NSA privacy busting patent

Discussion in 'privacy general' started by spy1, Sep 26, 2005.

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  1. spy1

    spy1 Registered Member

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    http://p2pnet.net/story/6363

    "People “hoping to protect their privacy by using anti-virus software, Web anonymizers, false identities and disabled cookies” may be unraveled by technology flowing from a patent filed by the National Security Agency (NSA) which will “identify the physical location of any Web surfer,” says WorldNetDaily ( http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46501 ), quoting CNET News.


    “Patent 6,947,978, granted this week, describes a process based on latency, or time lag between computers exchanging data, of ‘numerous’ known locations on the Internet to build a ‘network latency topology map’ for all users,” it states.


    “Identifying the physical location of an individual user … could then be accomplished by measuring how long it takes to connect to an unknown computer from numerous known machines, and using the latency response to display location on a map."

    The NSA patent doesn’t describe the NSA's intended use of the technology, “noting only general uses like measuring the ‘effectiveness of advertising across geographic regions’ or flagging a password that ‘could be noted or disabled if not used from or near the appropriate location’," but, “given NSA's status as the nation's premier cryptologic organization, it's unlikely the technology will be used to improve advertising,” says CNET, adding:


    “The agency has come under fire in the past for spying on American citizens. In the 1970s, the agency was forced to admit that it had used its eavesdropping equipment against Jane Fonda and other anti-Vietnam War activists. The revelation led to a 1978 law banning spying by the agency on U.S. citizens and resident aliens anywhere.” "

    Looks like that kid was right after all. Pete
     
  2. infoman63

    infoman63 Guest

    Not surprising really. What's surprising is that we're finding out about it. Unless it's some kind of misinformation tactic. I'll bet they have all kinds of different ways to spy on us, and this is probably just one of many. What seems worse, is what we don't know about.
     
  3. _Lyn_

    _Lyn_ Guest

    What effect would a modem swap or connecting a laptop from the same location have? Their system doesn't sound too precise to me.
    -

    Found this today:

    Brussels builds anti-terror software tool

    Die Welt reports that the European commission’s Ispra, Italy-based Joint Research Centre is working on new software to combat terrorism for the English, Spanish and German intelligence services.

    The software will focus on "dark web" and "hidden web"-type sites used to pass messages in secret, with over 4,000 such sites in existence.

    http://www.welt.de/data/2005/09/26/780781.html<br />
    -

    What a pantload. Intelligence services + terrorism investigations = ABLE DANGER. Due to outrage at the illegal delaying tactics by the Pentagon those hearings have been REscheduled for October. Those hearings and the 9/19 capture by Iraqi police of two British soldiers dressed as arabs driving a civilian car packed with explosives should be enough to expose this phony "war on terra" for even the dumbest of the dumbshit bush supporters.
     
  4. Pollmaster

    Pollmaster Guest

    I agree. I think this is disinformation. They surely have something better.
     
  5. AvianFlux

    AvianFlux Registered Member

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    From what I've read about this technology, it can only trace a dialup connection to the ISP server location which can be hundreds of miles away from a client's host computer.
     
  6. _Lyn_

    _Lyn_ Guest

    what makes you think that? fox news tells me all intel agents are miserable failures...
     
  7. Devinco

    Devinco Registered Member

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    Couldn't proxy servers or a chain of proxies be setup to have a random latency delay to counter this type of thing?
     
  8. Pollmaster

    Pollmaster Guest

    definitely, among other ideas.. This is just one of the stuff NSA throws out to divert attention.
     
  9. Devinco

    Devinco Registered Member

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    I certainly hope so, because I want my tax dollars to fund the very best technology to spy on me.
     
  10. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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    Anyone spying on me would go into a coma from boredom. :D [​IMG]
     
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