisaties leunen sterk op de toepassing van encryptie. De veilige opslag van wachtwoorden, het beschermen van laptops tegen verlies of diefstal en het veilig bewaren van backups zijn moeilijker zonder het gebruik van encryptie. Het afschermen van gegevens die verstuurd worden via