July 2006 - cypherpunks-legacy

Massive PE patch sale
by Carlene Buckley 08 Jul '06

08 Jul '06

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/. [The U.S.'s Net Wide For 'Terrorist' Names]
by Eugen Leitl 08 Jul '06

08 Jul '06

Link: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/07/1812240 Posted by: timothy, on 2006-07-07 19:45:00 Yesterday's report of [1]name-based blocking of money transfers as a result of U.S. Treasury policies intended to reduce the flow of money to Middle Eastern terrorists drew more than 800 comments. Western Union money transfers were at the heart of the linked Associated Press article, but as some of these comments point out, that's not the only case of interference in electronic financial transactions based on the names of the participants, akin to the use of the much-derided no-fly list. Read on for the Backslash summary of the conversation. Several readers concentrated not just on the undesirability of government snooping on money transfers in the first place, but on the unintended but likely side-effects of heavy-handed government oversight of conventional money-transfer methods; as the AP article explained, there are ways to route around large-scale commercial services like Western Union, including informal networks called "hundis" or "hawalas." Reader quantaman calls increased control on conventional money-transfer services "worse than useless," writing: "From what I can gather from the article this policy is actually harming security. ... If law abiding people are avoiding official institutions what makes them think that terrorists are stupid enough to use them? More than that, by driving additional people to the hawalas it circumvents existing security measures. For starters, it means that more money (even the legit stuff) is moving around and they have no idea where it went. Also the additional people using the hawalas will mean they are more developed for the terrorists [to] use them. Additionally, when you uncover a hawala network it will be that much harder to pick out the terrorists, since you've added all these false positives. And finally, for the terrorists who would have used official institutions in the past since it was easy and the hawalas weren't developed, now you no longer have a money trail you can inspect later on. All this security measure does is inconvenience and alientate a whole bunch of people while making the world a little less safe." No matter how legitimate the ends to which it will be put, high-handed interference with the transfer of money isn't popular for other reasons, too. Reader ColourlessGreenIdeas writes "I know of a charity that works with (mostly Christian) organisations in the West Bank. Their usual way of getting money to their partners is to fly into Israel with a [2]big bundle of money. Otherwise it tends to get massively delayed by U.S. banks." (And at least one reader points out reason to suspect that Western Union in particular might have been [3]willing to turn over information on its customers even in the absence of Treasury regulations.) The Treasury regulations on which the name-filtering is based are clearly imperfect, but not quite as simplistic as certain comments painted them. Responding to the claim in the AP article that "Western Union prevented [taxi driver Abdul Rahman Maruthayil] from sending $120 to a friend at home last month because the recipient's name was Mohammed," reader lecithin says "Not true. They prevented him from sending the cash [4]because his name was Sahir Mohammed. A bit of a difference. Perhaps a Sahir Mohammed has some links to 'bad guys'? Well, it happens here in the U.S. too. There are plenty of stories regarding people being put on the 'do not fly' list due to circumstances like this as well." Reader bwcarty, too, calls "FUD" on claims that the list is indiscriminant or exclusively targets those with Arab names, writing "I work for a division of a large financial firm, and we are [5]required to download a list of [6]Specially Designated Nationals from the Treasury Department and compare names from it against new accounts and transfers. The list includes lists of suspected terrorists, and they're not all Arabic (think Irish Republican Army)." Reader rhsanborn offers a similar account of the regulations and why they affect one-time transfers so significantly: "... They aren't blocking people because they have some generic Arab name. They are blocking people who have [7]names that match the Federal list of suspected terrorists. As someone mentioned above, something like Sahir Mohammed. Probably a perfect match for the list. We too have to run periodic checks against the names in that database. If a match comes up, we have people individually check other information to confirm that it is an actual match (e.g. same name, different birthday). We have open accounts with these people though, so we have a significant amount of time to deal with these. Western Union has a very short period of time because it is a one time transaction that happens relatively quickly." Several readers related personal experience with the no-fly list, and a few pointed out some of its better-known shortcomings, such as a [8]Soundex-based name database which has the potential to needlessly flag [9]passengers like Senator Ted Kennedy and the former Sex Pistol Johnny Lydon (though as dan828 points out, [10]Lydon has never actually been stopped because of the list). Many readers denounced as racist the use of common Arab names to justify interference in money transfers. One response to that claim comes from reader mrxak, who offers a more innocuous explanation, namely imperfect information and a limited pool of names, which will inevitably contain variations of commonly used names. Such a system, he argues, is therefore based on pragmatism -- [11]not necessarily racism." Arguing that a similar system would pose just as much risk for "John Smiths" on the list as for those with Arab names, mrxak concedes the need for "a better system," and asks "but what kind of system would work?" To this, reader eln had a ready answer: "Maybe a system where you [12]gather a little more information about suspected terrorists other than their name before throwing them on some sort of list that prevents anyone with that name from doing all sorts of normal tasks. ... [O]f all of the pieces of information that can be used to identify a person, his name is probably the one that's most easily falsified. So, instead of doing some actual police work and gathering some actual evidence against an actual person, we decide to cast a wide net, and end up catching a lot of innocent people while actually decreasing our chances of catching the actual bad guy." Jah-Wren Ryel's answer to the same question is more radical -- Ryel suggests that perhaps [13]"none at all" is the best approach. He asks "What makes you think that any system could work?" Rather than spending money on elaborate surveillance or other intelligence-gathering efforts, Ryel says, "spend it on emergency services instead. ... No matter how many tax dollars you throw at the problem, terrorism is a tactic that can not be fully countered." Rather than concentrating on the prevention of terrorist acts, he argues, the most intelligent use of resources is on "the infrastructure that minimizes the damage. Better hospitals, better fire departments, better 'first responder' teams. That way, we get the benefit of the money spent regardless of if a terrorist blows up a building or an earthquake knocks it down." The Israeli response to recurring attacks illustrates that these approaches may be in large part reconcilable; infrastructure improvements and intelligence gathering can certainly coexist, details of their implementation aside. The effectiveness of the pre-emptive side of any nation's approach to minimizing terrorist attacks, though, is slightly different from its approach to "fighting terror" in a broad sense. On that note, reader karlandtanya describes measures such as the U.S. policies subjecting what might otherwise be private financial transactions to automated scrutiny as "[14]effective, but still unfair," categorizing the use of name-based interference as what Bruce Schneier has described as "security theater." Karlandtanya writes, cynically, that in reaction to perceived security threats, "we present the appearance of security measures. Going overboard and causing outrage is just part of the salesmanship." To combat terror in a literal sense, he writes, "[t]he solution is, of course, the perception of security." _________________________________________________________________ Thanks to all the readers whose comments informed the conversation, in particular to those whose comments are quoted above. References 1. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/06/1610229&tid=98 2. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=15668058&sid=190461&tid=98 3. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=15668360&sid=190461&tid=98 4. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=15667965&sid=190461&tid=98 5. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=15668203&sid=190461&tid=98 6. http://www.ustreas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/sdn/sdnlist.txt 7. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=15668462&sid=190461&tid=98 8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundex 9. http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/08/20/1244205&tid=103 10. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=15668598&sid=190461&tid=98 11. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=15668037&sid=190461&tid=98 12. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=15668209&sid=190461&tid=98 13. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=15668377&sid=190461&tid=98 14. http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=15668264&sid=190461&tid=98 ----- 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

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[dave@farber.net: [IP] more on CALEA - Final Rule]
by Eugen Leitl 07 Jul '06

07 Jul '06

----- Forwarded message from David Farber <dave(a)farber.net> -----

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Tongan Prince and Princess killed in Menlo Park traffic accident
by Bill Stewart 07 Jul '06

07 Jul '06

Prince Tu'ipelehake, his wife Princess Kaimana, and their driver were killed on a Menlo Park highway when hit by a drag racer. http://www.forbes.com/business/businesstech/feeds/ap/2006/07/06/ap2863297.h… http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Tonga-hit-by-death-of-peoples-prince/20… Meanwhile, the king is 88 and in bad health.

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Hallo...
by Galia 07 Jul '06

07 Jul '06

Hello . I want to start my first letter from a question: "Is it possible to be happy without LOVE?" I think that you will agree with me if the answer will be "NO WAY". Love is the most beautiful and exciting thing that may happen between man and woman! It inspires us only for doing positive things towards each other. One very famous writer said: "The beauty will rescue the world" i agree with his words but still i would add : " LOVE and Beauty will rescure the world". I hope you agree with me that Love is a big notion. There's love to God, to Mother, to a child to the country where you were born, and there's love that joins a man and woman for all their life. That is the LOVE i'm looking for! And i'm seeking for the man who is also eager to have this life long adventure full of surprises and new experience we can share together! Will you join me for this trip? I do realise that it should be very difficult to say "Yes" from the first letter having no idea about me. That's why i just offer to get to know each other better though correspondence that will help us to reveal many things about each other whether we mach perfectly or not. In addition you can look at my pictures and read some info about me here http://foryou-mydestiny.com/ I hope you'll like what you see and read there. Well closing my first letter to you i just want to thank you for reading it and i really hope that you'll share my point of view on what i said above. I do really hope that you'll answer me soon. goodbye..... Galya S.

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[Clips] The united states of total paranoia
by R.A. Hettinga 06 Jul '06

06 Jul '06

--- begin forwarded text Delivered-To: rah(a)shipwright.com Delivered-To: clips(a)philodox.com Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2006 18:19:43 -0400 To: Philodox Clips List <clips(a)philodox.com> From: "R.A. Hettinga" <rah(a)shipwright.com> Subject: [Clips] The united states of total paranoia Reply-To: clips-chat(a)philodox.com Sender: clips-bounces(a)philodox.com <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-525-2252271-22129,00.html> The Sunday Times July 02, 2006 The united states of total paranoia Jeremy Clarkson ::nobreak::I know Britain is full of incompetent water board officials and stabbed Glaswegians but even so I fell on my knees this morning and kissed the ground, because I've just spent three weeks trying to work in America. It's known as the land of the free and I'm sure it is if you get up in the morning, go to work in a petrol station, eat nothing but double-egg burgers - with cheese - and take your children to little league. But if you step outside the loop, if you try to do something a bit zany, you will find that you're in a police state. We begin at Los Angeles airport in front of an immigration official who, like all his colleagues, was selected for having no grace, no manners, no humour, no humanity and the sort of IQ normally found in farmyard animals. He scanned my form and noted there was no street number for the hotel at which I was staying. "I'm going to need a number," he said. "Ooh, I'm sorry," I said, "I'm afraid I don't have one." This didn't seem to have any effect. "I'm going to need a number," he said again, and then again, and then again. Each time I shrugged and stammered, terrified that I might be sent to the back of the queue or worse, into the little room with the men in Marigolds. But I simply didn't have an answer. "I'm going to need a number," he said again, giving the distinct impression that he was an autobank, and that this was a conversation he was prepared to endure until one of us died. So with a great deal of bravery I decided to give him one. And the number I chose was 2,649,347. This, it turned out, was fine. He'd been told by his superiors to get a number. I'd given him a number. His job was done and so, just an hour or so later, I was on the streets of Los Angeles doing a piece to camera. Except, of course, I wasn't. Technically you need a permit to film on every street in pretty well every corner of the world. But the only countries where this rule is enforced are Vietnam, Cuba, North Korea and the United States of America. So, seconds after breaking out the tripod, a policeman pulled up and demanded that we show him our permit. We had one that covered the city of Los Angeles . . . except the bit where we were. So we were moved on. The next day I was moved on in Las Vegas too because the permit I had didn't cover the part of the pavement I was standing on. Eight inches away was fine. You need a permit to do everything in America. You even need a passport to buy a drink. But interestingly you don't need one if you wish to rent some guns and some bullets. I needed a 50 cal (very big) machinegun. "No problem," said the man at the shop. "But could you just sign this assuring us that the movie you're making is not anti-Bush or anti-war." Also, you do not need a permit if you want - as I did - to transport a dead cow on the roof of your car through the Florida panhandle. That's because this is banned by a state law. Think about that. Someone has gone to all the bother and expense of drawing up a law that means that at some point lots of people were moving dead cows about on their cars. It must have been popular. Fashionable even. Anyway, back to the guns. I needed them because I wished to shoot a car in the Mojave desert. But you can't do that without the say-so of the local fire chief who turned up, with his haircut, to say that for reasons he couldn't explain, he had a red flag in his head. You find this a lot in America. People way down the food chain are given the power to say yes or no to elaborately prepared plans, just so their bosses can't be sued. One expression that simply doesn't translate from English in these days of power without responsibility is "Ooh, I'm sure it'll be fine". And, unfortunately, these people at the bottom of the food chain have no intellect at all. Reasoning with them is like reasoning with a tree. I think this is because people in the sticks have stopped marrying their cousins and are now mating with vegetables. They certainly aren't eating them. You see them growing in fields, but all you ever find on a menu is cheese, cheese, cheese, or cheese with cheese. Except for a steak and cheese sandwich I bought in Mississippi. This was made, according to the label, from "imitation cheese". Nope, I don't know what that is either but I do know that out of the main population centres, the potato people are getting fatter and dimmer by the minute. Today the average petrol pump attendant is capable, just, of turning on a pump when you prepay. But if you pay for two pumps to be turned on to fill two cars, you can, if you stare carefully, see wisps of smoke coming from her fat, useless, war losing, acne-scarred, gormless turnip face. And the awful thing is that you don't want the petrol anyway, because it'll simply get you to somewhere else, which will be worse. A point I shall prove next week when we have a look at what happened in Alabama. And why the poor of New Orleans will sue if the donation you make isn't as big as they'd hoped for. -- ----------------- 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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[dave@farber.net: [IP] The Newbie's Guide to Detecting the NSA]
by Eugen Leitl 06 Jul '06

06 Jul '06

Which idiot would assume his specific location is excluded? Especially, if it's a long-distance (transcontinental) link? ----- Forwarded message from David Farber <dave(a)farber.net> -----

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make a step inside gdki.pk for you to have it
by Beau Parker 05 Jul '06

05 Jul '06

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[edrigram@edri.org: EDRI-gram newsletter - Number 4.13, 5 July 2006]
by Eugen Leitl 05 Jul '06

05 Jul '06

----- Forwarded message from EDRI-gram newsletter <edrigram(a)edri.org> -----

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by Corey Myles 05 Jul '06

05 Jul '06

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