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FBI director Comey backs new Feinstein push for decrypt bill

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Re: FBI director Comey backs new Feinstein push for decrypt bill

#161

Post by boomboomsubban »

aub3bhat wrote: post #148
boomboomsubban wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if the underlying process that generates those numbers are widely different. So stop the underlying process? Terrorist organizations aren't quiet about their problems, that tragic day in September was in opposition to US interference in their lives. If our goal was combatting terrorism, we picked a terrible way of addressing the problem.

>>that tragic day in September was in opposition to US interference in their lives. To you these attacks are a valid grievance redressal mechanisms??? Is that the path every disenfranchised group should take?? If you are okay with such approach, no point in having a discussion.

>To you these attacks are a valid grievance redressal mechanism?

No, but neither is the "War on Terror."

Re: FBI director Comey backs new Feinstein push for decrypt bill

#162

Post by Sacho »

C4K3 wrote: post #150
cm2187 wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are threats against the US that are more than a few crazy people. The rise of Islamism is real. But the reality is that the number of casualties due to terrorism in the US is dwarfed by those of gang or drug violence, even including 9/11 (which is now more than 15y ago...). We do not hear anyone suggesting restricting civil liberties to reduce gang violence. It is kind of a curious massively asymmetrical tolera…

Terrorism can happen to anybody, that's the logic behind the asymmetry. "Regular" people see gang violence as something that can never happen to them.

You could aggressively curtail civil liberties in order to crack down on drunken driving, which kills more people than 9/11 each year, and can happen to pretty much anybody.

Re: FBI director Comey backs new Feinstein push for decrypt bill

#163

Post by Sacho »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #151
ctchocula wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was with you until "It can (and will) be used against them at election time and their checks and balances (us as voters) fall for it all the time because we (as a collective whole) are short sighted and scared that something might happen and don't want to be someone who voted for someone soft on security." Everyone's vote is secret, so no one will come to your house and bust your balls over voting for someone who c…

Individual voters are influenced by media. Publishers look hard for any story they can spin into public outrage; it's natural for politicians not to want to be a hero of such story, because it will cost them votes.

They're also influenced by education. There's nothing to suggest that education is less subversive to your individual thoughts and preferences than "media", except the media you consume is largely voluntary, while education is forced upon you while you are a minor.

Re: FBI director Comey backs new Feinstein push for decrypt bill

#164

Post by [deleted] »

gumby wrote: post #63
sillysaurus3 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Members of our government are so indoctrinated about stopping "terrorism" that they have lost all sense of perspective. In this case, it might be better to assume malice rather than incompetence. In the 1950's it was s/terrorist/communist/, but it was a remarkably effective political tool. We might be in the same situation. But this time, our fates are all linked. Once shipping backdoors becomes mainstream, it might…

> Members of our government are so indoctrinated about stopping "terrorism" that they have lost all sense of perspective. > In this case, it might be better to assume malice rather than incompetence. I really want to consider you paranoid, but sadly I strongly agree. This is hardly the first time engineered paranoia has gripped the country, but living through it is horrible. I was a kid during the mid-to-late Cold Wa…

[deleted]

Re: FBI director Comey backs new Feinstein push for decrypt bill

#165

Post by bobcostas55 »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #40
grandalf wrote: post #30

From his perspective as the head of the FBI whose job it is to achieve outcomes within the law, of course Comey advocates encryption backdoors. He would likely also advocate allowing the FBI to suspend the bill of rights for any suspect during the duration of an investigation, and he'd quite likely prefer that the FBI be legally allowed to torture suspects if extreme techniques were viewed as likely to result in usef…

Members of our government are so indoctrinated about stopping "terrorism" that they have lost all sense of perspective. In this case, it might be better to assume malice rather than incompetence. In the 1950's it was s/terrorist/communist/, but it was a remarkably effective political tool. We might be in the same situation. But this time, our fates are all linked. Once shipping backdoors becomes mainstream, it might…

>In this case, it might be better to assume malice rather than incompetence. In the 1950's it was s/terrorist/communist/, but it was a remarkably effective political tool. We might be in the same situation.

Eh, communism was way more of a threat. People in extremely high positions were communist traitors (eg Harry Dexter White who negotiated Bretton Woods/the creation of IMF for the US, or Alger Hiss who was involved in the creation of the UN, or a gazillion people in the British intelligence services).

If the government today was filled with people loyal to ISIS or AQ, then you could draw such a parallel.

Re: FBI director Comey backs new Feinstein push for decrypt bill

#166

Post by DarkKomunalec »

Would it be okay to mandate spy microphones in all cars, spy cameras in all rooms, and make it illegal to remove or disable them, as long as only the 'good guys', with a warrant, could access the info?

What if doing this would save N people/year from terrorist attacks?

What other rights should we sacrifice for a 'safer' society? Surely we shouldn't let terrorist recruit people, so there goes free speech. We also shouldn't let them gather together to plot their wicked plots, so there goes freedom of association. And if we could bar people at risk of committing terrorist acts, from vulnerable locations, such as subways, airports, parks with a lot of people in them, well, I'm sure that would save a few lives too.

Re: FBI director Comey backs new Feinstein push for decrypt bill

#167

Post by SXX »

Larrikin wrote: post #111
jjawssd wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's already a violation of the law to import and sell routers with unlocked firmware

Why is this illegal?

Because if you can control or modify radio firmware then it's can usually operate outside of certified range and power. Most of routers use same hardware for all markets while radio regulations are different. So limits are enforced per-country in software and it's easier for manufacturers to completely lock down devices.

Re: FBI director Comey backs new Feinstein push for decrypt bill

#169

Post by noir_lord »

SXX wrote: post #167
Larrikin wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is this illegal?

Because if you can control or modify radio firmware then it's can usually operate outside of certified range and power. Most of routers use same hardware for all markets while radio regulations are different. So limits are enforced per-country in software and it's easier for manufacturers to completely lock down devices.

Yup, I'm in the UK and dd-wrt allows me to push my router power output far beyond the legal spec (since the actual router can support that but is software limited).

I didn't because I'm a good neighbour and it's not a massive apartment.

Re: FBI director Comey backs new Feinstein push for decrypt bill

#170

Post by rconti »

Spooky23 wrote: post #113
grandalf wrote: post #30

From his perspective as the head of the FBI whose job it is to achieve outcomes within the law, of course Comey advocates encryption backdoors. He would likely also advocate allowing the FBI to suspend the bill of rights for any suspect during the duration of an investigation, and he'd quite likely prefer that the FBI be legally allowed to torture suspects if extreme techniques were viewed as likely to result in usef…

Comey is a bureaucrat looking for more power to do his job. He's the runny nose. The flu is Feinstein. From the ridiculous controls that treat cold medicine like contraband, the Patriot act, and bullshit like this, the Senator is a wellspring of bad law and disrespect for the American people. Why do Californians keep electing this person?

I'm a Californian, and I don't think I've ever voted for her, but I can't say so for sure to be honest.

However, a senior politician of marginal quality can be better for your state than a junior politician of superior quality. In theory they are able to score you all kinds of handouts and preferential treatment where the junior politician would just get ignored.

I don't know if that's the case for Feinstein, but my point is there's some utility there from the perspective of a Californian that does not exist for (say) a Utahn given the option to vote in CA elections.

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