April 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Choicepoint knows what you read, sells to Feds, can't talk; Declan can access this too
by Major Variola (ret) 17 Apr '03

17 Apr '03

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGACRBLDHED.html NEW YORK (AP) - For years now, Americans who happen to use a credit card or order a magazine have left a financial identity trail that has been catalogued by database companies like ChoicePoint Inc., then resold to the U.S. government. Federal and state governments pay about $50 million a year to comb through ChoicePoint's databanks, also marketed under such names as AutoTrack, KnowX.com and ScreenNow. The company compiles and sells personal information on U.S. residents, such as motor vehicle and credit records, car and boat registrations, liens and deed transfers and military records. The files can be used by the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service or Internal Revenue Service to check employee backgrounds, track fugitives or piece together clues to a person's potential for terrorism. Journalists, including The Associated Press, also use ChoicePoint's data for researching stories. New federal demand for the data can be seen in forthcoming programs such as Total Information Awareness and Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or CAPPS II, which seek to prevent acts of terror by poring over financial transactions, court records and government watch lists. ChoicePoint president Doug Curling said in a conference call with financial analysts last month that the government prohibited him from discussing any role in the CAPPS II program. Privacy experts are dismayed by the U.S. government's use of such commercial data. They say it circumvents the spirit of the 1974 Privacy Act, which prohibits routine data collection on ordinary Americans. "The Privacy Act passed because of fears in the 1960s of a federal data center. That data center was created after all, but it's in private hands," said Chris Hoofnagle of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. After the Sept. 11 debacle, law enforcers and government agencies clamored for data from commercial data merchants. The new Transportation Security Agency used ChoicePoint to screen some 300,000 job applicants, airport workers and pilots. ChoicePoint, a publicly held company, was spun off of credit reporting company Equifax in 1997 and quickly began gobbling up competitors, swallowing over 30 to date. Earnings climbed 62 percent in four years, from $466 million in 1998 to $753 million in 2002, with its stock price up some 300 percent since it began trading. The company's computers in Boca Raton, Fla., and Alpharetta, Ga., are stocked with more than 100 terabytes of storage. A forthcoming data center will add tens of terabytes more, said marketing director James Lee. ChoicePoint is the U.S. immigration officer's favorite private data tool, but it's not the only one, said Thomas Durand, assistant chief inspector of the new U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, which absorbed some of the INS functions. Inspectors also use LexisNexis, a top competitor. Durand said marketing data company infoUSA is also looking to sell to the government. "They've given us free passwords and user accounts to see if we find it interesting," Durand said. Problems with accuracy have dogged Choicepoint. In the most famous case, a ChoicePoint subsidiary mistakenly flagged hundreds of eligible voters for removal from Florida's voter rolls in 2000. The voters were unable to cast ballots in the presidential election that brought George W. Bush into the White House. If ChoicePoint's data are used to block foreigners from entering the United States, Lee said he hopes immigration officials give travelers the chance to challenge the accuracy of information used to confront them. Only the subject of the background check can verify the information, not ChoicePoint or the U.S. government, Lee said. "The key to any of this is giving the actual citizen the right to see it and fix it," Lee said. "We do everything to ensure our customers are following privacy policies. But there is still going to be human error. And the outcome isn't going to be what people would like." ..... Hmm, password protected access, eh? ..... "Montag, why do you burn books ?" "It's a job like any other, pay is good and there is a lot of variety". -F451

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Re: Skunkworks seeks brilliant hacker
by Tyler Durden 17 Apr '03

17 Apr '03

>From: "R. A. Hettinga" <rah(a)shipwright.com> >To: cypherpunks(a)lne.com >Subject: Re: Skunkworks seeks brilliant hacker >Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 22:46:58 -0400 > >At 5:10 PM -0700 4/16/03, Steve Schear wrote: > >Skunkworks research group seeks brilliant hacker > >... to find material non-public information? > >:-) > >Cheers, >RAH > >-- >----------------- >R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> >The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> >44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA >"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, >[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to >experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' I actually thought this was a clever gag. -TD _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

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Plumes, LA=Bhopal++
by Major Variola (ret) 17 Apr '03

17 Apr '03

Chemical Plants Said to Pose Risk More than 100 facilities, including 12 in the L.A. Basin, could expose millions to toxic gas in an attack or accident, documents indicate. By Marla Cone, Times Staff Writer More than 100 chemical plants throughout the United States -- including 12 in the Los Angeles Basin -- each could expose millions of people to dangerous concentrations of toxic gas in the event of a terrorist attack or major accident, according to industry documents filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In Southern California, eight plants in Los Angeles County, three in San Bernardino County and one in Riverside County are each capable of exposing a million or more people to the gases, and some people could receive doses high enough to cause death or serious injury, the documents show. About 30 other plants in the region handle smaller volumes of chemicals that could affect between 100,000 and 1 million people. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chemplants17apr17,1,6036321.story?c… cf http://cryptome.org/cshib041003.txt http://www.epa.gov/ceppo/ap-ocgu.htm http://yosemite.epa.gov/oswer/ceppoweb.nsf/frmVZIS?OpenForm

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Re: Reason's Cathy Young complains of post-9-11 "panic-mongers"
by Tyler Durden 17 Apr '03

17 Apr '03

I sure saw Tim's response coming. My own initial reaction was the same, except this fascist's stupidity might be a good thing (ie, for those of us that don't want to end up having a ratcage around our heads). A little Durdanian analysis will let you know what I mean... >>Measures such as limiting terror suspects' communications with their >>lawyers in order to prevent potential terrorist acts are controversial, >>and rightly so. But they are a far cry from Stalinism. So the masses reading this say: "Stalinism? You mean some people are comparing our loss of freedom with Stalinism? I don't believe that..." But the seed is now planted. Now the masses perceive other masses as being afraid we're paying too much for this war on (someone else's) terrorism. >>... >>Yes, this is a different America than it was on Sept. 10, 2001. But it >>wasn't Ashcroft, President Bush, or the Republican Congress who conspired >>to rob us of our freedom; it was the terrorists. Nice! So she tacitly admits SOMEONE'S fuckin' us over. AND, she accidently acknowledges that people believe its Bush and Asscruft. Fortunately, even the rank-and-file are smart enough to recognize who actually makes the laws here. So all that's needed are a few more horror stories of white Americans getting carted away for reading about rocketry at the library, and they'll bum-rush this show. -TD _________________________________________________________________

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Re: Key Republican Not Sure on Patriot Act
by Tyler Durden 17 Apr '03

17 Apr '03

James Donald wrote.... >From: "James A. Donald" <jamesd(a)echeque.com> >To: cypherpunks(a)lne.com, cryptography(a)metzdowd.com >Subject: Key Republican Not Sure on Patriot Act >Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 21:23:40 -0700 > > -- >On 16 Apr 2003 at 18:16, R. A. Hettinga wrote: > > WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's plans to expand a > > post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorism law face resistance from a > > powerful House Republican who says he's not even sure he > > wants the government to keep its new powers. > >Any war does great and permanent damage to liberty. However a >short victorious war in a faraway place does considerably less >damage than most. Which is why we're lookin' at Syria next. -TD _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus

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Skunkworks seeks brilliant hacker
by Steve Schear 17 Apr '03

17 Apr '03

Skunkworks research group seeks brilliant hacker Reply to: sf_skunkworks(a)hotmail.com Date: 2003-04-15, 11:59AM We are a small, tightly-knit special research division of a money management firm, and we are seeking a new member for our team. Our mission is to create tools that complement human intelligence. Instead of trying to predict the future with "quant" techniques, we prefer to create information systems that lead to better decisions. To fulfill our skunkworks name, we combine computers, networks, and other technology with statistics, mathematics, and the latest academic research, and use these to gain advantageous information about our investments. The candidate we seek is a skilled hacker with an active mind. You will be required to invent your own next project, implement it, and use it in collaboration with the rest of the team. ...

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White House seeks to expand DNA database
by Jei 17 Apr '03

17 Apr '03

White House seeks to expand DNA database By Richard Willing, USA TODAY 4/15/2003 7:36 PM WASHINGTON DNA profiles from juvenile offenders and from adults who have been arrested but not convicted would be added to the FBI's national DNA database under a Bush administration proposal. Under current law, only DNA from adults convicted of crimes can be placed in the national database, which is used to compare those samples with biological evidence from the scenes of unsolved crimes. As of January, there were about 1.3 million DNA samples in the database, U.S. officials say. Adding profiles from thousands of adult arrestees and juvenile offenders would greatly expand the DNA system's worth by increasing the number of potential matches, administration officials say. Justice Department officials have discussed potential changes in federal DNA law with key members of Congress and are pushing for legislation this year. "DNA is to the 21st century what fingerprinting was to the 20th," says Deborah Daniels, assistant U.S. attorney general for justice programs. "The widespread use of DNA evidence is the future of law enforcement in this country." But critics say adding juvenile and arrestee profiles to the database threatens privacy by expanding the pool of samples beyond adult criminals. Although only digital DNA profiles would be linked to the FBI computer, the blood or saliva samples from which the DNA was drawn would be kept by state labs, they note. "It's only a matter of time before the government gets its hands on those DNA samples and starts playing around with our genetic codes," says Barry Steinhardt, privacy specialist for the American Civil Liberties Union's national office in New York City. "They say they don't want to do that, but not too long ago they were saying they'd only take DNA profiles from rapists and murderers and now they want juveniles ... We're not just on a slippery slope, we're halfway down it." DNA system defenders say the actual samples must be retained for quality- control testing and in the event a DNA match is challenged in court. They note that strict privacy laws prevent researchers from using the stored samples for any other purpose. And they note that the U.S. government already stores fingerprints from arrestees in a giant computer system without causing privacy problems. Privacy advocates aren't convinced. They note that researchers are identifying genetic markers for height, hair color and other features. They suspect that authorities soon will want to search DNA samples for such genetic markers. DNA, a cellular acid contained in blood, semen and other body fluids and tissues, is an ideal tool for crime solving. Because it contains an individual's unique genetic code, a DNA sample taken from blood, semen or even traces of saliva in a bite mark left on a crime victim can be used to match the perpetrator to the crime. In 1989, states began to collect DNA from convicted criminals and add the profiles to a computer that could match them to DNA from unsolved crimes. In 1992, the FBI created a system that linked the state databases via a bureau computer in Morgantown, W.Va. Thirty states already collect DNA profiles from juvenile offenders, who typically range in age from 13 to 17 but can be as young as 8, according to the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, a Washington, D.C., advocacy group. Since January, Virginia also has collected DNA from those accused of murder, rape and other violent felonies. But under U.S. law, only DNA from people convicted of crimes can be put into the FBI system. The national DNA database has had many successes. As of December, 6,670 DNA samples had been matched to unsolved crimes, the FBI says. States that take DNA from the widest range of offenders seem to produce the best results. New York has had 830 matches since it began to collect DNA from violent felons in 1996. But 80% were made after 1999, when the state began to require DNA collection from most other felonies. In Virginia, DNA from 74 crimes, including 12 rapes and nine murders, has been matched to DNA profiles from juvenile offenders during the past 10 years. "Not all juveniles are going to become adult criminals," says Paul Ferrara, director of Virginia's DNA program. "But for the few who are, the sooner we have them in the system the better." It is unclear how many new DNA samples would be put into the system if juvenile offenders and adult arrestees are added. In 1996, the last year for which data are available, 567,200 youths were found responsible for crimes by juvenile courts or other authorities. Virginia expects to collect DNA from 8,000 arrestees this year. The White House is pushing to make DNA a more effective law enforcement tool. Last month, it announced a plan to spend about $1 billion over five years to improve the national database. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-04-15-dna-usat_x.htm

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Calling Internet rumor mills harmful, some move to shut sites. Defenders say free speech is at stake.
by Major Variola (ret) 17 Apr '03

17 Apr '03

Parents Rally to Stop 'Cyber Bullying' Calling Internet rumor mills harmful, some move to shut sites. Defenders say free speech is at stake. By Erika Hayasaki and Jia-Rui Chong, Times Staff Writers When Internet users log onto http://www.schoolscandals.com and click on the Beverly Hills High School link, they will find a message calling one student a "retard" who "deserves to go to hell." A posting in the Frost Middle School chat room describes a student as a "homosexual with a pigeon-like face and a penguin-like body." Such name-calling and gossip about students are common on the 3-year-old Web site, similar to the crude messages scribbled inside of school bathroom stalls for decades but on a much larger scale. That "cyber bullying" has an audience of tens of thousands, and it features links for chat rooms about nearly 100 Southern California middle and high schools, particularly in the San Fernando Valley. As a result, parents and school administrators are calling for the site's closure, contending much of its content is libelous and harmful. ... Wendy Seltzer, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an online civil liberties organization, said that the authors of the postings might be held liable, but that a 1996 federal law protects many Internet service providers from lawsuits about their content. Only sites like http://www.salon.com, http://www.latimes.com and others can be sued for defamation, since they hold the right to edit their content, she said. The notion is that most Web hosts "don't look at all, because if you do look, you might be held liable for what your users are saying," she said. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-website17apr17,1,911742.story?coll=…

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Re: Kill MS, again, but sideways
by Major Variola (ret) 17 Apr '03

17 Apr '03

At 11:30 PM 4/15/03 +0200, Thomas Shaddack wrote: > >The case of Blackboard security, which recently flashed through Politech >(thanks, Declan!), nicely illustrates the situation - technical >shortcomings addressed by lawyers. Lawyers are merely implementing what the *legislators* let them. The legislators are the ones deserving of the jumpercables on the genitals, though perhaps though the lawyers could be required to do the honors. Since lawyers decay into legislators, this would have beneficial prophylactic educational effects. >Vendors, who keep crucial informations away from the customers, should be >shot. No Thomas, a market will find better uses for them if your arguments have merit. (Which they do, but it takes time.) It is, after all, the right of any individual (or group thereof) to keep secrets. (And Thomas, I wouldn't argue against that *here* :-) Or bind others with consensual contracts like NDAs. Much as it is the right of anyone to diddle with anything they own, and talk about it freely. >The ones, who try to sue the reverse engineers, should be boiled in oil before being shot. The nice thing about jumpercables is the longer you use them, the lesser the ohmic resistance of the legislator, until you get charring, at which point you can move on to the next deserving most honorable sir. ... PS: TS you might at this point enjoy _A Xenix Chainsaw Massacre_

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W32.Klez.E removal tools
by eugen 17 Apr '03

17 Apr '03

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