Something for a friday evening

[Roger Oberholtzer]

On Mon, 2008-06-23 at 06:12 -0500, David A. Bandel wrote:
> On Mon, Jun 23, 2008 at 1:46 AM, Roger Oberholtzer <roger at opq.se> wrote:
> > On Fri, 2008-06-20 at 18:41 -0700, Lonni J Friedman wrote:
> >> Sadly, I know the guy in the first picture:
> >> http://hehe2.net/linuxhumor/linux-and-sex-debunking-the-myth/
> >
> > Our overzealous company has set up a filter called webwash. It blocked
> > this. What I really dislike about the filter is that there is no
> > mechanism to register a complaint that the filter is wrong or should at
> > least be reviewed. I have been blocked from legitimate development
> > software related sites, with no apparent recourse. Given Sweden's new
> > 'FRA' law (http://www.thelocal.se/12534/20080618/), I guess I should
> > just get used to a different internet...
> 
> I've said it for years, internet communications are not secure.  You
> don't want your e-mail read, encrypt it.  I routinely encrypt e-mails
> to individuals.  Obviously to lists like this, you wouldn't want to do
> that, but all other communications should just be encrypted as a
> matter of routine.  Then laws like this wouldn't bother you in the
> least.

I do not expect it to be secure. I also do not expect to be monitored by
a civilian organization who will need no approval to access things.
There is no control over the access. This is not being done by the
police or military, over which there is some sort of control or
monitoring of their activities. This is by a civilian organization who
could sell the information they harvest without needing to ask anyone.

It does bother me. Telia Sonera, a big telecoms company in these parts,
has moved all servers out of Sweden, since they cannot guarantee things,
like IP telephony between two Finns - nothing to do with Sweden, will
not be effected. Their communications would have passed through a
Swedish server, making all content available. Google have said all
servers it has and would consider placing in Sweden will now go
elsewhere. Many other companies are following suite. Sweden's place as a
major telecom player (Ericsson is Swedish), with a very good national
network, is at risk. This national network exists, to a large extent,
because many companies located their services here. As they leave, a big
reason for maintain this network goes as well.

It is not a mater of having something to hide. It is a matter of now
feeling a need to hide that which previously would not have been hidden.
A play on the USA Prohibition era stories of people starting to drink
only because it was now forbidden.

> Also, since a _lot_ of e-mail is via web, folks should get used to
> using https vice http.

Every port is monitored. It is full communication access. And,
encryption only slows down the government. If they want to read it, they
will.

Just because technology allows me to move my stuff in more secure
fashion does not in any way make it ok for the government to monitor as
they now will. I think this will probably result in making their job
more difficult. You know that secure communications will now be a big
industry in these parts.

> I have nothing to hide, but don't think my private communications are
> any of anyones business, so I encrypt everything I can just because.
> Part of the reason I think little of sending someone who needs it a
> password to something via e-mail.  If the e-mail is strongly
> encrypted, via either gnupg or s/mime (I use whatever the other party
> uses -- most Linux folks like gnupg and most Windoze lusers like
> s/mime with a private e-mail cert via Thawte), it's secure enough
> against prying eyes.
> 
> My laptop drive is also encrypted for some of the same reasons.  Will
> probably do this for all my personal systems in the future.

On a similar note, I read in the paper yesterday that doctors think too
many people believe that a condom is 100% protection against STDs.

I get your point, David, but I do not think the world is safer because
of this. If I was a terrorist, I would add my message to JPEGS or TIFFS.
Anyone who really wants to transmit something unseen is probably already
doing so. Swedes value their privacy as much as the next, so I think
there will be a big fight over this law.

-- 
Roger Oberholtzer

OPQ Systems / Ramböll RST

Ramböll Sverige AB
Kapellgränd 7
P.O. Box 4205
SE-102 65 Stockholm, Sweden

Office: Int +46 8-615 60 20
Mobile: Int +46 70-815 1696

And remember:

It is RSofT and there is always something under construction. 
It is like talking about large city with all constructions finished. 
Not impossible, but very unlikely.