Issue Quershon

[BarryBobPosthole]

Okay, so its been said that terrorists and criminals are using a technology available on some cell phones to encrypt their texts in a way that makes it impossible, or at least for now, to eavesdrop on that data externally.

Should the FCC regulate this technology to enable law enforcement to eavesdrop on ANY transmission to and from cell phones?

AND, if we're going to take that step, where is the line to be drawn for any communication between private citizens?
Or is there a line?
BKB

[Thumper]

I spent my military "career" intercepting/reading encrypted messages. (just sayin') ;)

I wonder what Carnivore is doing these days?

[FooBang]

No way, BBP. The terrorists could just as easily create their own apps to do the same thing. It's easy as pie. Just like guns-- it will keep privacy out of the hands of the good people.

Funny story: While working at a defense contracting company years back, I ordered some software from Ireland for our project. It was a $10,000 piece of software, so I was a bit miffed when they sent the wrong version. Anyhow, I sent it back to them through our internal mail system only to be notified that I was attempting to export arms illegally. You see, the software used 128-bit encryption, which the DoD considered munitions. I couldn't even send the package I bought from Ireland back to Ireland to the Irish people who wrote the Irish software! Crazy!

That's what happens when the gummint gets involved with stuff they don't understand, and believe me, they don't understand this and would only seriously impinge on our right to do just about anything. Every sensitive transaction online uses the same, or better encryption. Do you really want a back door to all of your bank accounts, medical history and whatnot? No friggin' way!

[FooBang]

In addition to the comment I made above, even if *compiled* encryption code were illegal, the source code will always be legal, as it has been deemed free speech by the Supreme Court. Therefore, anyone could create an app and post it to the whole world without repercussion, even if the compiled version were made illegal. Pretty stupid and fruitless to enact such a dumb, meaningless, no-teeth havin', non-effective bill. Just my humble opinion.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I thought it was a pretty slippery slope myself.

It looks like they're gonna try to go there.


BKB

[FooBang]

Yeah, been seein' a media blitz going on around this. They really, really shouldn't do this. It certainly isn't in our best interest.

[LJ3]

Government sanctioned and controlled encryption algorithms. What could go wrong?

[Nandy]

Government sanctioned and controlled encryption algorithms. What could go wrong?

EVERYTHING... lol!

[BarryBobPosthole]

I'm sure Trump will have that solved by the end of his second term.

BKB

[Thumper]

What bugs me is, I keep hearing these attacks in France were unexpected because they had on intel that anything was in the works at the time and there was no immediate threat.

Now, I keep hearing that we should not be alarmed with the upcoming Thanksgiving season (heaviest travel season of the year) because ... wait for it ... we have no intel that anything is in the works at this time and there is no immediate threat!

[BarryBobPosthole]

Its too soon to tell what anybody knew about those guys before it happened.

I ain't askeered.

BKB

[Thumper]

Me either ... 'course I ain't attending Macy's parade or any of the ball games either. ;)

[BarryBobPosthole]

Attended a ball game this past weekend. the security lines were a bit slower and they paid closer attention than normal but I really didn't detect an elevated anxiety level. Until TCU decided to make a game of it anyway. Then it got real anxious!

BKB

[FooBang]

The higher you go in the ranks, the shittier the intelligence gets. I read an article in the NY Times this week about how the words kept changing as intel is handed up to suit the politics. That's the great thing about being a nobody in the field-- raw, unpoliticized intelligence, truly a thing to behold.

[LJ3]

The higher you go in the ranks, the shittier the intelligence gets. I read an article in the NY Times this week about how the words kept changing as intel is handed up to suit the politics. That's the great thing about being a nobody in the field-- raw, unpoliticized intelligence, truly a thing to behold.

^^^ That's very true.

I remember watching a message go by on one of our intelligence DC order wires that Brezhnev had died and it hadn't made it to the president yet. Kinda cool being that plugged in to things.

We're leaving ourselves wide open for an exponential thumpthread here :)

[Thumper]

Nope, I was sworn to silence the day I was debriefed. ;)