Re: [d@DCC] Census sense

From: Nathaniel Olsen <sledge _-at-_ shaw.ca>
To: "General Copyright Discussions (questions, organizing, etc)" <discuss (at) list.digital-copyright.ca>
Date: Sun, 07 May 2006 18:04:41 -0600
References: <445E48F1.29331.12C4CD0D@tOM.Abacurial.com> <445E4BC9.6259.12CFEB4E@tOM.Abacurial.com>

Well if they don't actually have access to our personal data, then  
security of personal data is a non-issue.
The lack of audit of the software is an issue of course, not more so than  
any other proprietary software, but definitely an issue.
Whether the software has access to your computer is only a part of the  
lack of audit.  The method of inducing access is not relevant to the  
actual software.  This is an issue in any online census.

So the real problems are A: forces people to use Microsoft, which  
essentially gives Microsoft a state monopoly.
B: software that is being deployed widely by the government needs to be  
checked for security intensely.

Is that about right?  Are there any logical flaws in either of those two  
problems?

On Sun, 07 May 2006 17:34:33 -0600, tOM Trottier <tOM@Abacurial.com> wrote:

> That, and the other problems raised:
>
> *   There is no public or even 3rd party audit of the software, which  
> runs on each PC that logs into
> the Census site. The security policy is not published. Since some  
> software must be downloaded
> and is easily dissected by experts, it would be safer for the security  
> measures and code to be
> made public so their effectiveness can be assessed and critiqued by  
> professionals and privacy
> groups.
>
> *   The software part, which runs on the user's computer using Java, is  
> given complete access to
> the computer. If there is a flaw in the software, or phishers or spyware  
> perpetrators induce access
> (e.g., via slightly misspelled web domains) of compromised copies of the  
> software, bad things can
> happen. The user's computer can have its files damaged or deleted, or  
> the whole computer even
> be taken over to deliver spam or viruses, spy on the activity of the  
> user or the network it is on,
> even collect credit card numbers.
>
> tOM
>
> On Sunday, May 07, 2006 at 17:28,
> Nathaniel Olsen <discuss@list.digital-copyright.ca> wrote:
>
>> So lockheed does not have access to our data?  The details available to
>> the patriot act are not personal data, but descriptions of how personal
>> data would be stored?  Is this seriously the only problem?
>>
>> On Sun, 07 May 2006 17:22:25 -0600, tOM Trottier <tOM@Abacurial.com>  
>> wrote:
>>
>> > What laws of ours apply to Lockheed Martin in the States? They aren't
>> > processing our Census
>> > data. But they had some involvement making the hardware and/or writing
>> > the software, whose
>> > details could be requested in the US under the Patriot Act. Then CIA
>> > agents could do the digging
>> > and finagling. Or their contractors.
>> > tOM
>> >
>> > On Sunday, May 07, 2006 at 16:32,
>> > Nathaniel Olsen <discuss@list.digital-copyright.ca> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Is not the Canadian census still under purview of Canadian privacy  
>> laws?
>> >> Haven't we already seen cases where outsourcing personal data to the  
>> US
>> >> was found in violation of Canadian privacy laws?  Anyone remember the
>> >> references?
> ...
>
> ---
>
>           -- Quidquid latine dictum sit altum viditur --
>    ,__@ 	tOM Trottier, 758 Albert St,
>  _-\_<, 	Ottawa ON Canada  K1R 7V8
> (*)/'(*)	N45.412 W75.714 +1 613 860-6633
> 		Seattle: +1 206 350-6633
>                 Abacurial Information Architecture
>                             SETI stats
>
>                 This world, after all our science and
>              sciences, is still a miracle; wonderful,
>            inscrutable, magical and more, to whosoever
>                 will think of it. --Thomas Carlyle
>



-- 
Nathaniel Olsen
--
_______________________________________________
Discuss mailing list
Discuss@list.digital-copyright.ca
http://list.digital-copyright.ca/mailman/listinfo/discuss