On 03/22/2013 05:36 PM, Kevin Brown wrote:
On 3/22/2013 2:11 PM, Derek Trotter wrote:
On 03/15/2013 10:08 PM, Michael Butash wrote:
I won't use skype for the same reason. I'd held off for x years
they've existed, and was going to make one finally as a client used
it for official and non im, but soon as microsoft bought them, I
wrote them off.
Microsoft will not say no if the government tells them to
(antitrust, anyone?). Blackberry did this in india actually making
the news forced to give up access to a foreign government, but no
news here as they already do. They'll have your cell or wired isp
give up raw bitstreams of your traffic with or without a subpoena if
they're that interested.
I was reminded of this when I read an article today in The Register
about Canonical working with the Chinese government to produce a
version of ubuntu customized for China.
From
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/22/china_makes_linux_os_with_canonical_help/
Because the software is open source it's unlikely that any backdoors
could be added into the Ubuntu OS without the global Linux community
taking notice.
This contrasts with Skype, which is available in a Chinese-flavour
that spies on its users and logs information about them talking or
making phone calls about sensitive subjects to the repressive state.
The software is delivered as a partnership between local company TOM
Online and Microsoft
<http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-08/skypes-been-hijacked-in-china-and-microsoft-is-o-dot-k-dot-with-it>.
Being open source doesn't prevent an application from doing what Skype
does. Especially if you are talking to someone else's server. I use
Apache for my stuff, no user coming to a site I build has any idea
what Apache is doing with the request they are making. I could very
easily make the server report to the FBI for any connection to
"questionable" material and no one would be the wiser. Same thing with
any software that needs an intermediary to work (IM, web browsing,
email, etc...).
You're absolutely right. I posted this because it confirmed Michael's
suspicions that M$ would hand over to the government anything it wanted
from a Skype user. If they'll do it for the Chinese, nothing would
keep them from doing the same for B.O. or any of his minions. I also
noted a fault in the author's reasoning. Just because Ubuntu is open
source doesn't mean the Chinese government can't refuse to release or
forbid the release of the source code for their version of Ubuntu or
just lie about what's in it.
--
"I get my copy of the daily paper, look at the obituaries page, and if I’m not
there, I carry on as usual."
Patrick Moore
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