[117829] in Cypherpunks
Open and shut case
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Zombie Cow)
Sun Sep 12 06:44:57 1999
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 12:32:14 +0300 (EEST)
From: Zombie Cow <waste@zor.hut.fi>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
cc: cryptography@c2.net
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.10.9909121231410.4517-100000@zor.hut.fi>
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Reply-To: Zombie Cow <waste@zor.hut.fi>
http://forums.infoworld.com/threads/get.cgi?134747
Open and shut case
Posted by: siteadm
Date posted: Fri, 10 Sep 1999
My column this week includes a tongue-in-cheek example of how software
vendors can give away their wares and still make money through
extortion. The "plan" depends on two things -- the power the Uniform
Computer Information Transactions Act puts in the hands of vendors and
the fact that you can still manipulate your customers with free
software as long as the software remains proprietary.
I'm not really that concerned about extortion, but I am concerned
about the issues that made the column possible. I don't mean to sound
like a conspiracy nut, but, despite the comical tone intended for the
column, I really am concerned about software espionage whether the
spying and sabotage is being done by our government or by vendors. For
example, given enough "intelligence," what is to prevent a company
from damaging a competitor by "accidentally" triggering the shut-off
switch in the competitor's code?
I believe the most frightening threat comes from governmental
agencies, at home or abroad. I've heard that the National Security
Agency is already listening in on all international phone calls, for
example. The "spying" is supposedly justified because the information
can be used to prevent terrorist attacks.
How much invasion of our computer privacy do you think is justified,
if any? What must we do to protect ourselves from prying and from
corporate sabotage and espionage?
Nicholas Petreley
