Re: Technolgies of Political Control (fwd)

[Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com>]

Hi,

I would like to suggest that you reconfigure your editor so it actualy puts
in LF/CR's so that it doesn't show up as one long line...

Any editing errors are mine.

Forwarded message:

> Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 17:46:02 -0800
> From: Steve Schear <schear@lvdi.net>
> Subject: Re: Technolgies of Political Control

> At 6:47 PM -0500 1/25/98, John Young wrote:
> >Thanks to Axel Horns and Ulf M�ller we offer an excerpt
> >of the draft European Parliament report on global
> >surveillance cited in news reports recently:
> >
> >  An Appraisal of Technolgies of Political Control
> >Scientific and Technological Options Assessment
> >     Working Document (Consultation version)
> >                  PE 166 499
> >            Luxembourg, 6 January 1998
> 
> The report makes mention of built-in surveillence feature in CCITT
 compliant ISDN products.  ""What is not widely known is that built in
 to the international CCITT protocol is the ability to take phones
 'off hook' and listen into conversations occurring near the phone,
 without the user being aware that it is happening."  Seems like an
 awful lot of CP using ISDN gear should beware.  Many ISDN devices are
 firmware based.  Might this not spawn a number of good crack projects
 to remove this feature from popular products.  I use an Ascend P25.
  The docs say its CCITT compliant.  Sooo does it enable this form of
 surveillence?  Enquiring minds want to know.
> 

All phones can be forced to do this. Even POTS. It's a commenly known
'feature' by most folks in the telecom industry for the last 30+ years.
Commen defeat is to leave the phones unplugged or place them next to a
radio or television. Then if you want to have a secure conversation
go to another room, or better yet take a long walk in your neighborhood
at low-traffic times.