RIP

[R. A. Hettinga]

--- begin forwarded text


Status:  U
From: Somebody
To: "R. A. Hettinga" <rah at shipwright.com>
Subject: RIP
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 17:02:27 +0100

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2027000/2027377.stm

Thursday, 6 June, 2002, 08:27 GMT 09:27 UK
Questions over net snooping centre


Centre will be based at MI5 headquarters

A controversial internet snooping centre to be opened in the summer by the
UK Government could cause more problems than it solves, experts say.
The National Technical Assistance Centre (NTAC) will decrypt computer data
and intercepted internet and e-mail traffic as part of a drive against
cyber-crime, reports the technology news magazine, Computing.

It follows a much-criticised law, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers
Act, which came into force in October 2000 and gave law enforcers sweeping
powers to spy on internet communications.

However, government plans to foil cyber criminals could backfire, according
to a member of the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA), Stephen
Dyer.

"It could prove counter-productive. If the government is being seen as
taking encryption seriously then it will drive criminals to use encryption
more," he said.

"Modern encryption is almost uncrackable, especially in the timescale needed
to stop a crime," he added.

Much to do

NTAC is also running into other obstacles, as the RIP Act it is designed to
enforce undergoes some serious rewrites.



The government wants to plug into the internet and grab everything they want
from it

Stephen Dyer, ISPA
Experts argue that the law was rushed through parliament without
consultation with industry and as a result is unworkable.

Earlier in the year, the government admitted that the complex process of
obtaining encryption keys had not yet fully been worked out and a public
consultation would be necessary.

Without a quick and easy way of getting hold of encryption keys, NTAC would
"be dead in the water", said Mr Dyer.

Black boxes

NTAC will also depend on a controversial network of black boxes, installed
in internet networks and feeding directly into the MI5 building, where the
centre will be based.

The idea of such boxes caused outrage when it was suggested. Despite being
included in the RIP Act, no internet service provider (ISP) has yet been
required by government to install such a surveillance system.

Officials now admit that secondary legislation will be necessary before ISPs
can be made to install black boxes.

Even then, ISPs will have recourse to an independent body if they feel it is
too costly which could mean significant delays.

Without such boxes, it will be impossible for NTAC will get its hands on web
communications.

Ultimately, the government's plans for NTAC might be just too ambitious,
said Mr Dyer.

"The government wants to plug into the internet and grab everything they
want from it. That might work for the intelligence services but I'm not sure
it will for law enforcement," he said.

Loss of intelligence

Despite this the government insists that NTAC is a necessary tool in its
fight against cyber-crime.

"Without an appropriate response, rapid developments in information
technology with communications increasingly travelling from
computer-to-computer and information protected by encryption will lead to a
considerable loss of intelligence from lawfully intercepted communications
and evidence from lawfully seized material," read a Home Office statement.

Much of NTAC's resources will go into tracking terrorist activity and
paedophiles, both of which use the web to communicate.

The drive to step up surveillance of the internet has increased since the
terrorist attacks on 11 September.

In May, the European Parliament voted in favour of forcing phone companies
and internet service providers to retain for years logs on what all their
customers are doing.

--- end forwarded text


-- 
-----------------
R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cryptography Mailing List
Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to majordomo at wasabisystems.com