Wednesday 18 November 2015

Encryption, metadata collection & your privacy



Credit: Getty Images/Internationl Business Times

Apple's CEO thinks putting backdoors in for the UK government is a bad idea:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/10/surveillance-bill-dire-consequences-apple-tim-cook

So does the UN’s head of privacy:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/10/un_privacy_head_slams_uk_surveillance_bill/

And guess who pays in the end, if Internet Service Providers collect & store data about their customers?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/11/uk_citizens_pay_government_to_spy_on_them/

In Australia, the government is doing something similar, & the people will have to pay to have their privacy invaded. Bizarrely, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (at the time Communications Minister), gave a quick how-to on metadata collection avoidance in an interview in March of this year:
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/malcolm-turnbulls-sky-news-interview-basically-renders-the-metadata-retention-laws-useless-2015-3

But if you want to know how to protect your privacy, Edward Snowden’s advice is a better bet:
https://theintercept.com/2015/11/12/edward-snowden-explains-how-to-reclaim-your-privacy/
/ back door back door for everyone Tim Cook allow authorities track citizens Internet use without requiring warrant people want read their messages right read emails Tim Cook Apple Apple’s chief executive sharply criticised surveillance powers British government allowing spies backdoor citizens communications dire consequences draft investigatory powers bill new legal obligation bypass encryption Tim Cook encrypt protect people United Kingdom UK Great Britain England weakening encryption hurt good people do bad things criminals terrorists data breaches privacy breaches security issues believe very strongly end-to-end encryption no back doors read their messages read their emails back door back door for everyone crack down on terrorists security secure opening a back door backdoor dire consequences draft investigatory powers bill home secretary Theresa May explicit in law powers for security services police hack into bug computers phones authorities access records tracking every UK citizen’s use Internet without any judicial check new powers requiring internet phone companies keep Internet connection records track every website visited page maximum 12 months not require a warrant police security services access data Cook when the public gets engaged press gets engaged deeply weaken cryptography strengthen it stay ahead of the folks that want to break it warned eroding right privacy technology companies have duty protect their customers US government attempts weaken encryption revelations National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden Apple tech firms strengthen encryption backlash from government officials meta data metadata meta data metadata collection VPN Virtual Private Network Proxy peer to peer Torrent United Nations privacy head slammed UK draft surveillance bill worse than scary annual Internet Governance Forum IGF Brazil special rapporteur on privacy Joe Cannataci Joe Cannataci Investigatory Powers Bill Snooper's Charter Snooper's Charter accused UK government orchestrated campaign get hold new mass surveillance powers evidence shows will not prevent terrorism accused father of the internet Vint Cerf dumb claiming modern privacy may be an anomaly modern times pure undiluted rubbish Right to Privacy in The Digital Age expand surveillance France's new law attack offices Charlie Hebdo UK surveillance bill currently going through Parliament most misleading comments security services same powers telephone out of context context Internet context is completely different laws no internet Internet used today create Megabytes metadata security service never had so much data heads of security services admitted don't need some of the powers attacking so-called father of the internet Chief Internet Evangelist Google Vint Cerf senior Google executives privacy is no longer possible in the digital world Federal Trade Commission Privacy may actually be an anomaly pure undiluted rubbish intelligence Vint Cerf could say anything so dumb just dumb we need to do something about protecting privacy encryption /