Homeland Security wants the internets

Homeland Security wants the internets

www.dailykos.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Perhaps someone a bit more computer savvy can put this in lay-mans terms for me. Seems other nations are worried about this. But, me being computer illiterate, would like to hear what your thoughts are on this.

www.dailykos.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Other countries options:

1. Make another DNS.

2. Threaten to nuke.

Sorry, can't resist but,

"They can take my internet when they remove my mouse from my cold dead fingers."

Trying to wrestle control of the Internet from a higher power, and no I don't mean us everyday Joe's.

I've long suspected that nothing is 'free' least of all the internet, maybe the various governments are realising that their reach may be, quite easily, over reached.

Remember that slap stick sketch where one would try to poke the others eyes out with fore and mid finger (in a V shape), but the other put his hand up along nose and forehead (perpendicular) thus preventing eye pokedge?

Picture the former person with longer fingers

God I love overanalysing classic comedy.

As far as I can tell this is related to Secure DNS, which still has yet to implemented.

If DHS gets this key, I guess they could set up their own site like www.deathtoamerica.com to hijack a jihadi site, with the new security scheme not noticing the difference, so theoretically terrorists would be logging into a U.S. government site to discuss their plans.

OK here goes DNS stands for Domain Naming System.
DNS resolves an IP address to a Fully qualified domain name .

For example DNS resolves 212.58.240.34 to www.bbc.co.uk and vice verse.


DNS uses a hierarchical structure. Think of a pyramid with the Root servers being at the top. When when bring up ATS for example a number of quires are being sent out to differnt DNS servers.
check the image in this link.

So think of it this way. Assume that when you post a letter you can only use the name of the recipient or there address. Now lets you post a letter to Joe Blogs the postal service would then need to resolve Joe name to his street address. To do this the postal service would enquire as to what country joe lives in (think of the country as the root servers) further quires would reveal the rest of Joe address.

Enter the IP address I gave above in your web browser and if there aren't any DNS problems the BBC website should appear as normal.

That and quash any threat of resistance and free speech against a possible future government dictatorship. All these anti terror measures scare me. Not that thats the case now, but history tends to repeat itself, and if faced with the situation where the people would want to revolt, there wont be a single thing any of us can do about it.

Well the situation NOW is that anyone with the programming savvy and the right victim can do this without them noticing. So the change will still be better than the status quo, just the U.S. gov't still wants its own backdoor I guess.

[edit on 4/2/2007 by djohnsto77]

Ahhhh... thank you very much for the explanation. I swear i learn something new everyday on this web site!

cheers

djohn

The us gov wants our backdoor too, the average joe who has the guts
to speak up and tell others that the US is doing hundreds of
illegal things behind its own citizens backs. They want the backdoor
of the average joe who has the guts to speak against them like
subjects concerning 9/11.

The US government wants to silence our voices. If they have our
addresses they have our backdoors.

This would be a very big issue. An issue than what many may believe. The Internet is the last source that Americans may exercise their freedom of speech. The Internet is virgin territory as far as the Federal Government is concerned.

This is the last place that there is a vast source of information that isn't abridged.

See this is where you guys have it all wrong!!!

The United States Department of Defense's ARPA invented the Internet (contrary to Al Gore's claims).

The United States has ALWAYS had this level of control over it, they're just trying to retain the control they've ALWAYS had.

My gosh. I kinda dought they would be able to get their hands on the root DNS. But there are always ways to get around blocked web sites (proxy servers and the like), but then if they dont want a web site they just block it.

-fm

It's coming to an Internet near you. Soon.

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

George Orwell 1984

djohnsto77, you are somewhat correct. Actually the Inet was a military invention.

The issue here is not the road, but who drives on it. Not the container, but the content.

Not your body, but your mind.

Once upon a time there was a free network, they called it Fidonet. It was by the people and for the people, and no one could control it. Convenience and speed was a premium as it is still today, and Fidonet was eventually eclipsed by the Inet. Nowadays hardly anyone remembers it except for us old fogies that kept our slide rules, and we are all plugged into a network that cannot be unplugged.

Dependency is an instrument of tyranny. Don't ever forget that.

I'm old enough to remember Fidonet as well.

My point is that some people are construing this as some kind of takeover, but it's simply a way to preserve the power that the U.S. government already has over the Internet while still making it more difficult for hackers to phish.

Is this what you are referring to?

According to history, yes, the Government asked for a network to be designed/created, but that doesn't mean the Government had the sole rights to said network types and capabilities. Yes, the first network was created by and for a Government agency.

The public version of the Internet has never had Governmental approval/restrictions.... and it needs to remain that way. And if I'm wrong, then why hasn't the Government (or DoD) shut down the Internet?

[edit on 4/5/2007 by Infoholic]

I understand your point djohnsto77, and I am not saying it is invalid. It may be quite true.

My point is in the name of security and protection, bit by bit and degree by degree we can watch our liberties being eroded away.

What we have today for a government is vastly different from our founding father's vision. In some ways it had to happen, in others, not. Once an agency is created its prime directive is to survive, no matter the cost. And DHS is the embodiment of what some consider the creation of a monster.

If I am wrong I'll eat my shorts. However something tells me I will be going hungry...

Been away for a while. Anyone heard anything more about this issue. I spend way to much time away from internet connection. Being a merchant sailor and all to keep tabs on this stuff. Maybe a bump will keep me informed?

Peace and smooth sailing peeps!
LS