Republican calls for email and IM monitoring

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

Republican congressman Lamar Smith from Texas, introduced a bill, which he dubbed the Safety Act, to the US House of Representatives. If it goes through, the bill would require ISPs to record all users' surfing activity, IM conversations and email traffic and would impose fines and a prison term of one year on ISPs which failed to keep full records. As well, owners of sexually explicit websites would be forced to include warning labels on their web pages, or face jail. Finally, a 20-year "jail tariff" would be standard for anyone ordering child pornography that crosses state borders, with a $150,000 fine for the ISP that allowed the transaction to take place.

"A crime is still a crime, whether it occurs on the street or on the internet. In this age of increasing digital and technological sophistication, cyber-crimes and cyber-terrorism pose a serious threat to the US. Law enforcement and the private sector must be prepared to deal with these crimes," said Congressman Smith.

Source: http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=38033

So, we're gonna shut down MySpace

 

[Pete]

Charlie Rangel wants to reinstate the draft. So tell me which never pass in a million years bill do you worry about more; Some ISP guy snooping into your love letters to Olbermann or sitting in a hole in Afghanistan while some Taliban sheep herder lobs PRG's at you?

 

[SamSpade]

And some other schmuck wants to make it a crime to walk the streets of New York while wearing your iPod as you cross the street. These are the same folks who have decided what and where you can smoke, what fats can be used in restaurants, wearing a seat belt and what words are politically correct to say. This kind of infringement on freedom is so commonplace, those that espouse it hardly flinch when it's mentioned.

I'm wondering if the world of Demolition Man - where it's a crime to cuss or eat unhealthy food - is far off.

 

[Ken King]

And some other schmuck wants to make it a crime to walk the streets of New York while wearing your iPod as you cross the street.

yeahthat :nosh!t: - I guess deaf people would be in violation of the intent of this proposed legislation.

 

[Vince]

I'm wondering if the world of Demolition Man - where it's a crime to cuss or eat unhealthy food - is far off.

The same thing came to my mind. Pretty soon you won't be able to cuss in public without getting a fine. I hate "politically correct."

 

[ylexot]

I'm wondering if the world of Demolition Man - where it's a crime to cuss or eat unhealthy food - is far off.

I love that movie...

Edgar Friendly: You see, according to Cocteau's plan I'm the enemy, 'cause I like to think; I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech and freedom of choice. I'm the kind of guy likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder - "Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecued ribs with the side order of gravy fries?" I WANT high cholesterol. I wanna eat bacon and butter and BUCKETS of cheese, okay? I want to smoke Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section. I want to run through the streets naked with green jello all over my body reading playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly might feel the need to, okay, pal? I've SEEN the future. Do you know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing "I'm an Oscar Meyer Wiener".


Troubled Guy: I don't know... lately I just don't feel like there's anything special about me.
Booth: You are an incredibly sensitive man, who inspires joy-joy feelings in all those around you.


Simon Phoenix: I'm sorry to say that the world has become a pussy-whipped, Brady Bunch version of itself, run by a bunch of robed sissies.


Taco Bell Patron: What would you say if I called you a brutish fossil, symbolic of a decayed era gratefully forgotten?
John Spartan: I don't know... thanks?

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

I think they need to do something. If Newscorp won't step up, the government should. This Myspace is effing ridiculous.

 

[scottrobts]

I think they need to do something. If Newscorp won't step up, the government should. This Myspace is effing ridiculous.

The less the government gets involved in private life the better life for everyone is.

 

[vraiblonde]

As well, owners of sexually explicit websites would be forced to include warning labels on their web pages, or face jail. Finally, a 20-year "jail tariff" would be standard for anyone ordering child pornography that crosses state borders, with a $150,000 fine for the ISP that allowed the transaction to take place.

I agree with all of that except fining the ISP. That seems similar to fining the post office if they deliver porn through the mail - there's no real way to monitor it unless you have a heads up who to look for.

Most ISPs already do keep logfiles of email transactions - not sure how they'd do that with IMs. Andy, you're the computer geek - how could they do that?

 

[Christy]

I'm wondering if the world of Demolition Man - where it's a crime to cuss or eat unhealthy food - is far off.

I loved that movie, little machines spitting out fines whenever you cussed.

Sadly, I can see that becoming a reality in the not so near future. I'd most certainly spend life in prison or rehab for my salt addiction.

 

[RadioPatrol]

I agree with all of that except fining the ISP. That seems similar to fining the post office if they deliver porn through the mail - there's no real way to monitor it unless you have a heads up who to look for.

Most ISPs already do keep logfiles of email transactions - not sure how they'd do that with IMs. Andy, you're the computer geek - how could they do that?

Every "Packet" (byte of information transmitted over a network) of information could be captured, conversations reassembled or caught from start to finish and filtered using keyword search it is all in plain English in the .... He11 the FBI does this now with Carnivore and other network sniffing / monitoring software - computers,

the FBI sets up a "capture computer" @ your ISP, catch everything on the wire going in and out of that ISP - back @ the lab they are supposed to dump everything not relating to vraiblonde's email, IM, etc


Background:

packet


(pak´it) (n.) A piece of a message transmitted over a packet-switching network. See under packet switching. One of the key features of a packet is that it contains the destination address in addition to the data. In IP networks, packets are often called datagrams.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question525.htm

in the middle if a pack is the frame data which holds a piece of plain text, part of a message, email, request for a web site - called a GET Request .....

it is all very technical, but it is sufficient to state if your not using strong encryption and one can capture the packets and read you mail