Orwellian ideas from Wired News

It's Orwellian to say that gagging someone is protecting them. But that's what the headline says: "Librarians Protected in Patriot Act Case" (a more complete story is here).

The PATRIOT Act says that librarians who have been forced by the FBI to disclose information about library patrons are not allowed to mention that they have been involved in the FBI's investigation. Now, a librarian, "John Doe," wants to talk. Doe wants to testify before Congress about his experiences with the PATRIOT Act, to contribute to discussion about the act's renewal later this year. A U.S. District Court judge lifted the gag order, but the government has now counter-sued, and Doe is still gagged.

The only thing that is "protected" is Doe's identity, and this is not what Doe wants. Yet, by being prevented from speaking, according to Wired News, Doe is being "protected."

In other news, a new spy device is being developed. Plug it into a computer's USB port, and it records all exchanges (email, IM, chat) that appear on the computer screen. It can also be used to allow a remote user to put up messages on the screen or take over applications. "It doesn't matter what app they're using, because we can capture everything with this system," says a developer.

So what is Wired's spin? "Black Box Monitors Pervs." Yes, the main purpose of this box, according to the article, is to help police help victims catch cyberstalkers. The bulk of the article is about various clever ways police can use the box to help you--with your permission, of course.

How often do you inspect the USB ports on the back of each computer you use, including those at work and in cybercafes? Sure, much of the same functionality could be achieved with software, which might be even harder to detect. But this appears to allow even non-computer-literates to hijack machines with less than a minute of physical access.

If Wired reflects--or guides--the future of technology development, their apparent embracing of Orwellian technologies and laws does not bode well.

[edited after further browsing to append the following:]

Wired isn't all bad. They also recently did a lengthy story on the government's use of the nearly-omnipotent "state secrets privilege" to squash a patent-infringement lawsuit, which includes the statement, "Indeed, the list of cases in which the state secrets privilege has been invoked seems a pantheon of injustice. .... And in perhaps the most disturbing case, this year the Justice Department asserted the privilege to kill a lawsuit by Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian citizen who, in 2002, was picked up by U.S. officials as a suspected terrorist while changing planes at JFK, and promptly shipped off to Syria for a year of imprisonment and torture."

Comments

[Janessa Ravenwood]

A) Anyone who does anything but casual, safe surfing at a cyber-cafe is an idiot, because they should expect all computers there to be bugged as a matter of course. (Any prudent cafe owner should install monitoring software for legal liability reasons.)

B) As a matter of fact, I *DO* check my USB connections frequently. I'm completely paranoid and I also have several spyware / monitorware detection programs at work and home and run each of them without fail on a daily basis. Also make sure to use PGP Disk with a long alphanumeric password for your senstive data and have a good firewall.

[Matt]

C) If someone you don't necessarily trust has physical access to your box, your security is screwed anyway.

[Janessa Ravenwood]

Actually, I'm pretty good on both fronts (work and home). I *am* the SA (for everything) in my company and my office is locked at night (I have the only key).

[subbu]

what is nanaotechnology?
where it is used?
i want clear explaination

[Mike Treder, CRN]

subbu, start by reading these pages and following the links:

http://www.crnano.org/whatis.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology
http://tinyurl.com/blelj

[Pace Arko]

Machines are work, public libraries and cybercafes are insecure. I second what Matt said, if anyone has access to your machine, there is no point.

The USB monitor could be thwarted if it contains software that only works with Microsoft Windows.

For example you could insert a Knoppix LiveCD, fire up ssh, log in as root to a chain of open, anonymous proxies, randomize incriminating disk clusters on said proxies, perhaps use something like Tor and maybe some other things as well but, even then you could be subject to remote decoding of radio emissions from the machine's screen buffer. Also

If you know enough, you can make your Internet activities pretty safe but even Fort Knox can be breached if someone wants to take the time and marshal the resources.

I think what really matters in the long run is not merely personal security and privacy but more importantly the ability of the public to monitor and independantly record the activities of governments, companies and other large organizations. If we are watching the watchmen even more closely then they watch us, then we are safe.

Sousveillance is the word of these times.