Month: March 2003
-
More on ARDG and the Press
I wrote yesterday about the ARDG’s policy, banning the press from the otherwise open ARDG meetings. Apparently the official rationale for this is that some companies refuse to allow the people who represent them at ARDG meetings to speak to the press. I have to admit that I find these companies’ policies hard to understand.…
-
Leaks From CERT's "Good Guys" List
Brian McWilliams at Wired News reports on the leakage of unreleased security alerts from the government-funded CERT coordination center. Three secret alerts sent to members of CERT’s “good guys” club (known as the Information Security Alliance, or ISA) were reposted onto the open “Full Disclosure” mailing list. The person who did this may have violated…
-
ARDG Bans the Press
Several groups, including the EFF, Consumers Union, DigitalConsumer, and PublicKnowledge, have sent a letter objecting to the Analog Reconversion Discussion Group (ARDG), objecting to ARDG’s policy of refusing journalists access to its “open” meetings. Despite its confusing name, ARDG is an important process, reflecting the efforts of some to promote, and perhaps eventually to mandate,…
-
We're Back
We’re back on the air after roughly thirty-six hours of downtime. Apparently the server that brings you Freedom to Tinker (along with many unrelated sites hosted by the same web hosting provider) has had its hard drives impounded by the authorities as part of a cyberterrorism investigation. The last week or so of backup tapes…
-
Verizon Files Briefs in Subpoena Case
Verizon has filed another brief (with supporting papers) in its battle with the RIAA, in Verizon’s continuing effort to protect the anonymity of one of its customers, who has been accused of copyright infringement. Verizon’s press release, with copies of the filings, is here. (Thanks to Jim Tyre for the pointer.)
-
Needlepoint Piracy: An Exclusive Interview!
Here at Freedom to Tinker, we are relentless in our quest to bring you the finest in pseudo-journalism. And so when Frank Field lifted the lid on needlepoint piracy, our staff sprang into action to bring you an exclusive newsmaker interview with the ultimate insider source on this story, a source who was President of…
-
DRM, and the First Rule of Security Analysis
When I teach Information Security, the first lecture is dedicated to the basics of security analysis. And the first rule of security analysis is this: understand your threat model. Experience teaches that if you don’t have a clear threat model – a clear idea of what you are trying to prevent and what technical capabilities…
-
DRM in Cell Phones?
Elisa Batista at Wired News reports on the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) trade show. Rep. Billy Tauzin gave his perspective in a speech: But Tauzin did offer [CTIA CEO Tom] Wheeler some advice in order to avoid more regulation: Have the industry clean up its act. If it doesn’t want to be hit…
-
DRM and the Regulatory Ratchet
Regular readers know that one of my running themes is the harm caused when policy makers don’t engage with technical realities. One of the most striking examples of this has to do with DRM (or copy-restriction) technologies. Independent technical experts agree almost universally that DRM is utterly unable to prevent the leakage of copyrighted material…
-
Online Porn and Bad Science
Declan McCullagh reports on yesterday’s House Government Reform Committee hearings on porn and peer-to-peer systems. (I’m sure there is some porn on these systems, as there is in every place where large groups of people gather.) There’s plenty to chew on in the story; Frank Field says it “sounds like a nasty meeting.” But I…