Your Firewall Might Become Illegal...

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1033071,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,395...,1033071,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div>"Why would a program that stops harmful worms from spreading run afoul of a law that is on the surface intended to stop cable theft? Because, like the less-damaging federal DMCA law, Super DMCA is overly broad and lacks common sense (see Peter Coffee's column on these laws). One of the common aspects of these laws is that they make illegal any device or program that can "conceal or to assist another to conceal from any communication service provider or from any lawful authority the existence or place of origin or destination of any communication." Aside from LaBrea, this makes a whole set of common IT programs and hardware illegal, from firewalls to VPNs to privacy applications."<br /><br />What a scary law...I'm glad Canada hasn't passed anything similar yet, although if this becomes common across all the states, I'm sure we'll see something similar proposed here. 8O

[Ed Hansberry]

Never underestimate the stupidity of a law maker being coached by a big lobbying group that has fat pockets. :roll:

[questionlp]

Never underestimate the stupidity of a law maker being coached by a big lobbying group that has fat pockets. :roll:
That would make for a really nice .sig :)

[tonyv]

One of these days we will get around to renaming our country the "Corporate States of America".

[rapidnet_rick]

I guess that makes things like....

NAT
PAT

Caller ID Blocking (Available from the Phone Company)

Illegal!

I guess all those companies making Consumer Firewalls(LinkSys, NetGear, etc) the makers and distributors of illegal devices...

Oh, huh...guess that means that we will all have to rent extra IP addresses from the Cable Companies/Phone Companies since NAT will be illegal...

Someone must have a petition? This type of law has ALREADY passed in about a dozen states! Including mine, Delaware and the State I work in...Pennsylvania...

Scary..

[Kirkaiya]

I can only hope that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) finds somebody to challenge the law in one of the states that has passed it. If a Federal court would strike it down in one state, then nearly identical laws would be essentially neutered in all states.

This whole thing reminds me of when I was in college, and we read about how some state legislature (I think Mississippi, or something) passed a law decreeing that Pi would be equal to 3.0, because it was too hard for schoolchildren to learn to use it otherwise.

Actually, this also reminds me of the thing with the Kansas school-board a few years ago passed rules that said that teachers couldn't teach evolution in science class without also teaching creationism - luckily, after a year of Leno jokes, and looking like dumbasses, the state's populace voted out all the schoolboard members who supported that rule, and it was rescinded.

Maybe what needs to happen here is this: for people living in those states, find out if your Congressman's office uses any kind of firewall, or if they're using a router at home - if you can find out that they do, notify the police, and tell them that Senator so-and-so is violating state laws. Call the paper for good measure.

When some of the fat of the ruling-class (sarcasm) is in the fire, I think the laws will be amended....

(pardon any stupid jokes I make about "ruling class" and so on)

[icatar]

Don't forget Windows XP, with its built-in firewall, would be on the contraband list.

[ctmagnus]

...some state legislature (I think Mississippi, or something) passed a law decreeing that Pi would be equal to 3.0, because it was too hard for schoolchildren to learn to use it otherwise.

I betcha that not one member of that legislature saw that (iirc) grade eight final exam from (iirc) 1880 that was circulating a wee bit a while ago.

[jgrnt1]

If I wanted to live in a country where the government monitored everything I did, I could move to any of several repressive regimes. The government wants to be able to keep tabs on everything I do -- my internet surfing habits, my emails, what I check out of the public library, my credit card purchases, etc. So, in the name of protecting us from terrorism, we will be come just another thought-controlled, mindless society. 1984, here we come.

And I don't buy the feeble argument about not having to worry, as long as I do nothing wrong. That's the same thing the Chinese and North Korean governments tell their people.

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -- Ben Franklin

[seanturner]

One of these days we will get around to renaming our country the "Corporate States of America".


Well, when you think about it, this was not a corporate action. All corporations are going to use NAT and other technologies. This is just blind stupidity and fear of terrorism.

[jimski]

Always wanted to know what it would feel like to be a criminal. I take it that they same guys who are selling the illegal cable boxes will be offering firewalls that will make the snoops believe that everything is just peachy. I'm ready to place my order.

[Hyperluminal]

At least New York doesn't have anything like this. They don't even appear to be considering it yet...

If they do, I think it's time to pack up and move to Russia... ;)

[Jason Dunn]

Always wanted to know what it would feel like to be a criminal. I take it that they same guys who are selling the illegal cable boxes will be offering firewalls that will make the snoops believe that everything is just peachy. I'm ready to place my order.

Good point - one thing that the lawmakers haven't yet figured out is that technology will always evolve faster than they can control it. If this comes to pass, someone will create a "mirror firewall" that will reflect back port sniff requests as if there was no firewall there...

[Mrsuicide]

isnt it also against the law NOT to encrypt your WLAN? again for fear or terrorism...


contradictory laws? :wink:

[masaki]

....How stupid can lawmakers be??? This is by far the stupidest thing I've ever heard..... Firewall illegal?? What about MY personal privacy and security?? What about MY rights to protect myself?? It's ridiculous. Period.

[dMores]

the only thing i can say is "freedom fries".

sheesh!

[JvanEkris]

So in the united states it is legal to own a gun to protect yourself. You may shoot any burglars comming into your house. But protecting your house from digital burglars is forbidden by law ??? Next step is that they make locks on your house illegal. IMHO a bit unlogical....

[bjornkeizers]

....How stupid can lawmakers be??? This is by far the stupidest thing I've ever heard..... Firewall illegal?? What about MY personal privacy and security?? What about MY rights to protect myself?? It's ridiculous. Period


Ha! You simply don't have any. In a country where they all talk about freedom and liberty, it's strange how little you actually have of both... and this is taking away what little privacy and freedom and security we have.

This is so 1984. Big Brother is watching you... It's happening all around us. If they ever impose those kinds of BS on us that you guys in the US have to endure, I'm moving to Iran. Hey, you wouldn't have about as much freedom as in the US these days, but at least the damn government wouldn't be reading my mail or sifting through my credit card bills...

[Kirkaiya]

Ha! You simply don't have any. In a country where they all talk about freedom and liberty, it's strange how little you actually have of both... and this is taking away what little privacy and freedom and security we have.

This is so 1984. Big Brother is watching you... It's happening all around us. If they ever impose those kinds of BS on us that you guys in the US have to endure, I'm moving to Iran. Hey, you wouldn't have about as much freedom as in the US these days, but at least the damn government wouldn't be reading my mail or sifting through my credit card bills...

Hey, man, we're looking for some support here, not just ridicule. :cry:

The "Land of the free, home of the brave" is under attack, in some respects, by global conglomerates, in this case, the MPAA and RIAA. And from what I've read, the European Union has passed resolutions requiring all member countries to enact laws that also apply to similar technologies (though not anything as drastic). Even in the Netherlands, haven't there been arrests of people for violating digital copyright laws?

I think that these state-DMCA laws, if left unchallenged, will be emulated by other governments, especially in Europe, whose governments have often been open to new beaucracies.... (and btw, it's not legal to own a gun everywhere in the U.S. - in Washington DC, for example, handguns are completely outlawed, except for law enforcement people.)

Anyway - I saw the EFF's page on "take action" with links to state-governments. I don't live in one of the states that has passed a "Super-DMCA" law, but those who do, please please contact your Reps in congress.

[bjornkeizers]

Hey, man, we're looking for some support here, not just ridicule. :cry:

Yeah, you're right. Sorry. This is so rediculous, I can't help myself.



The "Land of the free, home of the brave" is under attack, in some respects, by global conglomerates, in this case, the MPAA and RIAA. And from what I've read, the European Union has passed resolutions requiring all member countries to enact laws that also apply to similar technologies (though not anything as drastic).


I don't know what other countrys do, but over here in the netherlands we have a very relaxed view about this kind of thing.


Even in the Netherlands, haven't there been arrests of people for violating digital copyright laws?


If you mean that handful of people arrested for software piracy and the like, then yes. But it's not as if the dutch police are actually going after people violating this or that copyright... they know its futile and they have better things to do.


I think that these state-DMCA laws, if left unchallenged, will be emulated by other governments, especially in Europe, whose governments have often been open to new beaucracies.... (and btw, it's not legal to own a gun everywhere in the U.S. - in Washington DC, for example, handguns are completely outlawed, except for law enforcement people.)


*shrugs* As we've seen over the past year in the netherlands, governments can change. And in as liberal a country as the netherlands, I'm not worried. Here, things like abortion, soft drugs, euthenasia etc are legal.. so I'm sure nobody in the government would care all that much about something stupid as making firewalls illegal...

[JvanEkris]

And from what I've read, the European Union has passed resolutions requiring all member countries to enact laws that also apply to similar technologies (though not anything as drastic). Even in the Netherlands, haven't there been arrests of people for violating digital copyright laws?As far as i understood it, it was basically an extension of the "normal" copyrights to extend to digital media as well (unlike the US/british legal systems, judges are not allowed to "extend" the law as they see fit, so the european parlement has to change the law before they can use it).

Yes, In the Netherlands people get caught for infringement of copyrights. But that are not the normal induviduals. Those are mostly people part of illegal networks selling and distributing large quantities of illegal software. People i know were one of the first be caught (back in 1990 !), but the case has to be very tight (i.e. solid proof of selling large quantities of software), and punishment is relatively light (no prisons, just financial penalties and a probation period).

No way a bill could be passed to give the authorities more power to investigate people in such a close way. European privacy laws go very far. For the police-force it is extremely difficult to obtain evidence, based on digital data. Basically they must have a search warrant to tap you phone and enter your digital home. Normal people can even demand to see the information the goverment has about them, including the info a secret service has (up to a certein point).

Jaap

[andydempsey]

I love the idea of reporting the senators of the offending states to the authorities if they have a firewall or router at their homes. Or, even better, at any of the companies they are involved with in that state either as a board member or just an investor.

Hit 'em where is hurts. At the money.

Some just has to do this.

[karen]

Members of the AITP (www.aitp.org) Legislative committee in the US has been somewhat successful in shooting down some of these SuperDMCA laws in some states.

If you think you might be OK if you live in one of the states that has avoided this law or in another country, you might be wrong. The US federal government, through free trade negotiations, is pressuring other countries (Canada, for one) to adopt DMCA legislation as they believe the lack of such laws gives the non-US nation an unfair advantage to business there.

Similar discussions are going on between States.

I chose to protect my systems over a record company's IP.

karen