December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Webpage picketing (fwd)
by Peter Trei 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Jim writes: [Jim wants to be able to 'cyber-picket' - force people to read his opinions before they can browse sites he does not like. He is attempting to claim that the net backbones corrospond to public spaces, where his local government permits him to picket.] > Declan writes: >> And I think that we should be very careful about calling the Net a public >> forum. Sure, places like Usenet resemble a public forum in some ways, but >> it's not the same. > > But I am not calling the net a public forum. I am specificaly talking about > a special case that might arise if we are not aware of the consequences. In > short it is a statement that it MIGHT be possible to use publicly funded > network backbones to seriously impede communication using the system against > itself. >> I think Greg has it right: you want to forcibly intervene in a >> communication between two consenting parties. What you want is >> similar to the right to come into my home and prevent me from >> speaking freely to my friend or lover. 'Publically funded network backbones'? Can you name one (in the US)? NSFnet and ARPAnet are long dead. Back when they were active, there was considerable debate about the legality of commercial speech on the net, and earlier, doubts about the legality of any traffic (including private email) which was not in support of government funded research. (the first big mailing list, the SF-Lovers Digest, had a quasi-underground existence for many years due to this worry). Jim also writes: >Lack of public space may be the saving grace, unfortunately there is >quite a bit of involvment planned by Uncle Sam if I am not >mistaken...Internet II... V-II Chip... GAK... ITAR... That >supercomputer science network thingy... None of which have the slightest relevance - Internet II is a proposed (and still vaporware) project for an academic-research-only network - it's future existence has no impact on those of us using the private backbone system of today. Ditto that 'supercomputer science network thingy' you mention, which I suspect is the same thing. As for "V-II Chip... GAK... ITAR": The fact that some people in government propose unconstitutional regulations, unworkable technologies, and policies which work against the public interest is not a basis to propose further undesirable policies. Question: if you get the ability to put up your 'cyber-picket' frame, how about cyber-counter-pickets? Cant the picketee put a page in front of yours? Who gets priority? Where does it stop? Jim, your idea is roadkill on that horribly imprecise analogy, the 'information superhighway' (spit). It can't be resuscitated by asking for 'information super-sidewalks' or claiming the existance of 'information super-public-spaces'. The underlying metaphor is fatally flawed. Peter Trei trei(a)process.com Disclaimer: These are my own opinions only.

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There's no general right to privacy -- get over it, from Netly
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

************** http://pathfinder.com/netly/editorial/0,1012,1050,00.html The Netly News June 12, 1997 Privacy? What Privacy? by Declan McCullagh (declan(a)well.com) I have a confession to make: Unlike many of my civil libertarian colleagues, I believe you have no general right to privacy online. Sure, you have the right to protect your personal data, but you shouldn't be able to stop someone else from passing along that information if you let it leave your computer. That's your responsibility. So you can imagine my dismay when I learned I'd be sitting through four full days of Federal Trade Commission hearings this week on Internet privacy. The commission's goal? To define "privacy rights" for the Net -- and to be perhaps the first federal agency to regulate it. The commissioners are being spurred on by consumer groups that want the government to bar firms from collecting information about your online wanderings. Businesses say that such a rule would stifle Internet advertising and commerce and have recently released a flurry of self-regulatory proposals. [...] Which is one reason why I think there is no general right to privacy -- at least as the consumer groups and privacy advocates describe it. Rotenberg likes to say "Privacy is not an absolute right, but a fundamental right." But in truth, privacy is not a right but a preference: Some people want more of it than others. Of course there's an essential right to privacy from the government. (Beware government databases: Nazis used census data in Germany and Holland to track down and eliminate undesirables.) You also have a right to privacy from Peeping Toms. But -- no matter how much big-government fetishists want this to be true -- you don't own information about yourself. After all, journalists are able to investigate someone's private life and publish an article -- even if it contains embarrassing personal details. This is a good thing: Any restrictions would weaken the First Amendment. Then there's gossip, which is a time-honored way of trading in others' personal information. "The reindeer-herding Lapps, for whom theft of livestock is easy and common, gossip about who has stolen which animal and where they are," sociologist Sally Engle Merry writes. [...] ------------------------- Declan McCullagh Time Inc. The Netly News Network Washington Correspondent http://netlynews.com/

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CORBA Security beta from IONA
by Martin Janzen 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I just received the latest "IonaSphere" newsletter from IONA, makers of the Orbix Object Request Broker (ORB), and noticed this item which may be of interest to some of the people on this list: I28-B> IONA announces beta of CORBA Security Implementation =========================================================== OrbixSecurity enables organizations to deploy their mission-critical distributed systems on multiple platforms securely. It is tightly integrated with IONA's leading object request broker Orbix and facilitates the creation of CORBA level 1 secure distributed component-based applications. In parallel with the development of OrbixSecurity, IONA is also working on a secure socket layer (SSL v3.0) solution. SSL will be bundled in the company's Orbix/OTM enterprise suite of object development and management tools, also scheduled for the third quarter. SSL security offers authentication (based on X.509 certificates) and encryption (based on public and session key technologies). Subsequent to the initial general availability of OrbixSecurity in the third quarter of 1997, IONA will be working towards level 2 security support (which deals mostly with the definition and administration of security policies and domains) via product extensions and third party integrations. Availability The OrbixSecurity beta is available immediately on the Sun Solaris and Windows NT platforms. To participate in the beta program send an e-mail to beta(a)iona.com For more information see http://www.iona.com/Press/PR/security.html (Standard disclaimers: I don't work for these guys, get paid by them, etc...) -- Martin Janzen janzen(a)idacom.hp.com

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(Fwd) FWD: Texas Driver's License database on the web
by Peter Trei 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Just in case it's not clear from the headers, this is being posted by Peter Trei. ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Some forwards removed. From: Jim Thompson <jim(a)hosaka.SmallWorks.COM> I got a '503 Service Unavailable this server has been placed offline by the operator. Please try again later.' response the first two times I tried. But then... Oh look. A record of which elections in which you've voted. If you don't think this is the likely future, you're dead wrong. Jim =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: Brent Heustess <heustess(a)mail.utexas.edu> This is a really spooky web site <http://www.publiclink.com>. You can search 17 million Texas drivers by name, driver's license number or license plate number. When you find a person, you can then find everyone at that address with a license. You can even find everyone with the same 9-digit zip code. The record does not have a GIF of the photo, but it has everything else on the license. Did Psychos-R-Us request this site? "Could you create a database so I don't miss anyone when I go on a killing spree on the 900 block of Rosewood?" "28 my ass. I just checked the web and it says you were born 1965. Not ready to admit to be post-30? I'm not buying the 'I weigh 110' either. I read 118 plain as day." "I can't believe it. That asshole just cut me off. Well, Mr. ZBW-446, I guess a little midnight visit is in order to 1918 Grover St. Prepare to be stalked." "Johnny, I looked up your record last night and I couldn't believe my eyes. You're livin' in sin with that Sally Jenkins slut. How could you do this to your Dad & me? You move out now or we're gonna cut off your college money!" Public Link says this is public information, but where are the good old days when you had to have a friend down at the Dept of Public Safety who would look plate numbers up for you? If it was good enough for Rockford, it's good enough for me. Suprress your phone number & address from the phone book, but then it shows up in a searchable database on the web. Lot of good that did you. Now all those 7th Day Adventists know excatly where you live. Privacy, schmivacy. Ta, Brent =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Public Link Corporation Public Databases on the Internet 5930-E Royal Lane Ste 173, Dallas, TX 75230 (214) 890-6817 Welcome to Public Link Corp., the Information Source of the Internet. We are here to provide public access to public information and public databases. The company uses data obtained from public sources currently available through the Freedom of Information Act and Open Records Laws. We believe it is the citizen's right to have this information available for their use. We expect to grow our database offerings to you over the next several months. Many times you have needed the type of information we provide and have had to use varous methods to obtain the information. Some of these methods you would prefer not to have to use again. Not any more! Just sit back and let us do the work for you. If you have a special suggestions or request, please let us know. Come and join us as we enter the information age! - - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TexasDriverLink State of Texas Licensed Drivers. Over 17,000,000 Texas Drivers License Information. Updated weekly. This database contains the information contained on a person's drivers license. Data included are Name, Address, Weight, Birth Date, Sex, Expiration Date, Status (Active or Suspended), Class of License, and Restrictions. This database does not contain information on a person's traffic tickets, DWIs, or Insurance information. Search either by name or if you know the drivers license number, search by number. TexasTagLink State of Texas License Plates. Over 16,000,000 license plates with accompaning information. Updated weekly. This database contains the information about the owner of a vehicle. This database does not contain insurance information. Search currently only available by plate number. TexasDallasVoterLink Registered voter role for Dallas County Texas. This database also contains voting history for each of the one million registered voters. This database is updated quarterly. TexasArrestLink EvictionLink CivilCourtLink PropertyOwnerLink MarriageRecordLink - -- Jim Thompson / Smallworks, Inc. / jim(a)smallworks.com 512 338 0619 phone / 512 338 0625 fax HTML: The 3270 of the 90s

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Re: [Noise, California only] Good deal on ISDN access
by Derek Atkins 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> When for $150 you can get a brand spanking new 56K modem, and pay $20-30 a > month. Not as fast, but a much better price/performance ratio. Granted, ISDN gives you only twice that of a 56k modem (ISDN gives you 128k), the major benefit of using ISDN over analog is latency. The latency of analog modems is as high as 300ms, whereas the latency of an ISDN link is about 10% of that. MUCH better for real-time interactive connections. It all depends on how you define "performance". If you really want good performance, get MediaOne, RoadRunner, of @Home service. -derek Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board (SIPB) URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/ PP-ASEL N1NWH warlord(a)MIT.EDU PGP key available

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(Fwd) Re: FCPUNX:Response to 'My War'
by Peter Trei 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

William H. Geiger III wrote: > >James A Donald writes: > > >> fAt 10:07 PM 6/9/97 -0700, se7en wrote: > >> > Anyone who thinks this doesn't affect the young children, you are wrong. > >> > I doubt these children consented to the sexual activity. I doubt they > >> > consented to being photographed. I doubt they consented to the pictures > >> > being distributed to others. > >> > >> Most of these children are adults now. A great many of them are > >> grandmothers. Yet I see no prosecutions for the distribution of > >> images by the supposed victims. > >[...] > >> Produce a victim and you will find it a lot easier to prosecute. > > >See http://www.net.be/connerotte/english-text.html for the timeline of > >last year's child sex & porn scandal in Belgium. Some of the victims > >there will never bring suit: they are dead. > > I think that you are missing the most important part of those articles: > > The so-called "protectors of childered" ie government officials were > involved in the kidnaping, rape, and pornography of children and the > subsequent cover-up after the fact. > > If there was ever a need for AP this is it. Mr Donald asked people to produce victims of child porn production, and implied that unless such victims could be found, we should assume that the whole business was consensual fun. I have provided him with proof of such victims. (I'm curious to see how he'll respond). That there was (and for all I know, continues to be) high level collusion within the Belgium government to hush this up is a side issue. While the perpetrators of these atrocities should be given life without parole, I say that AP is not the answer. I object to the death penalty in all circumstances. Peter Trei trei(a)process.com

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toner
by 53365743＠prodigy.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

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Money magazine on digital cash
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

As some of you know, I work in the Washington bureau of Time Inc., which is home not just to Time Magazine and AllPolitics but also People and Money. Some folks down the hall at Money are working on an article about digital cash and the Net and would like to interview some folks who might have something interesting to say. Keep in mind the magazine's focus is on personal finance. If you're interested let me know and I'll forward your names and contact info. -Declan ------------------------- Declan McCullagh Time Inc. The Netly News Network Washington Correspondent http://netlynews.com/

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Secrecy?
by Peter Nicol - VRL / BroomStick Productions 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hmmmm . . . After following this list for a while I offer the following observation: "Would it be better to DEMAND the full disclosure of the governments secrets rather than scramble around trying to keep ours." I am prepared to allow governments full access to my communications when they allow me full access to theirs. But then again, why be governed in the first place? Peter Nicol Global Media Magnet nicol(a)iap.net.au 019 111 943 "Nonlinear models differ form linear ones in a number of ways. Rather than trying to figure out all the chains of causality, the modeler looks for nodes where feedback loops join and tries to capture as many of the important loops as possible in the system's "picture." Rather than shaping the model to make a forecast about future events or to exercise some central control, the nonlinear modeller is content to perturb the model, trying out different variations in order to learn about the system's critical points and its homeostasis (resitance to change). The modeler is not seeking to control the complex system by quantifying it and mastering its causality; she wants to increase her "intuitions" about how the system works so she can interact with it more harmoniously."

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export rules obsolete, says U.S. official
by nobody＠huge.cajones.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/info/061197/info12_13274.html ______________________________________________________________________ Supercomputer export rules obsolete, says U.S. official __________________________________________________________________________ Copyright ) 1997 Nando.net Copyright ) 1997 The Associated Press WASHINGTON (June 11, 1997 5:56 p.m. EDT) -- A Commerce Department official denied that Clinton administration export policies let U.S. supercomputers be used by hostile nations for weapons and said old controls are now unworkable. The president's 1995 decision to loosen export controls on supercomputers and other high-tech products recognized that technology is advancing at lightning speed and already is available throughout the world, William A. Reinsch, Commerce's undersecretary for export administration, said Wednesday. Harsher restrictions on the export of the most powerful computers would be of limited benefit, he said. "Efforts to control at lower levels will not only be unsuccessful, they will limit our ability to widely disseminate American standards and software and damage our companies economically," Reinsch told the Senate Governmental Affairs subcommittee on international security, proliferation and federal services. "When President Clinton took office he was urged by congressional leaders of both parties to make long-overdue reforms in this area," Reinsch said. "I believe our efforts to do that have been a model of good government decision making." Sen. Thad Cochran, subcommittee chairman, retorted that Russia's premier nuclear weapons labs have five American supercomputers, and at least 46 are used in China. "The good news is that some of these major scientific technological institutes across China may not be involved in developing weapons of mass destruction and missile delivery systems for China and its clients. But some surely are," Cochran, R-Miss., said. "And they're doing this work courtesy of what appears to be, at best, a deeply flawed U.S. export-control policy." The United States restricts export of fast-calculating supercomputers to nonallies. Military uses to which supercomputers can be put are testing nuclear weapons, building accurate missiles and developing code-breaking technology. Reinsch said the Justice Department is investigating three sales of supercomputers overseas, two in Russia and one to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The sales are suspected of violating U.S. regulations designed to keep U.S. technology from falling into the wrong hands. Commerce officials also are checking into whether U.S. supercomputers sold to customers in Dubai have been resold to Iran, he said. Two Republican House members, Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois and Rep. Tillie K. Fowler of Florida, have demanded a Justice Department investigation into sales of sensitive equipment to China as part of its inquiry into foreign campaign contributions to Democrats. In a May 22 letter to Attorney General Janet Reno, the lawmakers said the situation raises questions about whether campaign contributions from Asian donors led to the sales. In response to a question from Cochran, Reinsch said he didn't think the Commerce Department had been asked to turn over information as part of such an investigation, "but we will certainly turn over to them whatever they ask for." By CASSANDRA BURRELL, Associated Press Writer _________________________________________________________________ [ Global | Stateside | Sports | Politics | Opinions | Business | Techserver | Health & Science | Entertainment | Weather | Baseball | Basketball | Football | Hockey | Sport Server | MAIN ] _________________________________________________________________ Copyright ) 1997 Nando.net Do you have some feedback for the Nando Times staff?

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