Blinky Rides Again: RCMP suspect al-Qaida messages

[Bill Stewart]

>  For instance, a seemingly innocent digital photo of a dog could be
>doctored to contain a picture of an explosive device or hidden wording.

Of course, the _real_ message wasn't hidden in subtle stego bits -
it was whether the picture was Bush's dog, Cheney's dog, or Blair's dog.

>  It recommends investigators consult the RCMP's technological crime program
>for assistance, including "comprehensive forensic examinations" of seized
>digital media.

The more serious problem is what this means for computer evidence
search and seizure procedures - the US has some official rules about
"copy the disk and return the computer" that came out of the Steve Jackson
case, not that they're always followed; I don't know if the Canadians
are more or less polite about returning computers,
but this kind of thing increases the chances of harassment
of various ethnic and political organizations
"We're keeping your computer as evidence of potential crimes,
but we haven't actually charged you with a crime yet
and won't do so unless we can find the hidden stego evidence."



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Bill Stewart  bill.stewart at pobox.com