December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Satellites Brace for Space Storm
by Frederick Burroughs 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

AP story explains the real reason for the latest showdown with Iraq; Satellite damage from a brush with the lion's tail, the Leonid meteor storm. America's satellite fleet, born under a bad sign, will be sprinkled with high velocity fairy dust in the wake of Comet Tempel-Tuttle. Communications satellites and GPS face the highest risk. The latest Persian Gulf skirmish is mentioned a couple times. Apparently the loss of UN monitors and star-crossed destiny was too much for US security interests. With the loss of satellite services a remote possibility, reestablishment of UN monitoring was paramount. Residents of Baghdad will look at the starry display as a chilling reminder of who controls their destiny. Satellites Brace for Space Storm By Paul Recer AP Science Writer http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-11/15/221l-111598-idx.html

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IP: Wired News: Y2Kaboom?
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Wired News: Y2Kaboom? Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 02:27:52 -0600 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: Wired News http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/16217.html Y2Kaboom? by Declan McCullagh 12:27 p.m.12.Nov.98.PST WASHINGTON -- America and Russia should shut down their nuclear arsenals rather than risk Armageddon because of Year 2000 glitches, a military research group says in a report released Thursday. Y2K errors could cause the systems to go haywire, leading to erroneous early warning reports or even triggering an accidental launch of a nuclear missile, the British American Security Information Council warned in a 36-page report. Both superpowers keep their arsenals in a constant state of readiness -- a Cold War-era strategy that could backfire with devastating results if the computer gremlins strike. "If Y2K breakdowns were to produce inaccurate early-warning data, or if communications and command channels were to be compromised, the combination of hair-trigger force postures and Y2K failures could be disastrous," said the author of "The Bug in the Bomb: The Impact of the Year 2000 Problem on Nuclear Weapons." Nuclear weapons systems are laced with embedded systems -- controlling functions such as ballistics and sensors -- that have not been declared free from Y2K worries, the report says. Most missles also keep track of time since the last monthly or yearly servicing, which could transform weapons into plutonium-packed paperweights if the systems shut down on 1 January 2000. A Defense Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said nuclear weapons systems have received the Pentagon's full attention and will be in good shape. He added that military leaders are already discussing Y2K issues with their Russian counterparts. Those assurances are not enough to allay the fears of Michael Kraig, the report's author. "There are two problems together that make up one big problem: The sorry state of the [Russian] program and the fact that they don't know information about it," said Kraig, a BASIC fellow. "They're still committed to launch-on-warning and hair-trigger alert status. That, combined with the fact that their program is in such a sorry state, makes us worry." BASIC lobbies for international agreements restricting arms sales and supports complete nuclear disarmament. The Defense Department has been battling accusations that it lags behind other federal agencies in making Y2K repairs, something the agency's top officials are acutely aware of. "I think we're probably going to be the poster child for failure," John Hamre, deputy secretary of defense, told Fortune 500 executives in July. "Nobody cares if the Park Services computers don't come on. OK? But what's going to happen if some do in the [Department of Defense]?" The Clinton administration's September quarterly report on federal agencies says: "The Department of Defense has a massive Year 2000 challenge which must be accomplished on a tight schedule. The Department has improved its rate of progress in addressing the challenge, but the pace must be increased to meet government-wide milestones." The administration's report says that as of this summer, 42 percent of the Pentagon's most vital systems -- 2,965 in all -- have been Y2K cleared. But numbers alone don't reveal the complexity of the Defense Department's Y2K woes, Kraig argues. "There are severe and recurring problems across the entire DOD Y2K remediation program, including ill-defined concepts and operating procedures, ad-hoc funding and spotty estimates for final costs, lax management, insufficient standards for declaring systems 'Y2K compliant,' insufficient contingency planning in case of Y2K-related failures, and poor inter-departmental communications," Kraig wrote. In the preface, Paul Warnke, BASIC's president and chief arms-control negotiator under President Carter, says: "The only prudent course may be to de-alert those nuclear systems where date-related malfunctioning in associated command, control, and communications systems poses even a remote possibility of accidental launch." Copyright © 1994-98 Wired Digital Inc. All rights reserved. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- **************************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address or (un)subscribe ignition-point-digest email@address **************************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ****************************************************

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IP: [FP] Governors push national ID plan - WND
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: "ScanThisNews" <mcdonalds(a)airnet.net> Subject: IP: [FP] Governors push national ID plan - WND Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 07:44:40 -0600 To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com SCAN THIS NEWS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13, 1998 [excerpts from:] Governors push national ID plan Rewrite of executive order could be key http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_exnews/19981113_xex_governors_pu.shtml By David M. Bresnahan Copyright 1998 WorldNetDaily.com The National Governors Association would like to have a national ID system, and plans to work with the White House to reinstate Executive Order 13083 to make that a reality. The bipartisan NGA is claiming much of the credit for stopping Executive Order 13083, but they also plan to help craft a revised version of the order that will alter the relationship between states and the federal government. An internal document used by the NGA to inform all governors of their goals and objectives was made available to WorldNetDaily, along with a "Fact Sheet on Federalism" used by the White House staff. Both documents were provided by a Republican source. Each document shows that both the White House, and the nation's Governors, plan to put the currently suspended executive order into effect. [snip] "This is because of demands by citizens, businesses, and the federal government to make all government more accessible and open," claims the NGA. "Pressures for uniformity and simplification come from globalization in trade and telecommunications policy, regional environmental quality solutions, and a greater need for some type of personal identification mechanism to combat fraud, crime, illegal immigration, and mismanagement of funds. [snip] Congress passed the "Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996," which authorized the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the Department of Transportation to establish a national ID system through the use of driver's licenses. Those guidelines are spelled out in Section 656 (b) of the act. They include the use of Social Security numbers on all licenses, and in all data bases beginning Oct. 1, 2000. The act also calls for digitized biometric information to be a part of each license, or "smart card." The biometric information will include fingerprints, retina scans, DNA prints, and other similar information. Thousands of letters of protest were received by the Department of Transportation during a public comment period, which concluded in October. The exposure of the plan in WorldNetDaily, and the outcry that followed, prompted Congress to place a moratorium on the national ID, as well as the medical ID law. [snip] Congress included three clauses in the omnibus appropriations bill to withhold funds for implementation of the national ID, medical ID and Executive Order 13083. Apparently the governors are not pleased with those actions, according to their document. [snip] The documents obtained by WorldNetDaily clearly show that the NGA would like to facilitate a national ID system, and the organization believes Executive Order 13083, with some revisions, is needed to facilitate that. ------------------------------------------ David M. Bresnahan (David(a)talkusa.com) is a contributing editor of WorldNetDaily.com, is the author of "Cover Up: The Art and Science of Political Deception," and offers a monthly newsletter "Talk USA Investigative Reports." David M. Bresnahan - Investigative Journalist P.O. Box 1168, West Jordan, UT 84084-7168 off: (801) 562-5362 fax: (801) 562-1341 book orders: 800-338-8824 website: http://talkusa.com e-mail: david(a)talkusa.com ------------------------------------------ For more on the NGA, go to their web page at: http://www.nga.org/ where you'll find articles on such tipics as: "o Voice of the Governors: 50 States Surge Past Deadline To Extend Children s Health "o News: Governors Report on Legislative Record and Condition of the Federal-State Partnership "o Policy Forum: New Flexibility, New Opportunities: Strengthening State-Local Workforce Systems Using the Workforce Investment Act [Thanks to Jim Groom for the article link] ======================================================================= Don't believe anything you read on the Net unless: 1) you can confirm it with another source, and/or 2) it is consistent with what you already know to be true. ======================================================================= Reply to: <fingerprint(a)networkusa.org> ======================================================================= To subscribe to the free Scan This News newsletter, send a message to <majordomo(a)efga.org> and type "subscribe scan" in the BODY. Or, to be removed type "unsubscribe scan" in the message BODY. For additional instructions see www.efga.org/about/maillist.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Scan This News" is Sponsored by S.C.A.N. Host of the "FIGHT THE FINGERPRINT!" web page: www.networkusa.org/fingerprint.shtml ======================================================================= **************************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address or (un)subscribe ignition-point-digest email@address **************************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ****************************************************

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IP: Stranger than fiction....
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Stranger than fiction.... Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 02:09:20 -0600 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: London Times http://www.sunday-times.co.uk:80/news/pages/Times/frontpage.html?2182225 Computer bobbies to take over from PCs POLICE in Greater Manchester are to test plans to replace some police stations with unstaffed computer kiosks that resemble hole-in-the-wall bank machines. People anxious to report an emergency or speak to a policeman would use a touch screen to be put through by telephone, and eventually by video link, to the nearest control room. They would be able to ask the time or receive directions electronically, at the touch of the screen. Senior officers believe that the machines, known as customer interaction points or communications kiosks, will appear in every high street and will become as familiar as cash machines and the old blue police boxes. The hole-in- the- wall proposals - which will be tested in Salford as part of a plan to reduce the number of police stations - grew from a review of the Greater Manchester Police force's property as part of a budget crisis. Supporters of the plan insist that the need to cut costs is only a means to push through an inevitable and welcome technological change which more adequately reflects changing police methods. Stuart Render, the force spokesman, said that most people reported crime, from burglaries to emergencies, over the telephone, and increasingly by mobile phone. They rarely needed to go to a police station, except to present documents. The kiosks would release money for frontline officers instead of tying it up in property. The first machines could be in libraries, supermarkets or on the street, he said. "In the future in every high street there will probably be some kind of hole-in-the-wall police contact point where you will be able to make contact with a 24-hour control room or find out things about community safety and so on. That way technology gives us flexibility and accessibility to improve our level of service and keep officers on the front line rather than having them manning police stations." The pilot scheme will be discussed as part of the larger rationalisation at a meeting of the Police Authority on Friday. Chief Superintendent Chris Wells, Divisional Commander in Salford, said: "None of the existing police stations will close until replacement facilities have been installed. "The vast majority of people that access our service do not visit a police station, they use a telephone. We are looking to increase our effectiveness and these proposals together with new technology will take us in that direction." He said people would be able to see town centre maps and get basic directions from the kiosks, as well as information on crime prevention, details about area constables, missing persons, Crimestoppers and witness support. Senior officers acknowledge that their biggest problem will be persuading a sceptical public of the advantages. Barry Evans, the force's director of information technology, is aware of the need to "carry a myriad of people" along with him and that the machines must prove their worth. Karen Garrido, chairwoman of the Boothstown police and community consultative group, based in Salford, is opposed to the scheme. Boothstown police station is scheduled to be closed within 12 months. She said: "I am totally against the closure. The people should be asked what they want and I don't think they will want a little box or a hole in the wall instead." A spokesman for Age Concern, which has offices in Eccles, Salford, said: "We believe it would be quite daunting for an old person who does not have a telephone to leave their home and use one of these machines." Copyright 1998 Times Newspapers Ltd. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- **************************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address or (un)subscribe ignition-point-digest email@address **************************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ****************************************************

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IP: U.S. Must Re-Think Strategy to Counter WMD Threat
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: U.S. Must Re-Think Strategy to Counter WMD Threat Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 14:14:50 -0600 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: US Newswire http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/1113-110.txt Weapons Expert: U.S. Must Re-Think Military Strategy U.S. Newswire 13 Nov 11:04 Weapons Expert: U.S. Must Re-Think Military Strategy to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction Threat To: National Desk Contact: Paige McMahon, 301-320-8053. WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The United States must devise a military force structure that makes possible a rapid response to future crises involving the manufacture and use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), according to Dr. Robert W. Chandler, an expert in the strategic use of WMD and author of the just-published The New Face of War (AMCODA). "The U.S. military mindset is rooted in conventional warfighting tactics," said Chandler, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and former NATO advisor. "While we're waiting for carriers to get in position and making sure our fighters have a place to park, Iraq is working feverishly to hide and disperse the targets, which are the labs and equipment they use to manufacture biological and chemical weapons. At this moment, they're unbolting machinery and moving it to sheds, to civilian residential areas, and out into the desert. By the time we get around to bombing the factories, they will be empty." "Wouldn't it be nice to destroy their weapons of mass destruction before they are hidden? Targets are perishable, like vegetables and fruit. If you wait too long to destroy them, by the time you hit the target it's rotten. That is to say, they've been altered to the point where they have little or no value," said Chandler, who predicted Iraq's intent to use weapons of mass destruction to alter the balance of power in the region in his first book, Tomorrow's War, Today's Decisions (AMCODA, 1996). "Absent a U.S. ability to strike quickly and deliberately, we have no choice but Saddam's current game, where he plays the Roadrunner and we are the wiley coyote," Chandler said. "Saddam Hussein sees peace with U.N. weapons inspections as a losing proposition. From his perspective, the only chance to end the hated weapons inspections and end the U.N.'s economic sanctions is to force his countrymen to endure another bombing in the anticipation that it will satisfy world opinion, and lead to the lifting of sanctions. Dictators like Saddam Hussein need to pay off those who keep them in power military, police, and other elites with economic rewards. The sanctions cut into that ability and weaken his grip. "The U.S. must create a Global Reconnaissance and Strike Complex to develop the military strategy and fighting forces necessary to meet the challenges of WMD proliferation. We must mass firepower, not forces, and we must make time work to our advantage." ------ Dr. Chandler lives and works in McLean, Va., and is available for broadcast and print interviews. You may contact Chandler directly at his office, 703-356-6927 (evenings/weekends: 703-883-0324). For more information, contact Paige McMahon, 301-320-8053. -0- /U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ 11/13 11:04 Copyright 1998, U.S. Newswire ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- **************************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address or (un)subscribe ignition-point-digest email@address **************************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ****************************************************

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IP: ISPI Clips 6.39: Fed May Give FBI Access to Your Internet Voice Calls & Email.
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: "Ama-gi ISPI" <Offshore(a)email.msn.com> Subject: IP: ISPI Clips 6.39: Fed May Give FBI Access to Your Internet Voice Calls & Email. Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 00:51:34 -0800 To: <Undisclosed.Recipients(a)majordomo.pobox.com> ISPI Clips 6.39: Fed May Give FBI Access to Your Internet Voice Calls & Email. News & Info from the Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) Friday November 13, 1998 ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This From: CNET news, November 12, 1998 http://www.news.com Fed mulls wiretap access to Net http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,28695,00.html By John Borland, jborland(a)cnet.com Staff Writer, CNET News.com Federal regulators are struggling over a decision that could give the FBI and other law enforcement officials wiretap access to Internet voice calls, and possibly access even to the content of data messages such as email. The Federal Communications Commission [ http://www.fcc.gov/ ] released a proposal http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Notices/1998/fcc98282.txt ] last week for implementing the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), a measure that requires telephone companies to provide law enforcement with access to digital call information. But the report left untouched the issue of whether the FBI http://www.fbi.gov/ ] would get new powers to tap Net calls. An FCC staffer, who asked to remain anonymous, said the question of how Net calls will be treated remains wide open, and may be decided during another round of public comments. Congress passed CALEA in 1994, after law enforcement officials complained that digital technology undermined their ability to tap telephone lines. The bill was intended to give the FBI and other police agencies the same access to digital communications, that they already have to traditional phone lines. Yet the technological landscape has changed since Congress' action. Voice transmissions using Internet technologies have moved from hobbyists' basements and into the corporate mainstream. Companies like Qwest are building whole business strategies around Net-based telephony, while the amount of data traffic on public networks has soared. The FBI wants access to these Net calls, and the leading industry proposal being reviewed by the FCC allows this. But civil liberties groups warn that this access goes beyond the original law's bounds, which don't apply well to Internet communications. "Congress said very explicitly that the CALEA law was not intended to apply to Internet communications," said Barry Steinhardt, president of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "Over the long term this is the ability to get packet-switched data, not just voice information." The sticking point lies in the way that law enforcement gets its power to tap lines, and in the way that permission fails to translate into the world of the Internet. Many people associate a wiretap with a listening post able to overhear the entire content of a call. This type of tap requires a law enforcement agency to meet a fairly high standard of evidence, to show it needs access to a certain phone line. But the vast majority of wiretaps fall into a category known as "tap and trace," in which phone companies give up information about a call's origin and destination without giving officials access to the actual call. This type of access is much easier for law enforcement officials to obtain, as they don't require evidence as strong as what is needed for standard wiretaps. The "tap-and-trace" system doesn't carry over well to Net calls, which are broken down and transmitted in individual packets of information. Telephone company officials say it is impossible, at today's level of technology, for telephone carriers to hand over the header information in these packets--which would identify the call's origin and destination--without also handing over the actual content of the call itself. "For us it's impossible to do just the one thing," said Grant Seiffert, vice president of governmental relations for the Telecommunications Industry Association [ http://www.tiaonline.org/ ]. "Once you've opened the can of worms, the whole can stays open." The EFF, along with the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Electronic Privacy Information Center(EPIC), have lobbied the FCC hard to keep Net calls out of the wiretapping law for this reason. "The FBI is saying, 'Trust us, give us the whole message and we'll strip out the call content,'" Steinhardt said. "We just don't trust them." For its part, the FBI says it needs access to the Net calls, or criminals will be able to hide in the telecommunications loophole. Officials have repeatedly said they will not violate court orders to look at the content of calls or data messages The argument doesn't sway civil liberties groups. "If it's not feasible, the telcos shouldn't have to hand the information over," Steinhardt said. "[The FBI] shouldn't be given access to information they're not entitled to." Comments on the issue of tapping Net calls, as well as the rest of the FCC's digital wiretapping plan, are due December 14. Telephone companies are not required to comply with the CALEA provisions until June 30, 2000. Related news stories Dutch ISPs could face wiretap law April 14, 1998 http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,21084,00.html?st.ne.ni.rel FBI wiretap plan scrutinized February 16, 1998 http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,19177,00.html?st.ne.ni.rel Dutch ISP won't tap email November 14, 1997 http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,16395,00.html?st.ne.ni.rel Watchdogs howl at FBI wiretap plans August 11, 1997 http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,13264,00.html?st.ne.ni.rel Copyright © 1995-98 CNET, Inc. --------------------------------NOTICE:------------------------------ ISPI Clips are news & opinion articles on privacy issues from all points of view; they are clipped from local, national and international newspapers, journals and magazines, etc. Inclusion as an ISPI Clip does not necessarily reflect an endorsement of the content or opinion by ISPI. In compliance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed free without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISPI Clips is a FREE e-mail service from the "Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues" (ISPI). To receive "ISPI Clips" on a regular bases (up to 3 - 8 clips per day) send the following message "Please enter [Your Name] into the ISPI Clips list: [Your e-mail address]" to: ISPIClips(a)ama-gi.com . The Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) is a small contributor-funded organization based in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). ISPI operates on a not-for-profit basis, accepts no government funding and takes a global perspective. ISPI's mandate is to conduct & promote interdisciplinary research into electronic, personal and financial privacy with a view toward helping ordinary people understand the degree of privacy they have with respect to government, industry and each other and to likewise inform them about techniques to enhance their privacy. But, none of this can be accomplished without your kind and generous financial support. If you are concerned about the erosion of your privacy in general, won't you please help us continue this important work by becoming an "ISPI Supporter" or by taking out an institute Membership? We gratefully accept all contributions: Less than $60 ISPI Supporter $60 - $99 Primary ISPI Membership (1 year) $100 - $300 Senior ISPI Membership (2 years) More than $300 Executive Council Membership (life) Your ISPI "membership" contribution entitles you to receive "The ISPI Privacy Reporter" (our bi-monthly 12 page hard-copy newsletter in multi-contributor format) for the duration of your membership. For a contribution form with postal instructions please send the following message "ISPI Contribution Form" to ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com . We maintain a strict privacy policy. Any information you divulge to ISPI is kept in strict confidence. It will not be sold, lent or given away to any third party. **************************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address or (un)subscribe ignition-point-digest email@address **************************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ****************************************************

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IP: ISPI Clips 6.38: NAI [PGP] FlipFlop Back to Pro Key Recovery Group
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: "Ama-gi ISPI" <Offshore(a)email.msn.com> Subject: IP: ISPI Clips 6.38: NAI [PGP] FlipFlop Back to Pro Key Recovery Group Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 00:50:46 -0800 To: <Undisclosed.Recipients(a)majordomo.pobox.com> ISPI Clips 6.38: NAI [PGP] FlipFlop Back to Pro Key Recovery Group News & Info from the Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) Friday November 13, 1998 ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This From: WIRED News, November 12, 1998 http://www.wired.com NAI Back in Key Recovery Group http://www.wired.com/news/print_version/technology/story/16219.html?wnpg=al l Wired News Report Computer-security giant Network Associates Inc. has quietly rejoined a global coalition promoting a controversial technology that could give the US government access to encrypted data. Network Associates [ http://www.nai.com/ ], which owns cryptography software firm PGP and firewall vendor Trusted Information Systems, dropped out of the Key Recovery Alliance [ http://www.kra.org/ ] last December to protect the PGP brand, which some civil-liberties advocates say was tainted by its association with the alliance. Activists charge that the alliance promotes technology that poses a threat to civil liberties. The alliance says it is not a lobbying group but does support the concept of key recovery, a system in which a copy of the secret key that unlocks scrambled data is placed in escrow. "We would assume that the acquisition of Trusted Information Systems would be a contributing factor with the change of that policy," said David Sobel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "TIS is widely regarded as the originator of the whole concept of key escrow," Sobel said. Several executives are former employees of the National Security Agency, which is believed to be a prime advocate of key recovery in Washington. Currently, the Clinton administration bars the export of strong encryption products that do not include a key-recovery component. The policy has long irked security software companies who see the policy as giving foreign competition an unfair advantage. Civil liberties advocates dislike key recovery because they feel it is the start of a slippery slope toward so-called mandatory key recovery, which would give the government access to private data. While the Key Recovery Alliance says it is not a political action committee or lobbying group, the group is often held up by politicians as an example of industry support for the administration's policy. Last December, a Network Associates executive said the Key Recovery Alliance created a misunderstanding about the company's position on the issue. "We want people to understand that Network Associates' position and PGP's position is to encourage the government and industry to move towards a policy that allows export of strong cryptography without mandatory key recovery," Gene Hodges, director of product management at Network Associates, told Wired News last December. An attorney with the Center for Democracy and Technology said that Network Associates opposes mandatory key recovery, but that the company may be hedging its bets against future shifts in Administration policy. "There are other companies in the Key Recovery Alliance who are steadfastly opposed to the administration's policy and mandatory key recovery, yet I think they are part of the alliance because they feel they need to be," said Alan Davidson Lynn McNulty, director of government affairs for RSA [ http://www.rsa.com/ ] Data Security, said the company is likely not expecting negative political fallout, one year after the PGP acquisition. "The commercial [version of] PGP has kind of been absorbed [into Network Associate's product line]," McNulty said. "The personal verison kind of enjoys folklore status among the civil libertarians." No representative from either Network Associates or the Key Recovery Alliance was available for comment Thursday. Related Wired Links: Another Network Associates U-Turn on Key Recovery? 25.Feb.98 http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/10530.html Network Associates Disavows Key Recovery Tie: 8.Dec.97 http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/9010.html Pretty Good Privacy Not Looking So Great: 3.Dec.97 http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/8906.html Copyright © 1994-98 Wired Digital Inc. --------------------------------NOTICE:------------------------------ ISPI Clips are news & opinion articles on privacy issues from all points of view; they are clipped from local, national and international newspapers, journals and magazines, etc. Inclusion as an ISPI Clip does not necessarily reflect an endorsement of the content or opinion by ISPI. In compliance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed free without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISPI Clips is a FREE e-mail service from the "Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues" (ISPI). To receive "ISPI Clips" on a regular bases (up to 3 - 8 clips per day) send the following message "Please enter [Your Name] into the ISPI Clips list: [Your e-mail address]" to: ISPIClips(a)ama-gi.com . The Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) is a small contributor-funded organization based in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). ISPI operates on a not-for-profit basis, accepts no government funding and takes a global perspective. ISPI's mandate is to conduct & promote interdisciplinary research into electronic, personal and financial privacy with a view toward helping ordinary people understand the degree of privacy they have with respect to government, industry and each other and to likewise inform them about techniques to enhance their privacy. But, none of this can be accomplished without your kind and generous financial support. If you are concerned about the erosion of your privacy in general, won't you please help us continue this important work by becoming an "ISPI Supporter" or by taking out an institute Membership? We gratefully accept all contributions: Less than $60 ISPI Supporter $60 - $99 Primary ISPI Membership (1 year) $100 - $300 Senior ISPI Membership (2 years) More than $300 Executive Council Membership (life) Your ISPI "membership" contribution entitles you to receive "The ISPI Privacy Reporter" (our bi-monthly 12 page hard-copy newsletter in multi-contributor format) for the duration of your membership. For a contribution form with postal instructions please send the following message "ISPI Contribution Form" to ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com . We maintain a strict privacy policy. Any information you divulge to ISPI is kept in strict confidence. It will not be sold, lent or given away to any third party. **************************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address or (un)subscribe ignition-point-digest email@address **************************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ****************************************************

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IP: Meteorites swarming toward us
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Meteorites swarming toward us Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 11:35:17 -0600 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: Connecticut Post http://www.connpost.com/local3.html Meteorites swarming toward us Saturday, November 14, 1998 By MARIAN GAIL BROWN Staff writer Early next week you might switch on your television only to be greeted by a big blank screen. When you pick up the phone to blast the place that sold you the thing, the line is dead. You get in your car to return that worthless object. You want the quickest route, so you hit a switch that displays a map, using a global positioning satellite, to direct you. Nothing happens. Is this Armageddon? Have aliens from outer space finally taken over? Well, the truth is out there. Cue the X-Files music. It's the peak of the Leonid meteor storm, arriving in our hemisphere early Tuesday and astronomers say it promises to be this millennium's last great pyrotechnic pageant in space . Thousands of meteors -remnants of comet Temple-Tuttle - will bombard upper levels of the Earth's atmosphere. While these shooting stars are expected to put on quite a light show, there is a down side. The meteors are the single greatest natural threat to 500-plus Earth-orbiting satellites. And some scientists say they could play havoc with satellites that deal with communication, navigation and spy technology. When the last major Leonid meteor shower took place in 1966, there were only a handful of satellites in space. Some 350 of the 500-plus orbiting satellites have a 5 percent chance of being struck by meteors or knocked out of service, according to projections. "It's like firing a thin shotgun blast into a really big flock of geese," says Ernie Hildner, director of the Space Environment Center, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that provides weather reports on space. "Everyone knows some of them are going to get killed or hurt. It's just a matter of waiting and seeing because we know it's going to happen, but we don't know which satellites it will affect." With plans by government and commercial industry to launch 1,200 additional satellites within the next 10 years, "space is definitely getting crowded," says Greg Hughes, a spokesman for The Aerospace Corp. The company, based in El Segundo, Calif., provides primary engineering, oversight and scientific expertise for all Department of Defense space launches. "And there's supposed to be another meteor shower next November. So, the question is: will this factor into satellite launches? We hope it will, because space is gradually becoming more crowded and the next time a major Leonid shower comes around in another 33 years, we may not be so lucky." To protect their multibillion- dollar investment in space, satellite owners have tilted many of their satellites so their solar panels don't take a direct hit. For instance, the Hubble telescope, made in Connecticut, will be shifted so that it faces away from the meteor showers. "The satellites that are up there are changing their orientation, especially if they have sensitive instrumentation," says Russell Patera, senior engineering specialist with the Center for Orbital Re-entry and Debris Studies. "That means that these satellites will be facing with their edges out. So, that if they are hit, hopefully, it will only be a glancing blow." More troublesome than a direct hit, perhaps, is the damage the space debris from comet Temple- Tuttle does. "It can vaporize into a thin plasma that short-circuits the electrical impulses of a satellite," Patera says, adding that such a disturbance also could knock out satellite transmissions. And what happens in the minutes after such an event could be critical to whether a satellite can be repaired, Patera says. "That's why satellite engineers everywhere will be constantly on call to protect their company's investments. There has already been a lot of pre-planning as to what to do [in a worst-case scenario], he says. "But everybody will be on the alert." The particles, burned off from comet Temple-Tuttle's 33-year orbit around the sun, will drizzle down on any spacecraft or satellites orbiting high up in Earth's atmosphere as close as 200 to 24,000 miles from Earth. Instead of seeing a smattering of meteors or, as they are more commonly known, shooting stars, stargazers in some parts of the world could see as many as 200 to 5,000 an hour, a veritable galactic fireworks display. The best viewing will be in Asia for this shower. For his part, Bob Crelin, 39, a graphic designer from Branford, is looking forward to the shooting-star show. "All you need is a blanket, some heavy clothes, something warm to drink and a really dark sky, away from the city lights," says Crelin of the Astronomical Society of New Haven. "It's best viewed without a telescope or binoculars because meteor showers occur across a vast distance. So you want to be able to see the whole sky, not an isolated part of it," Crelin says. "That's the best way to appreciate a shooting star, seeing it streak across the horizon." Crelin recalls the excitement of seeing a Perseid meteor shower as a child growing up in the 1960s as though it were yesterday. "I was on Cape Cod with my parents and we were driving back from someplace for dinner," Crelin says. "I looked out [of the window] and it was like literally raining stars all around us. They were streaking across the sky. And I remember thinking that this was some kind of giant fireworks show at first because this was the summer. I was just totally jazzed." Perhaps, that's what fuels his interest in astronomy. These days, Crelin owns four telescopes, some so powerful that they enable him to see beyond the Milky Way and our own galaxy. "I have one that lets me see things that are 50 million light years away," says Crelin, adding that for the Leonid shower he will take his own advice and leave all his telescopes at home. For his part, Michael Dzubaty, a medical office manager from West Haven, plans to camp out in a nearby park from midnight to about dawn. "This is the peak part of the Leonid period, which occurs only once every 33 years. Usually, what happens is you have a double shot of intense meteor showers" in two consecutive Novembers, Dzubaty says. No one is really sure whether this year's Leonid shower will be better than the 1999 one. "So, you don't want to take any chances missing either of them." But if you've seen one batch of shooting stars haven't you seen them all? "It's hard to put into words, but nah," says the 51-year-old amateur astronomer. "Imagine a series of shooting stars and then every once in a while a colossal fire ball like from out of 'Deep Impact' or 'Armageddon.'" Connecticut Post 410 State Street Bridgeport, CT 06604 203-330-6456 © 1998 Connecticut Post. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- **************************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address or (un)subscribe ignition-point-digest email@address **************************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ****************************************************

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IP: Text: Clinton Continues Nat'l Emergency on WMD
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Text: Clinton Continues Nat'l Emergency on WMD Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 01:18:44 -0600 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: USIA http://www.usia.gov/current/news/latest/98111212.tlt.html?/products/washfile /newsitem.shtml 12 November 1998 TEXT: CLINTON CONTINUES EMERGENCY ON WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION (They continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat) (280) Washington -- President Clinton November 12 extended the national emergency regarding weapons of mass destruction that he originally declared on November 14, 1994 with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed by the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons ("weapons of mass destruction") and the means of delivering such weapons. Following is the White House text: (begin text) THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary November 12, 1999 NOTICE CONTINUATION OF EMERGENCY REGARDING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, I declared a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed by the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons ("weapons of mass destruction") and the means of delivering such weapons. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, the national emergency first declared on November 14, 1994, and extended on November 14, 1995, November 12, 1996, and November 13, 1997, must continue in effect beyond November 14, 1998. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622 (d)), I am continuing the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938. This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress. WILLIAM J. CLINTON THE WHITE HOUSE November 12, 1998 (end text) ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- **************************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address or (un)subscribe ignition-point-digest email@address **************************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ****************************************************

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IP: ISPI Clips 6.37: Privacy Group Pushes For Hearings on ECHELON
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: "Ama-gi ISPI" <Offshore(a)email.msn.com> Subject: IP: ISPI Clips 6.37: Privacy Group Pushes For Hearings on ECHELON Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 00:49:50 -0800 To: <Undisclosed.Recipients(a)majordomo.pobox.com> ISPI Clips 6.37: Privacy Group Pushes For Hearings on ECHELON News & Info from the Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) Friday November 13, 1998 ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This From: WorldNetDaily, November 12, 1998 http://www.worldnetdaily.com Push for hearings on Echelon: Global spy system needs scrutiny, says rights group http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_exnews/19981112_xex_push_hearing.shtml A WorldNetDaily Exclusive Copyright 1998 WorldNetDaily.com By Stephan Archer In an effort to create some accountability between the country's citizens and the National Security Agency's top-secret global surveillance system known as Echelon, the Free Congress Foundation is urging that congressional hearings be held concerning the NSA's use of the system. Originally, Echelon was designed to spy on the Communist Bloc during the Cold War. However, since the end of the Cold War, the NSA has used it for other questionable purposes that include spying on the citizens of U.S. allies as well as the citizens of other countries, commercial spying, and even domestic spying. In essence, Echelon works through a series of high-tech spy facilities located primarily in five countries: the United States, Canada, England, New Zealand, and Australia. These countries, which are sworn to secrecy about the project in a secret agreement known as UKUSA, all actively take part in this encroachment of privacy into the lives of the people of the world by collecting virtually all fax transmissions, e-mails, and phone calls. Not even cellular phone calls escape the grasp of the Echelon system. "Obviously, we need to have these capabilities," said Wayne Madsen, who worked in the National COMSEC Assessment Center at the NSA's Fort Meade, Maryland, facility back in the 1980s and is currently a senior fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. As an example of our country's need for the system, Madsen said, "No one can argue about using the system to counter terrorism. Where people will have a problem is where Echelon is used for political and business interests." The Echelon system gets most of its data by collecting all transmissions handled by the Intelsat and Inmarsat satellites, which are responsible for much of the electronic communication that takes place between countries. Earth-bound communication is sucked up and absorbed by other spy satellites that the NSA has launched into space. "It's a huge vacuum cleaner," said Madsen. Once these spy facilities collect the phone calls, e-mails, and faxes, of virtually everyone on earth, the Echelon system sorts them through a kind of filter system known as the Echelon dictionary. This dictionary looks for "flag" words in all of the transmitted communication. While it lets a majority of all collected material pass through its filter, it tags those that may pose a threat and tracks all subsequent communication coming from the source of the original "flagged" message. Concerning Echelon's inherent intrusion on people's privacy, Patrick Poole, the deputy director for the Center of Technology Policy at the Free Congress Foundation, said, "While we understand the need for the intelligence power embodied by Echelon, the indiscriminate use of Echelon presents major threats to liberty not only to U.S. citizens but to citizens around the world." And this threat is real. The foundation's report states that U.S. leaders have, in fact, already abused this awesome technology. For example, the report states the following: "In September 1993, President Clinton asked the CIA to spy on Japanese auto manufacturers that were designing zero-emission cars and to forward that information to the Big Three U.S. car manufacturers: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler." "You can assume that all major U.S. corporations are fed items of interest (via Echelon) from time to time to give them a leg up on international competitors," said Madsen. Although this may be seen as a strategic corporate weapon for American businesses, in reality, it's an example of technology that can get out of hand. For example, former Canadian spy Mike Frost stated in his book, "Spyworld," that in 1981, there was an "accidental" cell phone intercept of the American ambassador to Canada that resulted in the U.S. getting outbid by the Canadians in a grain deal with China. The deal brought in $2.5 billion for the Canadian Wheat Board. With this kind of abuse of Echelon's power, the question as to whether or not the U.S. government has been using this power for political purposes can be easily raised. This question is seemingly answered in the foundation's report. "The discovery of domestic surveillance targeted at American civilians for reasons of 'unpopular' political affiliation -- or for no probable cause at all -- in violation of the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution is regularly impeded by very elaborate and complex legal arguments and privilege claims by the intelligence agencies and the U.S. government," the report says. When asked if the system has been used by the U.S. government to spy on its citizens, Madsen told WorldNetDaily that he was sure it has been. "I don't believe that the NSA or the current Administration would hesitate to use this system on American citizens for their own agendas," he said. Outraged by this flagrant abuse of power illustrated by our country's elected officials, Poole said, "While the U.S. is the prime mover behind the Echelon system, it's shameful that the European Parliament is the body holding the constitutional debate in regards to Echelon today." A September 1998 report for the European Parliament by the Omega Foundation said, "Within Europe, all e-mail, telephone, and fax communications are routinely intercepted by the United States National Security Agency. According to the Omega Foundation report, it is this ability of the NSA that brings major concern to the European Parliament. In an effort to bring the issues surrounding Echelon to the forefront of American politics, the Free Congress Foundation plans to send out a report about Echelon to all of the 500 policy organizations in the U.S. as well as to select members of Congress. These select individuals include members from both the House and Senate intelligence committees as well as House and Senate Constitution subcommittees. Copies of the report will also be sent to the congressional leadership of both parties. Although the foundation is hoping to get some action out of these members of Congress, Poole said that support at the grassroots level of our nation's political structure will be a must if this issue isn't to end up buried by the intelligence committees. "For there to be any account and oversight to the Echelon system, the American people are going to have to contact their elected representatives in order to investigate the abuses that we know have occurred in regards to the Echelon system," Poole said. See Free Congress Foundation's report on Echelon at: http://www.freecongress.org/ctp/echelon.html © 1998 Western Journalism Center --------------------------------NOTICE:------------------------------ ISPI Clips are news & opinion articles on privacy issues from all points of view; they are clipped from local, national and international newspapers, journals and magazines, etc. Inclusion as an ISPI Clip does not necessarily reflect an endorsement of the content or opinion by ISPI. In compliance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed free without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISPI Clips is a FREE e-mail service from the "Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues" (ISPI). To receive "ISPI Clips" on a regular bases (up to 3 - 8 clips per day) send the following message "Please enter [Your Name] into the ISPI Clips list: [Your e-mail address]" to: ISPIClips(a)ama-gi.com . The Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) is a small contributor-funded organization based in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). ISPI operates on a not-for-profit basis, accepts no government funding and takes a global perspective. ISPI's mandate is to conduct & promote interdisciplinary research into electronic, personal and financial privacy with a view toward helping ordinary people understand the degree of privacy they have with respect to government, industry and each other and to likewise inform them about techniques to enhance their privacy. But, none of this can be accomplished without your kind and generous financial support. If you are concerned about the erosion of your privacy in general, won't you please help us continue this important work by becoming an "ISPI Supporter" or by taking out an institute Membership? We gratefully accept all contributions: Less than $60 ISPI Supporter $60 - $99 Primary ISPI Membership (1 year) $100 - $300 Senior ISPI Membership (2 years) More than $300 Executive Council Membership (life) Your ISPI "membership" contribution entitles you to receive "The ISPI Privacy Reporter" (our bi-monthly 12 page hard-copy newsletter in multi-contributor format) for the duration of your membership. For a contribution form with postal instructions please send the following message "ISPI Contribution Form" to ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com . We maintain a strict privacy policy. Any information you divulge to ISPI is kept in strict confidence. 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