Posted By : Bozak (CCi 69:1305/1.1)
Subject   : Digital Telephony and The Government

At the annual "Computers, Freedom, and Privacy Conference" this Spring, the
FBI backed by longtime "hacker hunter" Dorothy Denning further tried to
convince the electronic world that 'Digital Telephony' is the way of the
future to fight crime.

What it is is an invasion of some of our most basic rights.

Digital Telephony is a proposal that states ALL future communications
technology, whether it be electronic or analog, MUST be able to FULLY and
EASILY (IE built in) accomodate wiretaps.  This means now with a flip or a
switch the Feds could monitor a person's every electronic or voice
transmission/conversation.  Wiretapping is extremely difficult to get a
warrant for, with only 1,000 or so warrants to wiretap issued last year.

Those are the legal ones.

It's fairly common knowledge that all law enforcement also uses illegal
wiretaps quite often, with little or no regard for the laws that are
supposed to protect our rights.  This means an unscrupulous agent who may
have something to gain can simply monitor YOUR EVERY word and conversation
with the touch of a button, because now every phone, modem, cellular,
beeper, and anything else that communicates has the built in capacity to be
tapped.

Guess who's paying for all of this?

That's right.  YOU.

It will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to re tool factories and
product lines to meet this new standard.  That cost will of course be passed
directly to you.  You're going to be PAYING for this.

The government wants to take away your right to privacy, and they want you
to pay them to do it.

Think about it.  The ability to trace your every move, built in to your
phone, modem, and anything else electronic that communicates.

Now of course the FBI claims that this will save lives.  They already said
that two serious crimes have been prevented, including a plan to 'shoot down
an airliner', and a snuff movie with a little kid as the victim.

Mind if I ask what the HELL that has to do with electronic communications?
The goverment is eating your rights.

Fight back, or you'll lose your freedom.

This post might sound like some kind of a sermon, but I just finished
reading the article about it (July '93 Macworld) and I'm just sort of
stunned and pissed off.  Why?  Because not only are people like Dorothy
Denning who were supposedly moderates, and could see the 'freedom' side of
'hacking' going along with this shit with a big smile on their faces, it's
the fact this bill has made it to Congress, and actually stands a chance of
being passed.  That's nothing short of frightening.

That means we couldn't have CCi, because everyone's modem has the potential
to be listened in on illegally by someone whenever they choose.  Just one
agent abusing his/her authority.

The EFF, along with over 30 other groups and organizations has already filed
several protests against Digital Telephony.

I reccommend you do the same, because this isn't the first time a bill like
this has come up, and it won't be the last.  And one of these days a fucked
up bill like this just might pass.

PGP anyone?

  Bozak      -- 

-!- Oblivion/2 v2.10
 ! Origin: Imajica Private (69:1305/1.1)