Paranoia24

TomPaine.com - War On The Web:

This week, the House is expected to vote on something termed, in perfect Orwellian prose, the "Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act of 2006." It will be the first real battle in the coming War of Internet Democracy. On one side are the companies that pipe the Internet into our homes and businesses. These include telecom giants like AT&T and Verizon and cable companies like Comcast. Call them the pipe companies. On the other side are the people and businesses that send Internet content through the pipes. Some are big outfits like Yahoo, Google and Amazon, big financial institutions like Bank of America and Citigroup and giant media companies soon to pump lots of movies and TV shows on to the Internet. But most content providers are little guys. They’re mom-and-pop operations specializing in, say, antique egg-beaters or Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia. They’re anarchists, kooks and zealots peddling all sorts of crank ideas They’re personal publishers and small-time investigators. They include my son’s comedy troupe—streaming new videos on the Internet every week. They also include gazillions of bloggers—including my humble little blog and maybe even yours. Until now, a basic principle of the Internet has been that the pipe companies can’t discriminate among content providers. Everyone who puts stuff up on the Internet is treated exactly the same. The net is neutral. But now the pipe companies want to charge the content providers, depending on how fast and reliably the pipes deliver the content. Presumably, the biggest content providers would pay the most money, leaving the little content people in the slowest and least-reliable parts of the pipe. (It will take you five minutes to download my blog.) The pipe companies claim unless they start charge for speed and reliability, they won’t have enough money to invest in the next generation of networks. This is an absurd argument. The pipes are already making lots of money off consumers who pay them for being connected to the Internet. The pipes figure they can make even more money discriminating between big and small content providers because the big guys have deep pockets and will pay a lot to travel first class. The small guys who pay little or nothing will just have to settle for what’s left. The House bill to be voted on this week would in effect give the pipes the green light to go ahead with their plan. Price discrimination is as old as capitalism. Instead of charging everyone the same for the same product or service, sellers divide things up according to grade or quality. Buyers willing to pay the most can get the best, while other buyers get lesser quality, according to how much they pay. Theoretically, this is efficient. Sellers who also have something of a monopoly (as do the Internet pipe companies) can make a killing. But even if it’s efficient, it’s not democratic. And here’s the rub. The Internet has been the place where Davids can take on Goliaths, where someone without resources but with brains and guts and information can skewer the high and mighty. At a time in our nation’s history when wealth and power are becoming more and more concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, it’s been the one forum in which all voices are equal. Will the pipe companies be able to end Internet democracy? Perhaps if enough of the small guys make enough of a fuss, Congress may listen. But don’t bet on it. This Congress is not in the habit of listening to small guys. The best hope is that big content providers will use their formidable lobbying clout to demand net neutrality. The financial services sector, for example, is already spending billions on information technology, including online banking. Why would they want to spend billions more paying the pipe companies for the Internet access they already have? The pipe companies are busily trying to persuade big content providers that it’s in their interest to pay for faster and more reliable Internet deliveries. Verizon’s chief Washington lobbyist recently warned the financial services industry that if it supports net neutrality, it won’t get the sophisticated data links it will need in the future. The pipes are also quietly reassuring the big content providers that they can pass along the fees to their customers. Will the big content providers fall for it? Stay tuned for the next episode of Internet democracy versus monopoly capitalism.

Spy Agency Watching Americans From Space:
Die Genauigkeit der Bilder soll erstaunlich sein, wird aber (selbstverständlich) geheim gehalten. Die Frage ist, ob das Erkennen von Gesichtern, Autokennzeichen und ähnlichem schon möglich ist, oder ob es noch ein paar Jahre in der Zukunft liegt. Länger wird es sicher nicht dauern.
Wenn amerikanische Geheimdienste die USA beobachten, ist klar, dass sie den Rest der Welt schon lange überwachen. Der allwissende Große Bruder ist längst Realität, und nur durch die schiere Datenmenge kann man noch halbwegs sicher sein, nicht unter Beobachtung zu stehen. Jeder ist ein Observationsziel, dessen Daten gespeichert werden und bei Bedarf (oder bei der Entwicklung neuer Suchalgorithmen) abgerufen werden. Ich sehe eine Welt voraus, in der nicht nur eine Namensähnlichkeit mit einem gesuchten Terroristen zu Verschleppung und Folter führen kann, sondern auch äußerliche Ähnlichkeit oder das Transportieren eines Gegenstandes, der aus dem Orbit wie eine Bombe aussieht…

Wired News: Spot a Bug, Go to Jail:

A new federal prosecution again raises the issue of whether computer security experts must fear prison time for investigating and reporting vulnerabilities.

Unter Informatikern ist es üblich, auf Sicherheitslücken in den Programmen anderer aufmerksam zu machen. Damit wird die Verletzlichkeit von Computersystemen gegenüber Hacks, Datenverlust und Datendiebstahl minimiert.

Unter mächtigen Firmen breitet sich jedoch mehr und mehr die Praxis aus, der Veröffentlichung von Schwachstellen in ihren Produkten mit Gerichtsverhandlungen zu begegnen. Damit wird den Interessen dieser Firmen gedient, denn schlechte Publicity wird vermieden, wenn niemand mehr Schwachstellen zu veröffentlichen wagt. Die Kunden, die ihre Daten auf solchen Systemen liegen haben, haben das Nachsehen.

The Guardian | Q. What could this boarding pass tell an identity fraudster about you? A. Way too much:

This is the story of a piece of paper no bigger than a credit card, thrown away in a dustbin on the Heathrow Express to Paddington station. It was nestling among chewing gum wrappers and baggage tags[…]

[T]his stub would enable me to access Broer’s personal information, including his passport number, date of birth and nationality. It would provide the building blocks for stealing his identity, ruining his future travel plans - and even allow me to fake his passport.

heise online - Mit dem Urheberrecht gegen die Informationsfreiheit:

Die schon gleich nach dem Inkrafttreten Anfang des Jahres umstrittene Handhabung des Informationsfreiheitsgesetzes ist jetzt um eine weitere Variante bereichert worden: der Ablehnung eines Antrags auf Akteneinsicht unter Berufung auf das Urheberrecht.

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weil ich was test…

Eine amerikanische Firma fotografiert fortlaufend und flächendeckend die USA aus der Luft mit bisher nicht gekannter Genauigkeit. Auch Teile Europas sollen in das Repertoire der Firma aufgenommen werden.

Wired News: Aerial Mapping Takes Another Leap:

Images of New Orleans taken in January 2004 gave searchers a better idea of what they were supposed to be looking at after Katrina howled ashore last year and helped evacuated residents decide whether or not to return home.
And without leaving the office, property appraisers all across Massachusetts — the only entire state mapped so far — can now pick out every swimming pool and rooftop deck that was built without a permit.

Wir können darauf vertrauen, dass Verstöße gegen Baugenehmigungen nicht das ganze Spektrum der Möglichkeiten abdecken.

Japan testet Überwachungssystem zur Gesichtserkennung - Yahoo! Nachrichten:

Wie ein Sprecher des Transportministeriums am Dienstag mitteilte, nimmt eine Überwachungskamera die Gesichter derer auf, die die Fahrkartensperre passieren. Ein Computer gleicht die Bilder mit zuvor gespeicherten Gesichtsmerkmalen zum Beispiel von Terroristen ab.

Secret DHS Agreement to Share Passenger Data in Violation of Agreements Is Confirmed:

In 2003, the United States and the European Union reached an agreement under which the EU would share Passenger Name Record (PNR) data with the U.S., despite the lack of privacy laws in the United States adequate to ensure Europeans’ privacy. In return, DHS agreed that the passenger data would not be used for any purpose other than preventing acts of terrorism or other serious crimes. It is now clear that DHS did not abide by that agreement.

Ich frage mich öfters, ob ich mich nicht ein wenig zu sehr für die amerikanischen Verhältnisse interessiere, ob Datenschutzverletzungen in den USA uns in Europa überhaupt angehen. Hier ist der Beweis, dass das der Fall ist:

Das Department of Homeland Security erhält nach einem Geheimabkommen aus dem Jahr 2003 europäische Flugpassagierdaten. Trotz Zusicherungen, diese nur für die Verhütung schwerer Verbrechen zu nutzen, gibt es diese unautorisiert weiter.