Patent to ID physical address of Web surfers

[nebula]

I recall going to the local cinema to watch the movie Sneakers starring Robert Redford and River Phoenix (yeah, it was a good while back). The story is about a group of guys who hack for a living (i.e. hired by a big bank to test their security system for flaws and cracks).

At one point in hte movie, a couple of men meet privately with Redford's character, flip open their wallets to show their badges, and said, "We're from the NSA."

Maybe about 1/3 of the audience completely busted up laughing! (Remember what I said about my hometown?) They (we) knew that scene was complete Hollywood nonsense!

[nebula]

OK -

I was talking about this with one of the people I know who has worked for NSA. He affirmed to me that the Agency can't "spy" on any US citizen whithout a permit - and it's a lot of work to get a permit to do so; therefore, they only go after people they have reason to go after.

Also, before you worry about "big brother watching you", you need to keep in mind that there's a lot more "web" out there than there are manpower and money in the Agency to track every nook and cranny. Again - they have to have a genuine reason to go tracking someone.

Now, if you are worried about Christian persucution - please understand that there are more than a handful of Christians who are employed in those walls - OK?

And finally - the only personal computers he has ever heard of being confiscated by the agency were from people who have actually hacked into NSA's computer system. NSA could care less about how someone stores their personal data. They do worry about security breaches, though.

[M45510G1C]

And finally - the only personal computers he has ever heard of being confiscated by the agency were from people who have actually hacked into NSA's computer system.  NSA could care less about how someone stores their personal data.  They do worry about security breaches, though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Your friend must not be in the proper channels then. Myself as well as some of my associates have had quite a bit of equipment confiscated by those wonderful boys for nothing more than having better crypto than they could crack.

They most certiainly do care about how one stores their personal data. With all due respect Neb, as I hinted at in my earlier post, your position merely evidences a lack of knowledge of the crypto scene. Nothing wrong with that, the vast majority of people don't realize why we need crypto nor why the NSA is so concerned about its use.

I also have friends who do/have worked for the NSA, they are a large agency and it is understandable that your friend may not be aware of everything they are doing. For instance I know a mathematician who worked for them for ~12 years in the late 70's/80's she'd get some algorithms, solve em, hand em over to higher-ups, rinse and repeat. She had no clue what those algorithms were, and still doesn't to this day. Not suggesting that they were anything sinister (though that is possible), merely demonstrating that working in such an agency does not give one inherent knowledge of what said agency is doing.

Don't the quotes I posted at least suggest that your friend may be mistaken? (specifically the one regarding domestic montoring)

Check out this link, you seem somewhat interested in the topic so hopefully you'll read it. I do not endorse all fo the views therein however it does a better job than I can via message boards of the issue at hand.

http://www.mega.nu:8080/cm/cm0.html

I also highly recommend two books sugegsted in that manifesto:

"Above the Law", by David Burnham, ISBN 0-684-80699-1, 1996

and

"The Secret War Against the Jews", Authors: John Loftus and Mark Aarons, ISBN 0-312-11057-X, 1994

[nebula]

I'll have to get back to you on this, Mass Logic (that is what your name means, I have heard? Well, that's easier to remember than all those numbers. )

I don't know, I might be told to just leave it alone - as it really is over my head - and what precious little I do know I have no business blabbing in public anyway.

(Note: that is not conspiracy worty, that is just safety policy - "loose lips sink ships" stuff.)

[M45510G1C]

I'll have to get back to you on this, Mass Logic (that is what your name means, I have heard?  Well, that's easier to remember than all those numbers. )

I don't know, I might be told to just leave it alone - as it really is over my head - and what precious little I do know I have no business blabbing in public anyway.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lol, you've got it: MassLogic. (name I've used since my BBS days....in the longlongago....before the internet *gasp*)

It is a rather involved topic, but fascinating (to my geeky self anyway)

Yeh that is the other thing, it can be a difficult topic to discuss due to its sensitive nature.

[Abigailwc]

IMO, if somebody in higher places or somebody with powerful connections wants to get into your business illegally, they'll easily find a way.

[other one]

Yeh,,,, just call DARPA. That is where the NSA get all thier ideas anyway. John Poindexter is most likely still hiding in some closet there somewhere.

BTW that location technology is not that difficult to do if you have access to the servers so you will know how a message or file is sent. It works much like a gps satelite receiver....

[nebula]

OK - I was told to just drop it - so I will.

But it was confirmed to me by someone else that it's just impossible to "watch" every person and every e-mail and every computer and every correspondance . . . .

There has to be reason to.

And a court order is needed to "spy" on any US citizen.

All right - probably said too much - I was told to just drop it - let the "big brother" fearers be.

[M45510G1C]

Yeh I'm not relly sure why they would wanna patent such a thing, Sam. Perhaps this could be indicative of some move by Microsoft that the NSA isn't too happy about?

Doesn't seem terribly unlikely when one considers the fact that they're developing a new OS (surely with some new sorts of identification, tracking and encryption) in light of the following:

from http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9807/27/security.idg/

"It's inevitable that you design products with specific [encryption] algorithms and key lengths in mind," said Ira Rubenstein, Microsoft attorney and a top lieutenant to Bill Gates. By his own account, Rubenstein acts as a "filter" between the NSA and Microsoft's design teams in Redmond, Wash. "Any time that you're developing a new product, you will be working closely with the NSA," he noted.