June 2006 - cypherpunks-legacy

Lowest rate approved
by Katharine Jefferson 19 Jun '06

19 Jun '06

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/. [Police Launch Drones Over LA]
by Eugen Leitl 19 Jun '06

19 Jun '06

Link: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/17/2318245 Posted by: ScuttleMonkey, on 2006-06-17 23:41:00 An anonymous reader writes "Yahoo! News is reporting that law enforcement officials have launched a new form of drone aircraft to [1]patrol the skies above Los Angeles. From the article: 'Police say the drone, called the SkySeer, will be able to accomplish tasks too dangerous for officers and free up helicopters for other missions. "This technology could be used to find missing children, search for lost hikers, or survey a fire zone," said Commander Sid Heal, head of the Technology Exploration Project of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. "The ideal outcome for us is when this technology becomes instrumental in saving lives."'" References 1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060617/lf_afp/uspolicedrone_060617210138 ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE [demime 1.01d removed an attachment of type application/pgp-signature which had a name of signature.asc]

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Low mortaggee ratess
by Anita Butcher 18 Jun '06

18 Jun '06

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casein downstream covariate characteristic archbishop discretionary churn maroon britannic backboard
by Connie Munson 18 Jun '06

18 Jun '06

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[Clips] Fake IDs are rife at state job sites
by R.A. Hettinga 18 Jun '06

18 Jun '06

--- begin forwarded text Delivered-To: rah(a)shipwright.com Delivered-To: clips(a)philodox.com Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:40:00 -0400 To: Philodox Clips List <clips(a)philodox.com> From: "R.A. Hettinga" <rah(a)shipwright.com> Subject: [Clips] Fake IDs are rife at state job sites Reply-To: rah(a)philodox.com Sender: clips-bounces(a)philodox.com <http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/06/18/fake_ids_are_rife_at_s…> The Boston Globe Fake IDs are rife at state job sites Mass. contractors hire the undocumented By Jonathan Saltzman and Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff | June 18, 2006 While Republican lawmakers in Massachusetts have called for a crackdown on companies that hire undocumented workers, the state has provided millions of dollars to contractors who employed those workers, records indicate. A Globe analysis of nine recent public works projects -- from dormitory construction at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth to the building of the new Middlesex County Jail -- revealed that of 242 workers on weekly payroll lists, more than a third appeared to lack legitimate Social Security numbers. On one of the payrolls reviewed, for masonry work on the UMass dormitory project, nearly two-thirds of the contractor's 87 workers had bogus or questionable Social Security numbers. The numbers used by the workers in many cases appeared obviously fraudulent. One laborer who helped build the new jail in Billerica submitted a number that should have immediately raised eyebrows: 666-66-6666. Some numbers belonged to people who were long-deceased, the Globe found. Others were matched to people who live out of state and had no idea their numbers had been appropriated. The findings, though a small snapshot of the vast number of public projects undertaken throughout the state, suggest how the use of undocumented workers has extended into almost every corner of the economy. Republicans in Massachusetts trumpeted plans last month to stiffen fines on companies that knowingly hire undocumented immigrants, which is illegal under state law. But there is no requirement that employers, including those receiving public funds, demonstrate that their workers are legal, and undocumented workers employed on the projects say that contractors are all too happy to look the other way. Overall, the bulk of the money for the projects examined by the Globe came from state appropriations or state-backed bonds, though some of the contracts were awarded by local municipalities. Told of the Globe's findings, Senator Richard R. Tisei , a Wakefield Republican, said public money should be given only to those companies who hire legal residents. ``There should be a big hue and cry about this across the state," Tisei said. ``This is taxpayers' money, and taxpayers' money should be used in legal ways." Obtaining an authentic-looking Social Security card with a made-up or stolen number is easy, according to undocumented workers, who said they purchased them outside T stations or from friends. In the age of laser printers and graphics software, fake cards can be had for as little as $80. The Globe obtained weekly payroll reports filed with state and local authorities on the nine public projects examined. Reporters and a Globe researcher ran the workers' Social Security numbers through three on line personal information databases that compile valid Social Security numbers. Many yielded no matches in those databases, or they matched other people , including deceased ones . In other instances, the names of the workers came up, but so did the names of other people, making those numbers questionable. In addition, workers and construction industry specialists said that hiring of immigrants who are here illegally was common on the public projects reviewed. In interviews with state, local, and county government officials and managers of companies that received contracts, a clear pattern emerged: none of them considered it their responsibility to verify that workers on the public projects were here legally. The state and municipal officials said they take no steps to check on the workers' status, saying that duty lies with the contractors. Contractors, in turn, said they obey federal laws that call for them to ask for employees' documentation, but do not require them to inquire further. Under federal law, employers must complete a so-called I-9 document after hiring an employee. The employer must examine sets of documents that establish the employee's identity and eligibility to work in the country. Some identification cards are sufficient to ful fill both requirements, such as a green card or a certificate of US citizenship. Other times, employees rely on a state or locally issued photo ID card, such as a driver's license, to establish their identity, and a Social Security card for their work eligibility. Federal immigration guidelines only require that the documents ``appear to be genuine" and stress to employers that they are not expected to be ``document experts." Raymond W. Houle Jr. town administrator in the small town of Blackstone on the Rhode Island border, said he was ``quite surprised" to learn payroll records show that six of the eight workers for M K Painting of Michigan, which painted a million-gallon steel water storage tank in his town, had bogus or questionable Social Security numbers. But he said he expected the contractor would have checked. ``The town did not hire these people," Houle said. ``The town hired the contractor." John Bethell, superintendent of M K Painting, said he was unaware his company had hired workers who lacked valid Social Security numbers. ``We ask them for their documents, and they give us their documents," said Bethell, whose company brought workers to Blackstone from Texas and the Midwest. ``We're not private eyes." Romeo D'Agostino, an owner of D'Agostino Associates Inc. of Newton, which had 19 instances of workers with bogus or questionable Social Security numbers on public school projects in Littleton and North Easton, said he received about a dozen letters from the Social Security Administration last year informing him that the agency found various workers' numbers did not match any of their records. Occasionally, when a worker's Social Security number does not match the name on tax documents, the SSA sends out such letters asking the worker to resolve the discrepancy. D'Agostino said the law requires him only to pass the letters on to the employees, which he did. Some of those workers still are employed by him, he said. ``I can only do so much," D'Agostino said. ``I follow the letter of the law." In a brief tele phone interview, Paul M. Alves, president of Lighthouse Masonry of New Bedford, said he knew nothing about undocumented workers at his business. ``I don't know what you're talking about," he said, and hung up. At UMass-Dartmouth, Lighthouse Masonry got a $9.8 million contract to help build six dormitories in 2004. Of the 87 workers on the payroll reviewed, 55 had questionable or bogus Social Security numbers. A university spokesman said the school is not equipped to enforce immigration laws. ``The university concerns itself with getting the job done," said John Hoey , a spokesman for UMass-Dartmouth. Specialists on both sides of the immigration debate agree the federal government has done a dismal job of enforcing immigration laws, and that that is why so many undocumented workers -- and the companies that employ them -- thrive. The workers are attractive to some construction firms because they will typically work for lower wages and are less likely to complain to authorities about labor violations. An immigration overhaul measure recently passed by the Senate would make it mandatory for employers to verify Social Security numbers with Homeland Security. In interviews, two undocumented immigrants who worked on public construction projects said it was easy to obtain the Social Security numbers and get on the contractors' payroll. An immigrant from Brazil who said he worked from 2001 to 2005 for D'Agostino and then Lighthouse Masonry said that he bought his bogus Social Security card from a friend of a friend for $80. The 24-year-old, who overstayed his visa after it expired in 2001, said his friend encouraged him to make up a 9-digit number for the card, so he used part of his mother's phone number in Brazil. ``You have to remember the number, and that's a number I can remember," said the masonry worker, who lives in Burlington and insisted on anonymity to avoid detection by authorities. The number he made up belongs to a Quincy woman, according to the Globe search . He said he felt guilty using the made-up number -- ``I'm a Christian," he explained -- but felt he had no choice. Federal authorities have stepped up their attempts to ferret out phony Social Security numbers over the last few years. Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced proposals designed to allow employers to act more quickly on mismatches, but most of those are not in place. No state in the country mandates that employers substantiate their workers are legal, according to the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C. Georgia recently passed a measure that would do so as of July 1, 2007. A spokesman for Governor Mitt Romney said it was unsurprising state money was used to pay undocumented immigrants. ``The governor is not surprised that our current immigration laws are a mess," said Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom. ``We expect employers to abide by the laws of the nation, but that is difficult to do when we have a lax system of enforcement, and a situation where anyone can acquire a forged Social Security card." But immigration specialists say public officials simply lack the will to take on the problem. ``If a newspaper can run the numbers and find out whether they're good, the fact that the government isn't doing it is a clear indication of how successive administrations have chosen not to enforce the law," said Steven A. Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies. ``The fact that it's so easy to do and we don't require it is absurd." -- ----------------- 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' _______________________________________________ Clips mailing list Clips(a)philodox.com http://www.philodox.com/mailman/listinfo/clips --- end forwarded text -- ----------------- 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'

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msg for Maggie
by Blackwell Samuel 18 Jun '06

18 Jun '06

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Re: prove it isn't ...
by Gregory Hicks 17 Jun '06

17 Jun '06

> Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2006 11:53:46 +1000 > From: mikeiscool <michaelslists(a)gmail.com> > To: cypherpunks(a)jfet.org > Subject: prove it isn't ... > > hello, > > i was just wondering ... has anyone considered a time where the > governments will declare all encrypted blocks to contain messages > about illegal activities. that is to say, if you encrypt your > emails/communications, and the government wants to know the contents, > or use it against you, they will declare it to contain whatever they > want. it will then be up to you to prove it _doesn't_ contain this. > > how can we defend against this? deniable encryption? pretend the > block isn't encrypted at all, but that it is random data, or some > other type of content (data for a maths project, etc)? > > is it forseable that this will happen (in any given country)? i think > so. i think it already happens in some forms elsewhere. i.e. illegal > money. "prove this money came from valid resources, otherwise it's > illegal". i know that happens in australia already. Damn! The cat's out of the bag. > > -- mic --------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory Hicks | Principal Systems Engineer Cadence Design Systems | Direct: 408.576.3609 555 River Oaks Pkwy M/S 6B1 | Fax: 408.894.3479 San Jose, CA 95134 | Internet: ghicks(a)cadence.com I am perfectly capable of learning from my mistakes. I will surely learn a great deal today. "A democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding on what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the results of the decision." - Benjamin Franklin "The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed." --Alexander Hamilton

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prove it isn't ...
by mikeiscool 17 Jun '06

17 Jun '06

hello, i was just wondering ... has anyone considered a time where the governments will declare all encrypted blocks to contain messages about illegal activities. that is to say, if you encrypt your emails/communications, and the government wants to know the contents, or use it against you, they will declare it to contain whatever they want. it will then be up to you to prove it _doesn't_ contain this. how can we defend against this? deniable encryption? pretend the block isn't encrypted at all, but that it is random data, or some other type of content (data for a maths project, etc)? is it forseable that this will happen (in any given country)? i think so. i think it already happens in some forms elsewhere. i.e. illegal money. "prove this money came from valid resources, otherwise it's illegal". i know that happens in australia already. -- mic

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zeroisation of storage
by coderman 17 Jun '06

17 Jun '06

not too accurate in parts (this was a priority long before the spy plane drama but usually associated with key material); still interesting: --- http://www.physorg.com/news69416938.html "Fail-Safe Techniques Erase Magnetic Storage Media" ... "This is a very challenging problem," said Michael Knotts, a research scientist in the GTRI's Signature Technology Laboratory. "We had to verify that the data would be beyond all possible recovery even with unlimited budget and unlimited time. Commercial devices on the market for data erasure just couldn't fill the bill, because they were magnetically too weak, they were physically too large and heavy, or they didn't meet stringent air safety standards." ... Producing a magnetic field sufficient to destroy data patterns required the use of neodymium iron-boron magnets custom-designed for the project and special pole pieces made of esoteric cobalt alloys. The magnets, which weigh as much as 125 pounds, had to produce fields sufficient to penetrate metallic housings that surround some drives. "We developed models for magnetic circuits that we could run through optimization codes to design the best shape to get the field that we needed," Knotts said. "It takes quite a magnetic field to get through the steel enclosures on some of the drives. We are producing magnetic fields comparable to those used in magnetic resonance imaging equipment, so these are not your ordinary refrigerator magnets." ... "This was certainly an unusual project," he said. "It's not often that we get paid to crush equipment in presses, blow things up and set off fires in microwave ovens." ---end-cut--- i occasionally use one of those noisy AC powered degauss'ers on hard disks but have wondered if it would pass the "unlimited budget and unlimited time" test. i wonder what it would take to restrain a disk through an MRI machine without it impaling itself into the coils... (some of those horror stories are pretty wild) initializing a disk with entropy afterwards is also annoyingly time consuming for big disks. i'm concerned about just how usable you can make this process, perhaps turning it into a background batch process requiring multiple disks so one can be used for the live system while an empty disk is being wiped and randomized. i wonder when Peter Gutmann's article on hard disk encryption is going to be published (if not already?) :P

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[Clips] A Longer Wait For Faster Lines
by R.A. Hettinga 17 Jun '06

17 Jun '06

--- begin forwarded text Delivered-To: rah(a)shipwright.com Delivered-To: clips(a)philodox.com Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2006 14:26:35 -0400 To: Philodox Clips List <clips(a)philodox.com> From: "R.A. Hettinga" <rah(a)shipwright.com> Subject: [Clips] A Longer Wait For Faster Lines Reply-To: rah(a)philodox.com Sender: clips-bounces(a)philodox.com <http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB115048587097082633.html> The Wall Street Journal June 17, 2006 THE WEEK AHEAD Air Security A Longer Wait For Faster Lines By LAURA MECKLER June 17, 2006; Page A2 The idea was simple. But putting it into practice has been tough. On Tuesday, the original target date will come -- and pass -- for the national launch of the "Registered Traveler" program, which is meant to create special, speedier airport-security lines for people willing to pay an annual fee and undergo background checks. Yet so far, the program is operational at just one airport -- Orlando International in Florida -- where it was pilot-tested. In April, the federal Transportation Security Administration said that the deadline would slip and that it hoped to roll the program out at 10 to 20 airports in the second half of the year. If looking for a terrorist in an airport of innocents is like hunting a needle in a haystack, Registered Traveler is intended to make the stack smaller. Prescreened travelers would be diverted to a speedy line, where they would show an identification card with biometric data embedded to prove they are who they say they are. Business travelers love the idea, as do many members of Congress. A handful of companies have expressed interest in contracts to run the special lines, seeing an opportunity to market tie-ins to credit cards, hotel chains, travel Web sites and other airport concessionaires. Some have talked of setting up special lounges for members. Yet now, like so many TSA programs, this one is behind schedule. The TSA has yet to announce any additional airports and hasn't published the information about privacy protections required before people can sign up. Most crucially, it hasn't approved new technology to make the program work. Companies interested in the program worry that fewer people are likely to sign up if all they get is their own line at airport security. They think the program has to offer something else, like not forcing passengers to take off their shoes and jackets and remove laptops from their cases. The TSA has said it will lift those rules only if lines are equipped with technology aimed at improving screening, such as a new machine that can scan shoes while they are still on a passenger's feet and analyze the touch of a finger for explosive residue. But the TSA hasn't certified those machines, so they can't be used in airports. So, many travelers are stuck clamoring for the speedier lines, particularly those who will be able to expense the fee to their employers. In Orlando, where more than 25,000 people have signed up, the fee is $79.95 a year, which covers all airports that add the lines. Among airports, which sometimes share in the profits, some are enthusiastic about the program. Though airlines, which don't want to make flying any more expensive than it already is, are decidedly not. Hawking the program aggressively is Steven Brill, onetime journalist and founder of Court TV. Mr. Brill is founder and chief executive of Verified Identity Pass Inc., an identity-card maker that is working to sign up airports, and he still thinks the program could be up and running in more airports this summer. "I'm always optimistic," he says. -- ----------------- 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' _______________________________________________ Clips mailing list Clips(a)philodox.com http://www.philodox.com/mailman/listinfo/clips --- end forwarded text -- ----------------- 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'

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