[Us] Government Seeks Back Door Into All Our Communications

[Crushdepth]

Since so much stuff is hosted in the US, this looks like bad news for basically the whole planet...full article on the Electronic Frontiers website:

The New York Times reported this morning on a Federal government plan to put government-mandated back doors in all communications systems, including all encryption software. The Times said the Obama administration is drafting a law that would impose a new "mandate" that all communications services be "able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages" — including ordering "[d]evelopers of software that enables peer-to-peer communication [to] redesign their service to allow interception".

[siamjj]

they have always done this,they are just letting us know now.

[H2oDunc]

Been going on for years. Google " project echelon " I worked there for years on and off. They listen and read every phone call, fax, email etc around the world. The same way that mobile phone companies could have made calls totally secure but Governments would not allow them as they wanted to have access to them when needed.

Welcome to the Big brother world

[bangkockney]

they have always done this,they are just letting us know now.

It's a bit more than that, as Skype and BB messaging are fully encrypted. The new law would require these services to be opened up to the State.

[Rama]

That's why BB is hosted in Canada...........

[bangkockney]

That's why BB is hosted in Canada...........

Expect them to come under huge pressure, like they are in a handful of countries already, to decrypt their communications.

[GeorgeO]

they have always done this,they are just letting us know now.

It's a bit more than that, as Skype and BB messaging are fully encrypted. The new law would require these services to be opened up to the State.

And since when did new laws in the US apply to all other counries?

[electau]

It is not practicable to intercept every telephone call , fax and email that is sent locally or internationally, there are millions a day. Then examine each one on an individual basis within a specified timeframe.

But they may well monitor selective numbers from high risk countries, or persons or organisations on a watch list. Embassy traffic. Much sensitive traffic would be encripted anyway.

Satellite and HF radio traffic can be monitored, fixed line traffic is not monitored in this way.

[Crushdepth]

And since when did new laws in the US apply to all other counries?

The point is that many of the services we use have much of their infrastructure based in the US and are therefore subject to US law.

It is not practicable to intercept every telephone call , fax and email that is sent locally or internationally, there are millions a day. Then examine each one on an individual basis within a specified timeframe.

It is entirely possible to intercept vast quantities of email traffic and some countries already do. Faxes are targeted too, at least through some channels.

[ericthai]

It is not practicable to intercept every telephone call , fax and email that is sent locally or internationally, there are millions a day. Then examine each one on an individual basis within a specified timeframe.

But they may well monitor selective numbers from high risk countries, or persons or organisations on a watch list. Embassy traffic. Much sensitive traffic would be encripted anyway.

Satellite and HF radio traffic can be monitored, fixed line traffic is not monitored in this way.

You dont understand how this works. They dont listen to every phone call or review each message. There is a program running where key words flags the phone call or message to be reviewed by a person. Then someone will listen or review the message and if it seems a valid flag then it is sent up the chain for further review and then determined if any action needs to be done or not.

[Thaddeus]

You dont understand how this works. They dont listen to every phone call or review each message. There is a program running where key words flags the phone call or message to be reviewed by a person. Then someone will listen or review the message and if it seems a valid flag then it is sent up the chain for further review and then determined if any action needs to be done or not.

Several years ago I sent myself an email (from one personal account to another) that contained nothing sensitive and nothing that could trigger an alarm and it fair zipped along, well given the speed of the net then.

I then sent another one about my laundry day along the lines of "my machine developed a problem today and I had trouble doing any laundering, in spin cycle it sounded like an AK47 and shredded my briefs, not nice having a trash bin laden with underwear"

That one took significantly longer to arrive.

[astral]

The same is happening in the Arab world, with the countries

wanting access to the encrypted e-mails of the Blackberry users.

[Crushdepth]

Very good article by Bruce Schneier: Web snooping is a dangerous move

An infrastructure conducive to surveillance and control invites surveillance and control, both by the people you expect and the people you don't. Any surveillance and control system must itself be secured, and we're not very good at that. Why does anyone think that only authorized law enforcement will mine collected internet data or eavesdrop on Skype and IM conversations?