Keep Big Brother's hands off the Internet

[Rokenn]

Excerpt:

The Clinton administration would like the Federal government to have the capability to read any international or domestic computer communications. The FBI wants access to decode, digest, and discuss financial transactions, personal e-mail, and proprietary information sent abroad -- all in the name of national security. To accomplish this, President Clinton would like government agencies to have the keys for decoding all exported U.S. software and Internet communications. This proposed policy raises obvious concerns about Americans' privacy, in addition to tampering with the competitive advantage that our U.S. software companies currently enjoy in the field of encryption technology. Not only would Big Brother be looming over the shoulders of international cyber-surfers, but the administration threatens to render our state-of-the-art computer software engineers obsolete and unemployed. There is a concern that the Internet could be used to commit crimes and that advanced encryption could disguise such activity. However, we do not provide the government with phone jacks outside our homes for unlimited wiretaps. Why, then, should we grant government the Orwellian capability to listen at will and in real time to our communications across the Web? The protections of the Fourth Amendment are clear. The right to protection from unlawful searches is an indivisible American value. Two hundred years of court decisions have stood in defense of this fundamental right. The state's interest in effective crime-fighting should never vitiate the citizens' Bill of Rights.

Full article:Keep Big Brother's hands off the Internet
Written by then Senator John Ashcroft.

USIA Electronic Journal, Vol. 2, No. 4, October 1997

Irony so thick you can cut it with a knife!

[ 12-03-2002, 12:06 PM: Message edited by: Rokenn ]

[Timber Loftis]

Okay, I don't want Uncle reading my email. At the same time, I don't want my 4-yr-old to do an internet search for "horses" and find the beastiality sites that are out there. The abuse of unregulated internet is going to come to a head in the next few years, and here's why: (1) porn/obscenity is unchecked and readily available and even comes to you unsolicited in your email, (2) fraud is much more common, and perpertrators are hard to catch (note that this is a business concern, and the high $$$$ is one the gov. takes seriously), (3) pop-ups and spam are unchecked and unblockable and people really don't like it.

These are problems to be addressed. Unfortunately, they're NOT the ones the gov. is targeting.

[Harkoliar]

the problem with that is that the US might become a bully and blackmail everyone... especially people who know how to access those files. it has its ups and downs..

[Borvik]

One problem I'd have here is concerning of course the privacy. I hate the idea, that someone would have access to my personal things at any time
The other thing is that I don't have very much faith in the people, who will have to analyze all the gathered information. Do they care about context, intentions AND are they bright enough!!!!
If not for the first reason then surely for the second I'd say: Better forget it

[Vaskez]

I am also completely against this crap but bear in mind that the volume of data will be so huge that no one will even try to read it. No one cares about your email unless they already have a reason to be suspicious. They will mostly likely only use it to intercept and decode transactions and communications of suspected or known criminals. They wouldn't have the manpower to read everyone's stuff. Just think you rarely have time to read your own email, how would a few hundred agency people have the time to read the communications of 200 million+ people?

On this note, in Hungary it is illegal to sell mobile phones to anyone under the age of 18 and all mobile phones must be registered with a full name and address. The mobile networks in Hungary are set up so that the police can tap any mobile at any time and listen in. This may seem like a huge invasion of privacy, and it is, but the people live with it.
Last year a man was gunned down in the city of Gyor. The police listened to every suspect's mobile phone registered in Gyor and after 6 weeks or so, arrested and convicted the killer based on phone conversations they had listened in on. This is proof that it does work and does have its uses, although I am not saying that I like it.