—Internet Surveillance: Links

I’m just beginning to look for information about how this stuff works,  inspired by efforts to maintain communications with citizens of repressive regimes, such as Iran and China.  There is a lot of information about proxies, relay systems, encryption, and so on, but in many cases the authors start by telling you why the stuff you just spent thirty minutes reading about can’t possibly work.  Each approach to defeating surveillance appears to have serious limitations and dangers.  Eventually, run-of-the-mill Internet criminals, spammers, and hackers will jump into this melee and find new ways to exploit people that use these external web-based defenses, sometimes in defense of their lives.

General summary of how surveillance defenses work, maybe:

Internet Surveillance And Iran: A Primer – The Atlantic Politics Channel

More general information:

Outsmarting the Online Privacy Snoops – PC World

Then there’s:

Can you ever be anonymous on the Web? – ZDNet.co.uk

Tor, which is apparently a network of open relays to allow users to disguise their original IP address  [which used to get you in all sorts of trouble with your ISP] : 

Tor: anonymity online

Some of the anonymizing systems apparently intend to profit from the misfortunes of repressed citizens.  Freegate’s description says, for example, “Without license, user may be able to use it for a few minutes.”  If you’re trying to post a video clip to YouTube of your family being clubbed and dragged away , this is going to be inconvenient, at best:

The Privacy Blog Freegate – Free software downloads and reviews – CNET Download.com

One of numerous accounts of how to set up proxies.  There are also numerous accounts of why proxies aren’t working against the Iranian regime—at some point, you have to tell someone inside Iran where the proxy is.   Encryption, likewise, requires the key to be available to the target audience.

Ubuntu Tutorials : Dapper – Hardy – Intrepid – Jaunty / Create Anonymous Squid Proxy For Iranian Election Protestors

A forum with specific discussions of anti-surveillance tactics in Iran:

Why We Protest – IRAN – Keeping Your Anonymity In Iran

Change IP Address » Blog Archive » Change IP Proxy – Leave No Footprints

Since the Internet is essentially amoral, however, the usual crop of thieves, spammers, and salesmen have already started to invade the discussions and Twitter hashtag groups.  Whether the stuff they offer even works is a matter of speculation.  Meanwhile, actual information from inside Iran seems to be drying up.

[The claim by the Wall Street Journal---which I quoted earlier---that Nokia/Siemens had provided Deep Packet Inspection technology to the Iranian government has been vigorously denied by the company: http://bit.ly/2HMFet  There doesn't seem to be anyone trying to refute the denial, either.]

 

 

—CURE

This is different:

CURE:  About Star Parker

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Uncle Sam’s Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America’s Poor and What We Can Do About It

I’ve been “out of the house” enough to see how government “programs” affect the people we thought they were supposed to help.   I was around when they launched the “War on Poverty” in the ’60’s.  Almost fifty years later, the government is still spending huge sums to perpetuate and expand poverty. 

Julius furthered his political career by buying grain for the poor of Rome.  Modern politicians have refined the technique by using other peoples’ money.  But letting the poor “off the hook” by providing them with genuine education and opportunity—or encouraging moral and Spiritual growth, to say the least— so they can progress out of dependence on the government  is not part of the big plan.

—U.S. VP says stuff

Biden: U.S. Won’t Stand in Way of Israel on Iran Nukes – FOXNews.com [AP]

“We cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do,” the vice president replied.

In fact, the U.S. can’t even get its own Vice-President to shut up.