CDR: Re: How the Feds will try to ban strong anonymity

[Steve Furlong]

Declan McCullagh wrote:
> 
> >... Restricting strong
> >anonymity means key escrow.)
> 
> Perhaps I overstated my argument above. It seems to me that if the Feds
> want to restrict strong anonymity, they have some choices:
<<the choices>>
> Anything else?

Routinely monitor communications lines. Allow unlimited data collection
for traffic analysis.

Allow monitoring of content. Make the use of crypto prima facie evidence
of criminal intent. (Begin a public awareness campaign comparing having
crypto on your computer to walking around a parking lot with a
slim-jim.) Allow seizure of hardware or black bag bugging. To show we're
tough on cyber-criminals, we'll allow it without a judge's signature.
This hits a lot more than anonymity, of course, but it's for the
chiiiildren.

Require ISPs to get a license to operate. Terms can be set arbitrarily
high. (Bonus points if you make them pay for the monitoring hardware,
software, and governmental labor.)

Require (though allowing might be enough) telcos to place limits on the
kind of traffic that may pass over their wires. If a block doesn't have
full headers identifying source and destination (both of which must be
registered with some, uh, registry) it can't pass.

Mandate IPv6, with the embedded MAC address or whatever they were going
to put in it.

Processor IDs, a la P-III, which must be encoded in all sorts of
traffic.

Don't allow unsigned email; require that all internet users get a
signing certificate from the Post Office, which of course can tie certs
to computer IDs, TrueNames, and land address.


In general, look at what China is doing. Britain and Russia, too.


About a year ago I put some work into a book, _Crashing the Web_
(working title, of course). It focused on governmental or corporate
options to kill the Wild Wild West. I abandoned the book around December
when someone, I forgot who, came out with a book covering much of the
same ground. I might be able to resurrect some of my notes and early
drafts, but they were probably lost to my boneheaded drive wipe six
months ago. (Yes, I make backups. Yes, I encrypt my backups. No, I don't
necessarily remember the passwords. Yes, I'm a retard.) Drop me a line
if you'd like me to rummage around.


Thanks a lot. I was about to go to bed, and now I'll have Big Brotherish
dreams.

-- 
Steve Furlong, Computer Condottiere     Have GNU, will travel
   518-374-4720     sfurlong at acmenet.net