It’s no coincidence. SOPA, PIPA, the new measure proposed in Australia and now the in the UK a bill has been proposed a bill which would allow officials to view metadata, like the names of files that were transferred, when and to whom messages were sent, and what websites have been accessed, without a warrant, which would be needed to actually view the content itself.
Who could look? Well, pretty much everyone from Law Enforcement to Tax Inspectors. So, there are multiple potentials for abuse – from hackers as well. Great strategy: Instead of multiple, small and well hidden (and protected) targets to one big fat one which some idiot will undoubtedly be unencrypted and protected by the most secure of passwords: 123456. That’s no exaggeration since without doubt, many of the smaller databases will be stored as “plain text”.
Unfortunately, these security minded people will be able to build very detailed maps of communications and friends and if someone gets accused of something (viz. M. Bachmann) even correctly, suspicion will inevitably be cast on innocent people and their lives and reputations will be ruined. Shades of McCarthyism.
What bothers me is that there’s a need for these databases at all. Our leaders are quick to say, “Terrorists could never destroy the principles of the United States.” Would that were true. Seems to me exactly that has happened. Of course, they might have been saying that cynically: That destruction occurred decades before.
So, “The League of Internet Protectors” has come into being (on LinkdIn):
“The Internet Protectors brings together professional experts, knowledgeable individuals, and normal human beings, all of whom are interested in the same thing: a safe online experience that engenders trust and confidence while enabling the full benefits of today's web.”
Great. They’ll “advise” people who aren’t in the least, interested. When did the government ever do that?
“The Internet Defense League” has also been born. Today. These folks are serious. They have a “Cat signal”. Watch for it.
"Together, our websites and personal networks can mobilize the planet to defend the internet from bad laws and monopolies."
OK… that’s it for today.
Sources:
http://www.neowin.net/news/the-uk-wants-to-build-a-giant-database-of-internet-usage
http://www.neowin.net/news/internet-defense-league-has-real-world-cat-signals
https://forums.wincustomize.com/428398