In a follow-up to this set of posts on airline security, this is yet another reason why I want people to take a step back and think….
Remember the row about Google, China, and the US Government? Well, it turns out that the “hackers” really didn’t have to hack too hard to get in. They just came in the back door. The back door that our government made google install.
I like Bruce’s conclusion:
The problem is that such control makes us all less safe. Whether the eavesdroppers are the good guys or the bad guys, these systems put us all at greater risk. Communications systems that have no inherent eavesdropping capabilities are more secure than systems with those capabilities built in. And it’s bad civic hygiene to build technologies that could someday be used to facilitate a police state.
This also illustrates why everyone should be encrypting their e-mail. It is easily done with free software (free in both ways). I’ll be writing a follow-up HOWTO in the next few days about how you can do this. In the meantime, you can find our public key here.
Image from stuckincustoms via flickr