North American Network Operators Group

Date Prev | Date Next | Date Index | Thread Index | Author Index | Historical

Re: [NEWS] FBI To Require ISPs To Reconfigure E-mail Systems (fwd)

  • From: William Allen Simpson
  • Date: Thu Oct 18 10:04:32 2001

Sean Donelan wrote:
> Some of it is confused by "we can't tell you," so no one can evaluate if
> there is a less disruptive, less expensive and maybe even more effective
> way to accomplish the same thing.
> 
Actually, they've already told us all we need to know:

 1) NO cryptography was used.

 2) Public library terminals were used.

 3) Free accounts were used.

 4) No suspicious international communications.

 5) None of the terrorists was a suspect before the incident.

 6) None would have been prevented from boarding an airplane.

Therefore, no amount of network monitoring would have prevented the 
attacks!

This is just a police state power grab, trying to get facilities and 
laws that a democracy would never give them otherwise, sought during a 
time of concern.

So far, none of the "security" measures we've seen has actually 
prevented anything, or even been designed to prevent anything that has 
happened in the recent past.  

Camouflaged guards in airports?

Secret searches?

All we have is an impotent executive seeking to expand its power.

--

What we HAVE discovered through analysis is that the two preventative 
measures that MIGHT have helped were cut due to bottom line costs:

 1) Secure cockpit doors.  Even now, the Administration refuses to 
    mandate a security standard.

 2) Immigration visa checks.  Bush I drastically cut the size of the 
    department, and Bush II was poised to throw open the doors.

-- 
William Allen Simpson
    Key fingerprint =  17 40 5E 67 15 6F 31 26  DD 0D B9 9B 6A 15 2C 32