Digitivity » Digital Privacy

How Microsoft Helps the Government Spy on You

Digitivity — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:50:25 +0000

Ever wonder what information various social media and other websites have on you?

So does the government.

A site called Cryptome has released the ways in which popular websites give information to law enforcement agencies.

Microsoft spying procedure

Cryptome lays out the procedures that different sites follow in a series of PDFs. For example, the one for Microsoft is called microsoft-spy.zip.

There’s a method layed out for serving legal process to Microsoft in Redmond. Interestingly, non-US law enforcement is supposed to go through Microsoft US too, and not international subsidiaries. This is because online services records are stored on US servers. One question that arises, though, is how can Microsoft authenticate a request for information from the Republic of Freedonia, i.e., from various obscure agencies from around the world?

The PDF for Microsoft reveals how much information Microsoft keeps and for how long. For example, it keeps the last 10 IP address and social web site address combinations.

It also says which legal processes (no subpoena, subpoena, court order, search warrant) are required for which information.

Other companies whose spying procedures are detailed include Facebook, MySpace, Comcast, AOL, Skype, Cox, Ning, myYearbook, Stickam, Cisco, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Yahoo, SBC, Ameritech, Cingular, Nextel, and GTE.

My comments

Although it was always assumed that companies would give your data over to law enforcement if compelled, it’s slightly unnerving to actually see it all spelled out in a document.

This underscores the fact that you’re definitely giving up a measure of privacy when you store your documents and information online as opposed to locally on your computer. Also, I don’t think Microsoft et alia are required to tell you that the Feds have your documents, whereas if you have your files on your own computer, you’d of course know about it when the police come knocking with a search warrant.

Finally, given that one of the items that Microsoft, Google, and others will hand off to the government is email, it’s important to encrypt your e-mail if you want to keep it private.

Discussion at Slashdot.

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FBI Locates Osama bin Laden … on Google Images

Digitivity — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:22:09 +0000

Remember that fellow that helped to blow up a few buildings and then went into either seclusion or retirement? Someone by the name of Osama bin Laden?

Since it’s been a while since he’s released a YouTube video, government agencies have no idea what the terrorist mastermind looks like anymore. At the end of their rope, the FBI hit on using Google Images to brainstorm Osama bin Laden’s facial features.

The Times of London is reporting that the FBI used a photo of leftist Spanish politician Gaspar Llamazares, who incidentally is a member of the Communist Party of Spain and a critic of the war.

The resemblance between the FBI representation of Osama bin Laden and Gaspar Llamazares is uncanny.

Osama bin Laden morphs into Gaspar Llamazares, or vice versa

Gaspar Llamazares Osama bin Laden FBI Morph

What it looks like is simply that the FBI took to morphing Osama bin Laden’s and Gaspar Llamazares’ photos, and then added some more beard.

What I’d like to know is why the FBI thought bin Laden would grow chubby cheeks in his old age. Most older people get slimmer. Bin Laden was skinny anyways due to his diabetes and other health problems.

Meanwhile Gaspar Llamazares isn’t standing still. Llamazares is offended the FBI used his visage. Obviously having his photo posted at airports around the world won’t exactly make air travel easy for him or for Spaniards who share facial features with him.

It would be nice to know if the FBI plans to continue on taking random images from Google Images or Flickr and making terror alerts out of them.

Resources

Slashdot discussion
Times of London story
Yahoo
Daily Mail
Full Channel

Blogs covering the FBI/Osama bin Laden/Gaspar Llamazares debacle include
Black Weta, Chatta Box, and Left to Chance.

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Google Expands Its Tentacles Buying Cell Phone Advertiser AdMob

Digitivity — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:47:34 +0000

As if Google didn’t have enough reach by being the owner of DoubleClick (the ad firm), it’s buying AdMob, which I just learned is the major (and just about only) ad firm for the phenomal price of three-quarters of a billion dollars.

Apparently AdMob’s focus is on web ads that display when you view a website on a mobile phone and on ads that display on mobile phone applications.

TechCrunch discusses the acquisition here. Google blogged about it. And so did Admob. Google also posted a note for the press.

FTC Good Houskeeping Seal of Approval still required

But, like Oracle’s acquisition of Sun, which is still being held up, the FTC wants to investigate the AdMob buy before it approves it, according to the New York Times Bits Blog. Given that Google’s deal with Yahoo was basically nixed by the Justice Department, it’s anybody’s guess as to who will be serving the ads on your cell phone this year.

My comments

It’s sort of like the frog being slowly boiled as Google continues to buy every company that remotely touches our digital lives, as well as building its own data tentacles. It’s becoming increasingly difficult not to interact with Google even if you don’t want to. At the very least we can be aware of who has information regarding us.