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AT&T has a fiberoptic splitter copying our data to NSA

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Re: AT&T has a fiberoptic splitter copying our data to NSA

#31

Post by drivebyacct2 »

cgranade wrote: post #29
drivebyacct2 wrote: post #3

This is literally years-old information. I was aware of and hollering about this at people as a highschooler at debate and speech tournaments. Same thing then as now, no one cares, or those that do care don't care enough. Besides, who cares if you have nothing to hide. Right?

It's newly relevant with the AT&T/T-Mo buyout. Do we really want that much more traffic going straight to the NSA?

You say that as if because AT&T was the only bunch of idiots dumb enough to get caught that it's safe or reasonable to assume the VZW and others aren't doing the same.

Re: AT&T has a fiberoptic splitter copying our data to NSA

#32

Post by Joakal »

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #28
Joakal wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ask him if he or someone ever had an issue with someone with power in a company or government. Then ask what does the person have in arsenal when the people with power have a ton of information combined with power? "Who watches the watchers" argument.

Unfortunately, fear of the "bad guys" out-weighs his fears of the government, and I suspect that is likely to be the case for most people. After all, they have nothing to hide...

Bad guys never get into the government?

Seems like he believes in Us vs Them mentality: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/False_dilemma

Re: AT&T has a fiberoptic splitter copying our data to NSA

#33

Post by wtn »

fingerprinter wrote: post #21

One thing I see people saying on here is that people should care....and I do...but I don't know _what_ to do with it! Can someone show/tell me what I, an average person, can do? It feels a bit overwhelming and things like this point out how powerless we really are. I hope I'm wrong and there are things we can do...I just don't know what they are. EDIT - Asking two more specific questions: 1. What can we do technicall…

Besides using SSH and VPN more, the only thing I can do is avoid ATT.

I was on T-Mobile for years (out of ATT spite) until Verizon got the iPhone and I jumped within the week. I also spent a lot more money on internet using alternatives to ATT DSL (although I doubt my information was more secure from that choice).

Re: AT&T has a fiberoptic splitter copying our data to NSA

#34

Post by wtn »

drivebyacct2 wrote: post #31
cgranade wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's newly relevant with the AT&T/T-Mo buyout. Do we really want that much more traffic going straight to the NSA?

You say that as if because AT&T was the only bunch of idiots dumb enough to get caught that it's safe or reasonable to assume the VZW and others aren't doing the same.

There's definitely evidence VZW did the same.

I used T-Mobile for years because they were the only ones that there wasn't much evidence against, plus I thought the parent company was a bit more credible, but it's all a black box from the user's perspective.

Re: AT&T has a fiberoptic splitter copying our data to NSA

#35

Post by fingerprinter »

wtn wrote: post #33
fingerprinter wrote: post #21

One thing I see people saying on here is that people should care....and I do...but I don't know _what_ to do with it! Can someone show/tell me what I, an average person, can do? It feels a bit overwhelming and things like this point out how powerless we really are. I hope I'm wrong and there are things we can do...I just don't know what they are. EDIT - Asking two more specific questions: 1. What can we do technicall…

Besides using SSH and VPN more, the only thing I can do is avoid ATT. I was on T-Mobile for years (out of ATT spite) until Verizon got the iPhone and I jumped within the week. I also spent a lot more money on internet using alternatives to ATT DSL (although I doubt my information was more secure from that choice).

I'm guessing those other big companies are just as bad, however. Might not have the facts yet, but being paranoid leads me to think that way....

Re: AT&T has a fiberoptic splitter copying our data to NSA

#36

Post by watchandwait »

hammock wrote: post #27
getsat wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The authors of the Federalist Papers were against a specific enumeration of rights because they feared that those would become the only rights that citizens had. They now seem prescient in retrospect.

The Bill of Rights was horrible for America. It turned the Constitution from something where the people tells the government what it can and can't do, into something where the government tells people what bones they get thrown.

I don't think that's fair. Sure, the Constitution is in tatters but without the Bill of Rights I think we'd have lost even more freedom. At least folks have rallied around and protected some elements (guns, religious freedom, free speech to some degree).

Re: AT&T has a fiberoptic splitter copying our data to NSA

#39

Post by rbranson »

getsat wrote: post #15
rbranson wrote: post #9

So? This isn't the equivalent to papers secured in your household, it's data sent over someone else's network. I'm not a huge fan, but saying it's the same as the government walking into your house and examining all your documents is ridiculous. Either way, call me when someone finds out they can decrypt and examine all the SSL traffic in real-time.

1) http://www.google.com/search?q=sslstrip 2) Do you think every CA with a cert on your system is incapable of being bullied by the US government?

Yes, but that's largely useless unless they target you. If they target you, it's likely they have the means to decrypt your traffic. They also have many other means if you are targeted.

The real danger would come if they didn't have to target you and could just mass mine every single encrypted packet.

Re: AT&T has a fiberoptic splitter copying our data to NSA

#40

Post by rbranson »

kjksf wrote: post #13
rbranson wrote: post #9

So? This isn't the equivalent to papers secured in your household, it's data sent over someone else's network. I'm not a huge fan, but saying it's the same as the government walking into your house and examining all your documents is ridiculous. Either way, call me when someone finds out they can decrypt and examine all the SSL traffic in real-time.

It is, however, the same as government opening and reading all of the mail you send through the post office. And that government cannot do.

That's only even a problem if they target you. Danger comes when they can target everyone simultaneously and use automated means to find those who match their profile as enemies of an agenda.
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