Drunken Eben interviewed by Indiatimes

[Alexander Terekhov]

He is on tour in Inida, opening the indian SFLC branch...

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/Blackberry-standoff-is-about-sovereignty-Moglen/articleshow/6510541.cms

"Doesn't encryption via public key infrastructure , which you brought in
1990s with Philip Zimmerman, threaten security of nations?

Spying is becoming the ultimate power game. It is a cheap, quick way to
win. During the cold war era, the US developed extensive control over
signal communication. There were tight controls over public key
infrastructure (PKI) software. PKI existed from 1977 onwards. It was
developed by professors Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman.
Their surnames combined to make RSA, a security firm. RSA, till 1991,
ran a semi-secret , closed relationship with the National Security
Agency.

When Philip Zimmerman wrote the first public encryption software in
1991, I saw it on a bulletin board and left a note saying “You’ll soon
need a lawyer.” The US treated encryption as armaments. For two years,
we struggled with the US government. Ultimately , we succeeded in
convincing them to drop criminal proceedings.

The result of freedom to encrypt is the emergence of e-commerce . The
global financial system which relies on safe wire transactions , depends
upon digital certificates. We didn’t realise how powerful free software
is until 9/11 happened. Now we can’t go back. The world can’t do without
PKI.

What do you feel about the standoffs between governments and MNCs over
encryption ?

It’s a big gimmick by the Indian government . It’s a power struggle
between technological freedom and government control. Today if I pick up
my US phone and make call to an Indian number, chances are that India,
the US and some guys north of you (read the Chinese ) are listening. No
terrorist is going to use an expensive BlackBerry, if they want untapped
communication. They can just use free software from web. When I
communicate using software like this (He shows a free email and
encryption software on his IBM Thinkpad), no government on earth can
overhear. It’s all available on internet for free.

The BlackBerry standoff is about sovereignty. It’s about proving that if
the next door government can make an MNC obey so can we. The Indian
government just wants to prove to its citizens that it has control, when
actually nobody can control free communication. In reality, no nation
can control it.

The thing about Skype is interesting. If you chat on Skype, the US and
Chinese both can monitor. If you make Skype VoIP calls, then US can
listen to, but very few other nations can do so. Skype, is a $1.6
billion headache, which embroils you with every government in the world.
No wonder, John Donahoe (eBay CEO) sold 70% in it.

What, according to you, is free software? Does it mean it comes at nil
price?

I started out life as a programmer in 1971. I saw a teletype (early form
of computer) for the first time when I was in the seventh standard
during 1970s in a school in New York. I wrote my first program when I
was in the 9th standard. Software was essentially free then because it
could actually run on mainframes, which were very expensive machines. "

LMAO!

Man oh man, what a clown.

Context:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1911320/google_skype_next_targets_of_india_encryption_crackdown/index.html

"Just days after giving BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM)
a 60-day reprieve, government officials in India broadened the scope of
their battle against encryption technology, turning their attention to
companies such as Google and Skype.

"All people who operate communication services in India should have a
server in India," Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said during a Wednesday
press conference, emphasizing the need for telecom companies to work
with the country's security forces in order to combat the possible use
of encryption technology by militants to plan terrorist-style attacks.

Nokia has already committed to building a server within India's borders,
and telecom officials in New Delhi have asked RIM to do so as well,
according to various media reports. Notices have also been sent to
Google, operators of the Gmail service, and Skype, an Internet telephone
service, Reuters reporter C.J. Kuncheria said on Wednesday.

"Skype has a similar issue to Blackberry, in so far as it uses a
proprietary protocol and no-one knows what is under the hood," Carsten
Casper, research director at analyst firm Gartner, told BBC News on
Tuesday.

On Monday, telecom officials met to discuss the future of the
BlackBerry, and decided to delay a threatened ban of the device's email
and internet messaging service features for a period of two months. The
decision came after RIM "made certain proposals for lawful access by law
enforcement agencies," Ministry of Home Affairs officials said in a
press statement.

According to earlier reports by AP Business Writer Erika Kinetz, Indian
officials had claimed that they were "not eager to ban the BlackBerry,"
but vowed that they would not "compromise on national security." Several
other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab
Emirates, have expressed concern over security features used by mobile
devices, but the Indian government would be the first to act against a
telecom company.

"All security concerns (related to BlackBerry) need to be addressed,"
Home Minister P. Chidambaram confirmed to French news agency AFP on
Tuesday. "Our stand is firm. We look forward to getting access to the
data. There is no uncertainty over it." "

More context:

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/rim-decoding-blackberry-encryption/659944/2

"Research In Motion (RIM) is at standstill with the Indian government
over demands that the company provide authorities a way to read
encrypted email messages that travel across BlackBerry's network. The
government said it will shut down RIM's email and messaging services in
India if the company doesn't comply with its demands by August 31.
Explaination about how the BlackBerry system works and why governments
consider as a threat:

What steps does RIM take to make sure that the email of its business
customers cannot be intercepted by third parties?

RIM uses powerful codes to encrypt emails as they travel between a
BlackBerry device and a computer known as a BlackBerry Enterprise Server
(BES), designed to secure those emails. Governments in India and
elsewhere say criminals use BlackBerrys to do their business because
they know the government cannot monitor. The encrypted messages can only
be unlocked with software "keys" that are located either on the
BlackBerry device itself, or at a particular customer's BES.

Do RIM customers get the same level of email security as businesses?

No. Email for consumers and small businesses is not protected by the
same system of keys that encrypts corporate messages. BlackBerry's
consumer service runs on a system known as BlackBerry Internet Service
(BIS), which is less daunting for authorities to crack.

Is BlackBerry's security different from other smartphone vendors?

Yes. All BlackBerry traffic runs through RIM data centres, which help
manage the devices and traffic, identifying anomalies that might present
security concerns.

Can RIM unscramble a message encrypted by its business customer's
BlackBerrys?

RIM says it cannot unscramble data of its enterprise customers because
it does not possess the keys needed to do so.

What level of access does the US government enjoy?

Authorities in the US and European countries such as Britain and Germany
can seek a court order to tap BlackBerry traffic, giving them access to
messages sent over the network.

If the data is encrypted, how is it possible for the government or RIM
to install a wire tap?

Bruce Schneier, an expert in encryption who is chief security technology
officer for BT, said it is relatively simple. Authorities just need to
put an eavesdropping box on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which
decrypts the data to gather a reconstituted message. Another alternative
would be to install spyware on the handheld device itself.

How strong is the BlackBerry encryption? Is it possible for government
code crackers to break the encryption on their own?

Some analysts speculate that may be the case. But breaking encrypted
code is not an easy task—it is a slow process that requires tremendous
skill and powerful computers. RIM's enterprise system offers two
transport encryption options, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and
Triple Data Encryption Standard (Triple DES). A BlackBerry device will
by default choose the 256-bit encryption of AES for transport layer
encryption. Triple DES is a two-key algorithm that generates message and
device transport keys.

Has RIM made any concessions ahead of the August 31 deadline?

Yes. RIM has offered to track email message feeds for the government,
which could include providing services such as compiling detailed logs
of a particular user's correspondence. But RIM still has not agreed to
India's key demand—that they hand over unencrypted messages.

Has RIM made any concessions elsewhere?

Yes. In Saudi Arabia the firm has agreed to hand over codes used to
encrypt traffic of its BlackBerry messenger instant messaging service.
RIM was also delayed from entering Russia and China for several years
while intelligence agencies worked through their concerns. Little is
known about any compromises reached, but Russia has tight rules on where
RIM can locate BES servers for corporate clients in that country.

BlackBerry messenger is offered to corporate and consumer clients. Do
corporate customers get a more secure version of the service?

The service is a form of instant messaging that bypasses the BES and
corporate networks. It runs on a proprietary system known as PIN
encryption that is not as powerful as the options available on the BES
email system. By default, all BlackBerrys ship with a global PIN
encryption key that allows users to unscramble messages sent from any
BlackBerry...."

regards,
alexander.

[Clogwog]

Post by Alexander Terekhov
He is on tour in Inida, opening the indian SFLC branch...
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/Blackberry-standoff-is-about-sovereignty-Moglen/articleshow/6510541.cms

Is this the same "Moglen" who gets paid thrice from donations?
http://gng.z505.com/cult.htm
"Where does your DONATION to the GNU cult end up?"

Post by Alexander Terekhov
"Doesn't encryption via public key infrastructure , which you brought in
1990s with Philip Zimmerman, threaten security of nations?
Spying is becoming the ultimate power game. It is a cheap, quick way to
win. During the cold war era, the US developed extensive control over
signal communication. There were tight controls over public key
infrastructure (PKI) software. PKI existed from 1977 onwards. It was
developed by professors Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman.
Their surnames combined to make RSA, a security firm. RSA, till 1991,
ran a semi-secret , closed relationship with the National Security
Agency.
When Philip Zimmerman wrote the first public encryption software in
1991, I saw it on a bulletin board and left a note saying "You'll soon
need a lawyer." The US treated encryption as armaments. For two years,
we struggled with the US government. Ultimately , we succeeded in
convincing them to drop criminal proceedings.
The result of freedom to encrypt is the emergence of e-commerce . The
global financial system which relies on safe wire transactions , depends
upon digital certificates. We didn't realise how powerful free software
is until 9/11 happened. Now we can't go back. The world can't do without
PKI.
What do you feel about the standoffs between governments and MNCs over
encryption ?
It's a big gimmick by the Indian government . It's a power struggle
between technological freedom and government control. Today if I pick up
my US phone and make call to an Indian number, chances are that India,
the US and some guys north of you (read the Chinese ) are listening. No
terrorist is going to use an expensive BlackBerry, if they want untapped
communication. They can just use free software from web. When I
communicate using software like this (He shows a free email and
encryption software on his IBM Thinkpad), no government on earth can
overhear. It's all available on internet for free.
The BlackBerry standoff is about sovereignty. It's about proving that if
the next door government can make an MNC obey so can we. The Indian
government just wants to prove to its citizens that it has control, when
actually nobody can control free communication. In reality, no nation
can control it.
The thing about Skype is interesting. If you chat on Skype, the US and
Chinese both can monitor. If you make Skype VoIP calls, then US can
listen to, but very few other nations can do so. Skype, is a $1.6
billion headache, which embroils you with every government in the world.
No wonder, John Donahoe (eBay CEO) sold 70% in it.
What, according to you, is free software? Does it mean it comes at nil
price?
I started out life as a programmer in 1971. I saw a teletype (early form
of computer) for the first time when I was in the seventh standard
during 1970s in a school in New York. I wrote my first program when I
was in the 9th standard. Software was essentially free then because it
could actually run on mainframes, which were very expensive machines. "
LMAO!
Man oh man, what a clown.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1911320/google_skype_next_targets_of_india_encryption_crackdown/index.html
"Just days after giving BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM)
a 60-day reprieve, government officials in India broadened the scope of
their battle against encryption technology, turning their attention to
companies such as Google and Skype.
"All people who operate communication services in India should have a
server in India," Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said during a Wednesday
press conference, emphasizing the need for telecom companies to work
with the country's security forces in order to combat the possible use
of encryption technology by militants to plan terrorist-style attacks.
Nokia has already committed to building a server within India's borders,
and telecom officials in New Delhi have asked RIM to do so as well,
according to various media reports. Notices have also been sent to
Google, operators of the Gmail service, and Skype, an Internet telephone
service, Reuters reporter C.J. Kuncheria said on Wednesday.
"Skype has a similar issue to Blackberry, in so far as it uses a
proprietary protocol and no-one knows what is under the hood," Carsten
Casper, research director at analyst firm Gartner, told BBC News on
Tuesday.
On Monday, telecom officials met to discuss the future of the
BlackBerry, and decided to delay a threatened ban of the device's email
and internet messaging service features for a period of two months. The
decision came after RIM "made certain proposals for lawful access by law
enforcement agencies," Ministry of Home Affairs officials said in a
press statement.
According to earlier reports by AP Business Writer Erika Kinetz, Indian
officials had claimed that they were "not eager to ban the BlackBerry,"
but vowed that they would not "compromise on national security." Several
other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab
Emirates, have expressed concern over security features used by mobile
devices, but the Indian government would be the first to act against a
telecom company.
"All security concerns (related to BlackBerry) need to be addressed,"
Home Minister P. Chidambaram confirmed to French news agency AFP on
Tuesday. "Our stand is firm. We look forward to getting access to the
data. There is no uncertainty over it." "
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/rim-decoding-blackberry-encryption/659944/2
"Research In Motion (RIM) is at standstill with the Indian government
over demands that the company provide authorities a way to read
encrypted email messages that travel across BlackBerry's network. The
government said it will shut down RIM's email and messaging services in
India if the company doesn't comply with its demands by August 31.
Explaination about how the BlackBerry system works and why governments
What steps does RIM take to make sure that the email of its business
customers cannot be intercepted by third parties?
RIM uses powerful codes to encrypt emails as they travel between a
BlackBerry device and a computer known as a BlackBerry Enterprise Server
(BES), designed to secure those emails. Governments in India and
elsewhere say criminals use BlackBerrys to do their business because
they know the government cannot monitor. The encrypted messages can only
be unlocked with software "keys" that are located either on the
BlackBerry device itself, or at a particular customer's BES.
Do RIM customers get the same level of email security as businesses?
No. Email for consumers and small businesses is not protected by the
same system of keys that encrypts corporate messages. BlackBerry's
consumer service runs on a system known as BlackBerry Internet Service
(BIS), which is less daunting for authorities to crack.
Is BlackBerry's security different from other smartphone vendors?
Yes. All BlackBerry traffic runs through RIM data centres, which help
manage the devices and traffic, identifying anomalies that might present
security concerns.
Can RIM unscramble a message encrypted by its business customer's
BlackBerrys?
RIM says it cannot unscramble data of its enterprise customers because
it does not possess the keys needed to do so.
What level of access does the US government enjoy?
Authorities in the US and European countries such as Britain and Germany
can seek a court order to tap BlackBerry traffic, giving them access to
messages sent over the network.
If the data is encrypted, how is it possible for the government or RIM
to install a wire tap?
Bruce Schneier, an expert in encryption who is chief security technology
officer for BT, said it is relatively simple. Authorities just need to
put an eavesdropping box on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which
decrypts the data to gather a reconstituted message. Another alternative
would be to install spyware on the handheld device itself.
How strong is the BlackBerry encryption? Is it possible for government
code crackers to break the encryption on their own?
Some analysts speculate that may be the case. But breaking encrypted
code is not an easy task-it is a slow process that requires tremendous
skill and powerful computers. RIM's enterprise system offers two
transport encryption options, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and
Triple Data Encryption Standard (Triple DES). A BlackBerry device will
by default choose the 256-bit encryption of AES for transport layer
encryption. Triple DES is a two-key algorithm that generates message and
device transport keys.
Has RIM made any concessions ahead of the August 31 deadline?
Yes. RIM has offered to track email message feeds for the government,
which could include providing services such as compiling detailed logs
of a particular user's correspondence. But RIM still has not agreed to
India's key demand-that they hand over unencrypted messages.
Has RIM made any concessions elsewhere?
Yes. In Saudi Arabia the firm has agreed to hand over codes used to
encrypt traffic of its BlackBerry messenger instant messaging service.
RIM was also delayed from entering Russia and China for several years
while intelligence agencies worked through their concerns. Little is
known about any compromises reached, but Russia has tight rules on where
RIM can locate BES servers for corporate clients in that country.
BlackBerry messenger is offered to corporate and consumer clients. Do
corporate customers get a more secure version of the service?
The service is a form of instant messaging that bypasses the BES and
corporate networks. It runs on a proprietary system known as PIN
encryption that is not as powerful as the options available on the BES
email system. By default, all BlackBerrys ship with a global PIN
encryption key that allows users to unscramble messages sent from any
BlackBerry...."
regards,
alexander.
--
http://gng.z505.com/index.htm
(GNG is a derecursive recursive derecursion which pwns GNU since it can
be infinitely looped as GNGNGNGNG...NGNGNG... and can be said backwards
too, whereas GNU cannot.)

[Clogwog]

Oops.

Typical for a lying hypocrite to ignore the truth, LIEing for LIEnux again,
Chris?
http://gng.z505.com/cult.htm
"Where does your DONATION to the GNU cult end up?"

[Alexander Terekhov]

Post by Clogwog

Post by Alexander Terekhov
He is on tour in Inida, opening the indian SFLC branch...
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/Blackberry-standoff-is-about-sovereignty-Moglen/articleshow/6510541.cms

Is this the same "Moglen" who gets paid thrice from donations?

It's the same clown how was on tour in India back in 2007.

http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?id=706060446&cat=&n_date=20070606

"Free Software's Moglen canvasses his sharing message in India

New Delhi | June 06, 2007 5:05:18 PM IST

Eben Moglen, an architect of the GNU General Public License and one of
the greatest legal minds in the world of free software, is currently
touring India on a mission to promote his message: "anything that is
worth copying is worth sharing".

Hacker-turned-law-professor Moglen has argued that free software is a
fundamental requirement for a free society over-dependent on technical
devices.

Moglen, professor of law and legal history at Columbia University,
served pro bono as general counsel for the Free Software Foundation. He
is also the chairman of Software Freedom Law Center.

New Delhi-based lawyer Mishi Choudhary has been working to build an
India branch of the Software Freedom Law Center.

Called the 'legal guardian of the Free Software movement', Moglen now
oversees the crafting of the crucial General Public License, version 3.

Free software is at the other extreme away from proprietorial software.
Legal protection for creating and sharing free software is seen as
having become more important at times when dominant market player
Microsoft has alleged patent violations by the free software camp.

The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL, or GPL) is a widely used free
software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU
project. Moglen is the legal brain behind strengthening the GPL and
making sure it works.

GPL allows users of a free software computer programme the rights for it
to be used, studied and modified without restriction, and be copied and
redistributed in a way that ensure that further recipients also have
these freedoms.

Version 3 of the GPL (GPLv3) is being written by Richard Stallman, with
legal counsel from Eben Moglen and his Software Freedom Law Center.
Moglen was in India last year too, when he revved up activities for a
Software Freedom Law Centre in New Delhi.

In India this time, Moglen spends two weeks till mid-June, meeting
policy makers, lawyers and software professionals.

India is itself seen as a fast-rising battleground, where the growing
army of software programmers will crucially help decide the software
future of the planet, whether it turns proprietorial or "free".

Others like free software movement founder Stallman and Microsoft
founder Bill Gates have also been making repeated trips to India in
recent years.

Free software enthusiasts term proprietorial software "unfree" and the
political influence of this technology movement is visible from the logo
of the Free Software Foundation-India, which has a computer-age CD
shaped in the form of a spinning-wheel charkha (the symbol of Indian
independence) and a motto which says "weave your own code".

Moglen holds a discussion on 'The Death of Proprietary Culture' at
Thiruvananthapuram (June 6) and holds an address again on software
patents in New Delhi (June 9).

On June 11, he moves to Hyderabad, to address the legal fraternity at
the Andhra Pradesh High Court and give a talk at the NALSAR University
of Law.

"One of the purposes of his visit is setting up (of the Software Freedom
Law Centre in New Delhi)," said Free Software Foundation-India
campaigner Arun M.

In Thiruvananthapuram there will also be a symposium on June 6 on
"Patents, Copyrights and Knowledge Commons" organised by Kerala State
Planning Board, Kerala State IT Mission and Free Software Foundation of
India, organisers of the event announced.

While speaking in New Delhi, during his August 2006 visit, Moglen had
remarked: "Anything that is worth copying is worth sharing." He also
argued: "The more we give away, the richer we become."

He argues that the idea of proprietary software is as ludicrous as
having "proprietary mathematics" or "proprietary geometry". This would
convert the subjects from "something you can learn" into "something you
must buy".

Moglen has criticised what he calls the "reification of selfishness". He
has said: "A world full of computers which you can't understand, can't
fix and can't use (because it is controlled by inaccessible proprietary
software) is a world controlled by machines."

He also disapproves of trends that result in "excluding people from
knowledge", and has called for a "sensible respect for both the creators
and users" of the software code. (IANS) "

regards,
alexander.

[Beaut y Tips HUb]

Post by Alexander Terekhov
He is on tour in Inida, opening the indian SFLC branch...
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/Blackberry-standoff...

Is this the same "Moglen" who gets paid thrice from donations?http://gng.z505.com/cult.htm
"Where does your DONATION to the GNU cult end up?"

Post by Alexander Terekhov
"Doesn't encryption via public key infrastructure , which you brought in
1990s with Philip Zimmerman, threaten security of nations?
Spying is becoming the ultimate power game. It is a cheap, quick way to
win. During the cold war era, the US developed extensive control over
signal communication. There were tight controls over public key
infrastructure (PKI) software. PKI existed from 1977 onwards. It was
developed by professors Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman.
Their surnames combined to make RSA, a security firm. RSA, till 1991,
ran a semi-secret , closed relationship with the National Security
Agency.
When Philip Zimmerman wrote the first public encryption software in
1991, I saw it on a bulletin board and left a note saying "You'll soon
need a lawyer." The US treated encryption as armaments. For two years,
we struggled with the US government. Ultimately , we succeeded in
convincing them to drop criminal proceedings.
The result of freedom to encrypt is the emergence of e-commerce . The
global financial system which relies on safe wire transactions , depends
upon digital certificates. We didn't realise how powerful free software
is until 9/11 happened. Now we can't go back. The world can't do without
PKI.
What do you feel about the standoffs between governments and MNCs over
encryption ?
It's a big gimmick by the Indian government . It's a power struggle
between technological freedom and government control. Today if I pick up
my US phone and make call to an Indian number, chances are that India,
the US and some guys north of you (read the Chinese ) are listening. No
terrorist is going to use an expensive BlackBerry, if they want untapped
communication. They can just use free software from web. When I
communicate using software like this (He shows a free email and
encryption software on his IBM Thinkpad), no government on earth can
overhear. It's all available on internet for free.
The BlackBerry standoff is about sovereignty. It's about proving that if
the next door government can make an MNC obey so can we. The Indian
government just wants to prove to its citizens that it has control, when
actually nobody can control free communication. In reality, no nation
can control it.
The thing about Skype is interesting. If you chat on Skype, the US and
Chinese both can monitor. If you make Skype VoIP calls, then US can
listen to, but very few other nations can do so. Skype, is a $1.6
billion headache, which embroils you with every government in the world.
No wonder, John Donahoe (eBay CEO) sold 70% in it.
What, according to you, is free software? Does it mean it comes at nil
price?
I started out life as a programmer in 1971. I saw a teletype (early form
of computer) for the first time when I was in the seventh standard
during 1970s in a school in New York. I wrote my first program when I
was in the 9th standard. Software was essentially free then because it
could actually run on mainframes, which were very expensive machines. "
LMAO!
Man oh man, what a clown.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1911320/google_skype_next_tar...
"Just days after giving BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM)
a 60-day reprieve, government officials in India broadened the scope of
their battle against encryption technology, turning their attention to
companies such as Google and Skype.
"All people who operate communication services in India should have a
server in India," Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said during a Wednesday
press conference, emphasizing the need for telecom companies to work
with the country's security forces in order to combat the possible use
of encryption technology by militants to plan terrorist-style attacks.
Nokia has already committed to building a server within India's borders,
and telecom officials in New Delhi have asked RIM to do so as well,
according to various media reports. Notices have also been sent to
Google, operators of the Gmail service, and Skype, an Internet telephone
service, Reuters reporter C.J. Kuncheria said on Wednesday.
"Skype has a similar issue to Blackberry, in so far as it uses a
proprietary protocol and no-one knows what is under the hood," Carsten
Casper, research director at analyst firm Gartner, told BBC News on
Tuesday.
On Monday, telecom officials met to discuss the future of the
BlackBerry, and decided to delay a threatened ban of the device's email
and internet messaging service features for a period of two months. The
decision came after RIM "made certain proposals for lawful access by law
enforcement agencies," Ministry of Home Affairs officials said in a
press statement.
According to earlier reports by AP Business Writer Erika Kinetz, Indian
officials had claimed that they were "not eager to ban the BlackBerry,"
but vowed that they would not "compromise on national security." Several
other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab
Emirates, have expressed concern over security features used by mobile
devices, but the Indian government would be the first to act against a
telecom company.
"All security concerns (related to BlackBerry) need to be addressed,"
Home Minister P. Chidambaram confirmed to French news agency AFP on
Tuesday. "Our stand is firm. We look forward to getting access to the
data. There is no uncertainty over it." "
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/rim-decoding-blackberry-encrypti...
"Research In Motion (RIM) is at standstill with the Indian government
over demands that the company provide authorities a way to read
encrypted email messages that travel across BlackBerry's network. The
government said it will shut down RIM's email and messaging services in
India if the company doesn't comply with its demands by August 31.
Explaination about how the BlackBerry system works and why governments
What steps does RIM take to make sure that the email of its business
customers cannot be intercepted by third parties?
RIM uses powerful codes to encrypt emails as they travel between a
BlackBerry device and a computer known as a BlackBerry Enterprise Server
(BES), designed to secure those emails. Governments in India and
elsewhere say criminals use BlackBerrys to do their business because
they know the government cannot monitor. The encrypted messages can only
be unlocked with software "keys" that are located either on the
BlackBerry device itself, or at a particular customer's BES.
Do RIM customers get the same level of email security as businesses?
No. Email for consumers and small businesses is not protected by the
same system of keys that encrypts corporate messages. BlackBerry's
consumer service runs on a system known as BlackBerry Internet Service
(BIS), which is less daunting for authorities to crack.
Is BlackBerry's security different from other smartphone vendors?
Yes. All BlackBerry traffic runs through RIM data centres, which help
manage the devices and traffic, identifying anomalies that might present
security concerns.
Can RIM unscramble a message encrypted by its business customer's
BlackBerrys?
RIM says it cannot unscramble data of its enterprise customers because
it does not possess the keys needed to do so.
What level of access does the US government enjoy?
Authorities in the US and European countries such as Britain and Germany
can seek a court order to tap BlackBerry traffic, giving them access to
messages sent over the network.
If the data is encrypted, how is it possible for the government or RIM
to install a wire tap?
Bruce Schneier, an expert in encryption who is chief security technology
officer for BT, said it is relatively simple. Authorities just need to
put an eavesdropping box on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which
decrypts the data to gather a reconstituted message. Another alternative
would be to install spyware on the handheld device itself.
How strong is the BlackBerry encryption? Is it possible for government
code crackers to break the encryption on their own?
Some analysts speculate that may be the case. But breaking encrypted
code is not an easy task-it is a slow process that requires tremendous
skill and powerful computers. RIM's enterprise system offers two
transport encryption options, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and
Triple Data Encryption Standard (Triple DES). A BlackBerry device will
by default choose the 256-bit encryption of AES for transport layer
encryption. Triple DES is a two-key algorithm that generates message and
device transport keys.
Has RIM made any concessions ahead of the August 31 deadline?
Yes. RIM has offered to track email message feeds for the government,
which could include providing services such as compiling detailed logs
of a particular user's correspondence. But RIM still has not agreed to
India's key demand-that they hand over unencrypted messages.
Has RIM made any concessions elsewhere?
Yes. In Saudi Arabia the firm has agreed to hand over codes used to
encrypt traffic of its BlackBerry messenger instant messaging service.
RIM was also delayed from entering Russia and China for several years
while intelligence agencies worked through their concerns. Little is
known

...
read more »

http://www.beautytipshub.com

[peterwn]

Post by Alexander Terekhov
He is on tour in Inida, opening the indian SFLC branch...

His statement is NOT the sort of statement that a person under the
influence of alcohol would make.

The sort of comment in the heading is a reflection on the writer, not
the subject.

Eben's answers are quite reasonable and logical. OK, they are open to
counter arguments and discussions, but that is fair enough.

This sort of attitude that India has to sovereignty is nothing new.
For example in the 1970's India demanded that all multinational
subsidiaries operating in India had to be majority owned by locals.
Coca Cola and IBM packed their bags rather than succumb to that. At
that time all IBM 029 card punch machines were made in India (OK they
were obsolete now, but they were an essential item for every computer
installation and data center probably even where non IBM mainframes
were used).

I will however venture to say that no nation would rely on proprietary
software products in matters of state security, especially those from
a foreign company. OK, the British Royal Navy uses MS Windows based
products on its warships, but such systems would be strictly internal
to the ship, and heavily firewalled against external links (IMO they
are a bunch of fools for deploying Windows on warships).

Nations can readily have secure communications links to embassies, UN
delegations, etc by using Linux based computers with open source
cryptography software. The main Achilles heel concerns communications
management and procedures. For example, prefacing every message with
'Heil Hitler' or such like is pretty dumb. The code breakers at
Bletchley Park just loved that sort of thing.

[David Kastrup]

Post by peterwn

Post by Alexander Terekhov
He is on tour in Inida, opening the indian SFLC branch...

His statement is NOT the sort of statement that a person under the
influence of alcohol would make.
The sort of comment in the heading is a reflection on the writer, not
the subject.

Not really. If it were, there would be a sober state as well. If there
were, he doesn't appear to post while it lasts.

[Alexander Terekhov]

The fellow professor evidently needs medical help to cure his silliness:

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/internet/article740185.ece

"It's time to turn on the ‘freedom'

The Free Software movement used GNU/Linux to put ‘freedom' into our
computers. It's now time to turn on that freedom and achieve social
results

Last week, four young hackers from New York University released the
first version of Diaspora, the much-talked-about open alternative to the
top social networking site Facebook. Miffed by Facebook's invasive
privacy policies, they spent their summer hacking, using funds sent in
by unhappy Facebook users over the Internet.

This significant initiative was inspired by a lecture that is very
popular on the Internet, not only because it ordains the
twenty-something Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with the title of ‘having
done more harm to the human race that anybody else his age', but also
bringing to the mainstream a rather critical issue: privacy and freedom
on the ‘cloud'.

When Eben Moglen delivered his talk, titled ‘Freedom in the Cloud', in
February this year, he inspired these young men to attempt to restore
‘freedom' to the Internet — an invention that was built on the concept
of peer-to-peer networking.

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a lecture he delivered at the
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, free software activist and
hacker, professor at Columbia Law School and founder of the Software Law
Centre, Moglen said he believes that Diaspora is important because it
attempts to create a software networking layer for distributed use, and
allows you and your friends to gradually migrate from a privacy-invading
option to a privacy-respecting one, without ‘getting disconnected'. But
a software layer will hardly do the trick. With web services offering
‘free-of-cost services' (served with surveillance, spying and complete
loss of control of your personal data, as Moglen puts it), running on
virtualised servers or ‘clouds' that are centralised, a new social
networking layer can hardly turn things around.

Moglen proposes a simple solution, one that he says will reverse the
‘client-server model' that is antithetical to the spirit of the Internet
as it was conceived, and more importantly, save our data by
“de-virtualising the servers and pushing the power (or control) back to
the edges”. He calls it the ‘Freedom Box'.

The ‘Freedom Box' or the ‘Wall-wart' servers are low-price, ultra-small
servers that can be plugged in and will use as much power as a
nightlight. Basically, Moglen explains, you can plug it in, sync in with
a wi-fi router and it starts itself up. It will know how to start its
web server, how to go and collect your stuff from all the social
networking places and even send an encrypted backup of everything to
your friends' servers.

It keeps your data logs, but instead of it sitting on a server owned by
some company that may sell it or share it with somebody, it will be on
your wall or in your neighbourhood, he explains.

Free World's iPhone

Currently available in the market for around $100, it runs on ARM chips
and is being manufactured by two companies and is powered by Open Source
software. “It's so small you can carry it around in your pocket. A final
version will be ready in about 18 months and will be a lot cheaper when
it is mass produced and is used by ordinary people. For this, it should
be powerful, strong, easy to set up and use and really fun to interact
with — and these are things that we in the Free Software world can do
very well,” Moglen says. He believes that with powerful software stacks
these “beauties” will catch on because they will cost less than a
router, offer features such as being able to bypass censorship by
encrypting and routing traffic, and most importantly, offer you a ‘no
spying' option to every service available on the Web. The combination of
this hardware and existing free software, he says, could make this the
‘Free World's iPhone' — an invention that changes the way people think
about their relationship to the network.

The world we live in

The place we are in today is an unquestionably dangerous one. But how
did something that was intrinsically conceived to be a ‘peer-to-peer'
network where two computers simply talked to each other, turn into a
hierarchical scheme that stripped users of all control and privacy of
their data? When did e-mail cease to be a private conversation between
two people, reflects Moglen.

Charting the history of this centralisation, Moglen explains: “The
Internet, as it was conceived, was just pipes and switches. But when
Microsoft took over as the dominant operating system, it established a
server/client architecture where a centralised system, the server,
determined your interactions with computers, thus establishing a clear
hierarchy and disempowering client or computer users.” So, logs and
storage control remained with this central server. This central server
in today's virtualised world is the ‘cloud'. In this virtualised world,
the server has no location and ‘clients' are disempowered because their
data is now location-less. “Unlike the old server, which was made of
iron, located in a room somewhere, this cloudy substance called the
‘cloud' is where all your data resides.” Now, data protection becomes
extremely problematic given that for all practical purposes servers
cease to be subject to legal control or operate in a policy-directed
manner since they cannot be territorially linked, he says. And because
servers cannot be controlled, the logs (of online activity), the result
of the hidden service of surveillance, can be projected into any domain
at any moment, stripping them of any territorial legal obligation,
Moglen believes.

Social networking

The loss of privacy becomes all the more critical, and somewhat
catastrophic, when it comes to social networking, says Moglen. “In
exchange for a few web services, we now have the spy in our skull.
People are living online, and in this world you have Zuckerberg make
them believe that it is ‘sexy' to be spied on.” Unaware of the
implications, people — often young people — are online, out there,
sharing personal information that can and is easily being monetised.
This is where the Free Software movement needs to get in, and change the
way things work.

With software that creates federated web services, where data is not put
on centralised servers but in dispersed virtual servers or even pocket
servers, and the ‘Freedom Box' that allows lay users to run their own
servers, the ‘Free Software' movement is on the right track. Dismissing
those who decree the Free Software movement irrelevant, Moglen explains
that the Free Software or GNU/Linux empowered ‘clients' against their
masters by providing technically superlative alternatives to proprietary
software. “We put the freedom in everything. Now is the time to build on
this platform for free software to achieve social results. It's time to
turn on the freedom.” "

regards,
alexander.

[David Kastrup]

Post by Alexander Terekhov
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/internet/article740185.ece

Apparently, there are quite a number of people who understand what he is
saying rather well. So it is rather probable that the silliness you
experience when reading his essays is located primarily at the
recipient's side.