[News] RMS Fights Non-Free (Imprisoning) Software, Nanny Nationalism - Linux

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Anthony Doesburg: Activist urges end to software stranglehold

,----[ Quote ]
| Stallman, an American, is part-way through a speaking tour on which he is
| outlining the philosophy of the Free Software Foundation, of which he is
| founder and president.
|
| Uncompromising is the only word to describe Stallman's attitude to the
| proprietary software world of Microsoft, Apple and others. To end their
| tyranny over hundreds of millions of unwitting users of their products, he's
| advocating nothing less than the overthrow of the software world order.
`----

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/...ectid=10527227

RMS:

"The UK government plans to record all phone calls, all emails, and all web
browsing.

"This is to "fight crime", but crime is a minor danger compared with that of an
all-powerful all-seeing state. When the government declares suspicion grounds
to imprison someone, everyone has a valid reason to conceal his activities
from the state."

Government proposes email and internet tracking

,----[ Quote ]
| The Government will store "a billion incidents of data exchange a day" as
| details of every text, email and browsing session in the UK are recorded
| under new proposals published yesterday.
`----

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/218052/g...-tracking.html

If nobody stands up, citizens become slaves of megacorps.


Recent:

Wider Spying Fuels Aid Plan for Telecom Industry

,----[ Quote ]
| For months, the Bush administration has waged a high-profile campaign,
| including personal lobbying by President Bush and closed-door briefings by
| top officials, to persuade Congress to pass legislation protecting companies
| from lawsuits for aiding the National Security Agency’s warrantless
| eavesdropping program. Â* Â*
`----

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/wa...rssnyt&emc=rss


Related:

Judge: Man can't be forced to divulge encryption passphrase

,----[ Quote ]
| In this case, Judge Niedermeier took the second approach. He said that
| encryption keys can be "testimonial," and even the prosecution's alternative
| of asking the defendant to type in the passphrase when nobody was looking
| would be insufficient. Â* Â*
`----

http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-983...?tag=nefd.blgs


Animal Rights Activists Forced to Hand Over Encryption Keys

,----[ Quote ]
| If you remember, this was sold to the public as essential for fighting
| terrorism. It's already being misused.
`----

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archive..._rights_a.html


Did NSA Put a Secret Backdoor in New Encryption Standard?

,----[ Quote ]
| Which is why you should worry about a new random-number standard that
| includes an algorithm that is slow, badly designed and just might contain a
| backdoor for the National Security Agency. Â*
`----

http://www.wired.com/politics/securi...tymatters_1115


,----[ Quote ]
| "Is this a good idea or not? For the first time, the giant software maker
| is acknowledging the help of the secretive agency, better known for
| eavesdropping on foreign officials and, more recently, U.S. citizens as
| part of the Bush..."
`----

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archive...s_micro_1.html


Microsoft could be teaching police to hack Vista

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft may begin training the police in ways to break the
| encryption built into its forthcoming Vista operating system.
`----

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/21...ng-police-hack


UK holds Microsoft security talks

,----[ Quote ]
| "UK officials are talking to Microsoft over fears the new version of
| Windows could make it harder for police to read suspects' computer files."
`----

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4713018.stm


For Windows Vista Security, Microsoft Called in Pros

,----[ Quote ]
| The NSA also declined to be specific but said it used two groups — a “red
| team� and a “blue team� — to test Vista’s security. The red team, for
| instance, posed as “the determined, technically competent adversary� to
| disrupt, corrupt or steal information. “They pretend to be bad guys,� Sager
| said. The blue team helped Defense Department system administrators with
| Vista’s configuration . Â* Â*
|
| Microsoft said this is not the first time it has sought help from the NSA.
| For about four years, Microsoft has tapped the spy agency for security
| expertise in reviewing its operating systems, including the Windows XP
| consumer version and the Windows Server 2003 for corporate customers. Â*
`----

http://www.manpreet.co.in/tech-stuff...curity-agency/


Microsoft patents the mother of all adware systems

,----[ Quote ]
| The adware framework would leave almost no data untouched in its quest to
| sell you stuff. It would inspect "user document files, user e-mail files,
| user music files, downloaded podcasts, computer settings, computer status
| messages (e.g., a low memory status or low printer ink)," and more. How could
| we have been so blind as to not see the marketing value in computer status
| messages? Â* Â*
`----

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...e-systems.html


Spy Master Admits Error

,----[ Quote ]
| Intel czar Mike McConnell told Congress a new law helped bring down a terror
| plot. The facts say otherwise.
`----

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20749773/site/newsweek/


FBI ducks questions about its remotely installed spyware

,----[ Quote ]
| There are plenty of unanswered questions about the FBI spyware that, as we
| reported earlier this week, can be delivered over the Internet and implanted Â*
| in a suspect's computer remotely.
`----

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9747666-7.html


United States Government Online Watchdogs? Part of the war on terror?

,----[ Quote
| Is there anyone in the abandonia community with a US based connection who is
| experiencing this watchdog behavior? Are any foreign Vista users experiencing
| similar attacks from their own countries ministries and governing agencies?" Â*
`----

http://www.whitedust.net/news/3984/U...on_terror?.../


No email privacy rights under Constitution, US gov claims

,----[ Quote ]
| This appears to be more than a mere argument in support of the
| constitutionality of a Congressional email privacy and access scheme. It
| represents what may be the fundamental governmental position on
| Constitutional email and electronic privacy - that there isn't any. What is
| important in this case is not the ultimate resolution of that narrow issue,
| but the position that the United States government is taking on the entire
| issue of electronic privacy. That position, if accepted, may mean that the
| government can read anybody's email at any time without a warrant. Â* Â* Â*
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11...email_privacy/


How NSA access was built into Windows

,----[ Quote ]
| A careless mistake by Microsoft programmers has revealed that
| special access codes prepared by the US National Security Agency
| have been secretly built into Windows.
|
| [...]
|
| The first discovery of the new NSA access system was made two years
| ago by British researcher Dr Nicko van Someren. But it was only a
| few weeks ago when a second researcher rediscovered the access
| system. With it, he found the evidence linking it to NSA.
`----

http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/5/5263/1.html
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