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To: Frederick Smart who wrote (28004)	9/7/1999 4:38:00 PM
From: PJ Strifas	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42771

Fredrick, If the NSA and MSFT are "in bed" on this cyrptography issue, then why would the government feel it needs new laws to invade homes to plant "software" inside of suspected criminals PCs? Oh, of course, that law was for the FBI, a totally different animal :) But why wouldn't the FBI just work with MSFT to include this type of capability into the OS and hide it within the 40+ million lines of code (for NT5 at least)? Why even expose yourself to the criticism it will bring and the debate that will rage? [as we see now!] This article does point out a few scenarios that show the US government "spying" on other countries. No mention that it is being used internally (yes, I know it can be used that way ). If you ask the public, we'd like our government to have this capability :) It just goes to semantics....just because something can do this or that doesn't mean it will be used that way. If we were to decide everything based on this criteria alone, we wouldn't have lasers for surgery (off shoot of weapons research) or men on the moon (helped by technology used to propel bombs to far off lands). Also I can see part of your argument and agree with it - alot of what Washington is working on doesn't really address what criminals are doing or are capable of doing with internet technology. What the new proposed laws address are the not too clever criminals who are trying to move into new frontiers with the help of technology. Those of us who fully understand how this all works will in most cases fall between the cracks in the proposed laws. In other words, knowledge is power and knowing how all this works (the internet et al) will give you more than enough ability to thwart any monitoring. So that only leaves us with one conclusion right? They must be doing this to spy on the everyday Joe/Joan Public! I just don't buy that. Perhaps the government doesn't fully understand what they need in terms of technology or they are playing very coy about it. Perhaps the people who are writing and proposing these laws are just reading too much about the "dark side" of the internet and are reacting out of fear. If that's the case, then we need a voice - not to fight against them but to enlighten and educate them. We need to show them that technology can help us but not in the ways they are proposing. We need to allow this Brave New World time to grow and mature and not blockade the new freedom we gain each day we log onto the internet. I've read some very interesting books in my lifetime that point to the government using disinformation as well as outwardly looking incompetent to mask real intentions. They may play dumb but are they really? Peter J Strifas

To: Frederick Smart who wrote (28004)	9/8/1999 5:07:00 AM
From: Frederick Smart	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42771

Smile for the US Secret Service by Declan McCullagh 3:00 a.m. 7.Sep.99.PDT WASHINGTON -- A New Hampshire company began planning in 1997 to create a national identity database for the federal government, newly disclosed documents show. Image Data's US$1.5 million contract with the US Secret Service to begin digitizing existing driver's license and other personal data was widely reported early this year. But documents unearthed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center reveal the details and scope of the project. An Image Data presentation to the government -- marked confidential --stressed that pilot projects in three states would "ensure the viability of deploying such service throughout the United States," according to about 300 pages of files EPIC obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. In a February 1999 report, Image Data CEO Robert Houvener ridiculed the idea that there were any legitimate privacy issues at stake, including those raised by civil libertarians when the project was first disclosed. "Many other newspapers, television programs, magazines also did news stories on Image Data LLC and its system [that] in some cases... focused on the 'Privacy' concerns and presented an inaccurate presentation," Houvener wrote. But privacy groups aren't wavering. "We think that their proposal for a national database of photographs runs directly contrary to the types of privacy safeguards that should be developed," says EPIC director Marc Rotenberg, who met with Houvener last week. "This is not a database that people can easily opt out of. You have to give up your photograph when you get a driver's license." Houvener, who says he has been a "victim of identity fraud," says his national photo file will be targeted at "identity criminals" that he estimates cost businesses billions of dollars a year. US legislators who funded the project believed the database would be used to stop illegal immigrants and terrorists. "The TrueID technology has widespread potential to reduce crime in the credit and checking fields, in airports to reduce the chances of terrorism, and in immigration and naturalization to verify proper identity," said a September 1997 letter from eight members of Congress to Image Data. Image Data's "True ID" technology currently feeds photos into its database in one of two ways. The company has contracts with state motor vehicle departments that supply the analog negatives or the digital images on magnetic tape. It also persuades shoppers to scan their IDs into the database by inserting them into devices at specially equipped stores. After news reports appeared focusing on the project, the governors of Colorado and Florida halted the transfer of images to Image Data, and South Carolina filed suit asking for the return of millions of images already in the company's possession. How did Image Data feel about South Carolina's actions? "The PR, legal, and legislative situation in the pilot State will continue to be evaluated and dealt with," a January 1999 company report says. Image Data has publicly downplayed the Secret Service's involvement, but the documents show that the agency decided which states would be part of the initial pilot project and directed the timing of the effort. According to one of Image Data's monthly reports sent to Special Agent Cary Rosoff of the Secret Service's financial crimes division, company representatives were negotiating a contract with Missouri officials, too. "Missouri [is] in the final stages of implementing a digital driver license system. Most issues are resolved, and we expect closure within 4-6 weeks," the document says. The Secret Service deleted some information from the documents before releasing them, and only a few pages prepared by the government are included. But it seems that discussions of the project began in early 1997. The government signed an agreement with Image Data in late 1997 and the contract took effect on 15 December of that year. Soon after, the company began to work closely with Telecheck, a subsidiary of First Data Corporation. By mid-June 1998, the computer interface between Image Data and Telecheck was complete and images could readily be exchanged. One frequent problem: Scanning millions of existing 35 mm photos into the database. "The digitizing machine is behind schedule.... There has also been some slippage due to the custom machining of the components for the scanner itself," the documents reported about Colorado DMV photos. Another headache for Image Data executives was Florida's policy of allowing drivers to renew their licenses twice by mail. That means people are less likely to come in and be photographed by digital cameras, which can automatically forward the photo to Image Data. "For a state like Florida, [up] to 45 million negatives would have to be digitized to get an online image of all current licenses," a November 1998 report says. The documents show how Image Data planned to sell the idea not just to the federal government, but also to state officials. "This program will demonstrate a highly effective way of ... increasing tax revenue. The positive impact of this demonstration cannot be ignored. Once government agencies and businesses see the effectiveness of this technology and implement it for their own programs, the positive impact to state and federal budgets will be in the billions of dollars per year," says one Image Data proposal that is marked "proprietary."