German hackers threaten to publish Merkel's fingerprints

German hackers threaten to publish Merkel's fingerprints

www.breitbart.com

A German hacker group on Monday threatened to publish Chancellor Angela Merkel's fingerprints as part of a campaign against the government's use of biometric data in new passports.

The Chaos Computer Club (CCC), one of Germany's oldest and largest hacker organisations, on Saturday published Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble's fingerprints in its own magazine.

(visit the link for the full news article)



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The hackers do not have Merkel's prints, but they are threatening to obtain and then release it.

They are worried about biometric data being used in passports, id cards, among other things, and their concern is completely justifiable.

How do we know what is going to be stored on these cards besides our fingerprints?

Are we all criminals now that have to be tracked using fingerprints? I remember when picture IDs were not a necessity, but a luxury, and now they're required for pretty much everything these days (sometimes even using your own credit card).

The potential for abuse with biometric data is very high when compared to picture IDs. With a picture, someone can dress up as you pretty easily. That's not too much of a concern.

However, if they have your fingerprints there's no way to tell the difference between the two people. What's next? Blood scanners?

DNA will be imbedded in all our technology to assure the owner uses it...

This slippery slope is very dangerous and is headed towards a non-private world wide police state.

Schaeubele's prints were taken from a water glass he used at a public debate, said CCC spokesman Frank Rieger, who predicted it would be easy for the group's supporters to collect similar samples from other public figures, including Merkel, who support the increased use of biometric data.

"We are receiving lots of offers from people right now, saying I can get this person here, this person there," Rieger said.

Former interior minister Otto Schily, president of the federal criminal office Joerg Ziercke and Bavarian premier Guenther Beckstein were also all possible targets, he added.

German passports issued since November 2007 contain a biometric chip with a copy of the holder's fingerprints that can be verified by immigration authorities.

The CCC argues that fingerprints are a poor choice for identification documents because they are easy to collect, and also to reproduce -- the group's website contains a 12-step guide for how to create a fake set of fingerprints.

"The main point we want to illustrate here is that biometric fingerprints don't offer any security, they just enhance the surveillance of citizens," Rieger said.

Rieger said it best. Biometrics further degrade our rights as humans and allow surveillance societies to succeed in watching our every move.

Who's up for an imbedded chip? Sign me up

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

Good to know there´s still some public awareness and resistance towards this stuff. We are not lone nuts when warning of the surveillance-society.

Thanks for the post.

And yet our hacker activists are busy trying to bring down Scientology...Pick your battles I guess. Our hacker community has become as soft, and pussified as the rest of America when it comes to civil rights.

I'm having some trouble linking here, but I'll keep trying...You'll have to click quote to see the url and type it in yourself. ATS doesn't like the websites.

reply to post by Skyfloating


I thought you might appreciate this, a map of surveillance societies in the world:





The above map is from 2007, so the data could be even worse since then...

The US did not use to be in the black, but now I guess we're literally in a police state. Great.


www.privacyinternational.org...[347]=x-347-559597 - Leading surveillance societies in the EU and world - 2007

Some additional news:

www.privacyinternational.org...[347]=x-347-560378 - EU to announce fingerprinting for all visitors

www.privacyinternational.org...[347]=x-347-561079 - Privacy International complaint poised to shut down Heathrow passenger fingerprinting

Privacy International's recent complaint to the UK Information Commissioner has threatened to bring a halt to an imminent plan to fingerprint all domestic and international passengers departing from Heathrow's Terminal 1 and Terminal 5, due to begin business on March 27th. The British media is reporting that in response to PI's complaint, the Information Commissioner has advised that passengers should only accept fingerprinting "under protest" until our complaint is resolved.

The prospect of a complete shutdown of two Heathrow terminals has emerged since Privacy International's complaint about passenger fingerprinting. The complaint, lodged with the UK Information Commissioner on March 9th 2008, argues that the scheme breaches the fundamental tests of necessity and proportionality under the UK Data Protection Act.

The complaint states: "We believe the BAA solution is disproportionately intrusive. Even if it were to be established that passenger switching (if indeed such a problem exists) was a terrorist threat (rather than merely a breach of airline terms and conditions on transferability) then the photo option would be less invasive and would involve fewer intrusive procedures and less personal data."

I wonder if this measure by privacy international has anything to do with the recent T5 Heathrow airport delays? Probably.


www.privacyinternational.org...[347]=x-347-561080 - How to deal wit Heathrow's fingerprint system

www.privacyinternational.org...[347]=x-347-561124 - Heathrow buries passenger fingerprinting scheme

I guess their complaint worked!!!!!!!

Following Privacy International's recent complaint to the Information Commissioner, the British Airports Authority has announced that it will suspend fingerprinting operations in Heathrow terminals.

Simon Davies, Director of Privacy International, said in response: "So much for BAA’s brash certainty about the legality of fingerprinting. BAA has clearly taken legal advice and concluded that it is acting unlawfully. We predict that this illegal system will never again see the light of day. Within a few weeks BAA will be flogging the technology to Beijing for the Olympics."

Protesting and complaining does work in some instances!


In other news:

www.privacyinternational.org...[347]=x-347-528460 - UK Government insists on right to DNA profile juveniles

While I may not agree with their lifestyle choice, I do not agree with the government taking DNA samples of them.

[edit on 3/31/2008 by biggie smalls]

Problem with above map is there are colors not listed. Also some countries are rated higher, or not rated at all, than other parts of the same country.

Nothing political at all about the map either since Cuba is gray as is Mongolia but both have huge surveillance networks ran by other countries within their borders. Most Mideast countries have a sterling record of human rights as depicted by the map.

Looks like some kids with crayons who don't like The USA, China, or Russia.

You need to click on the picture to see the explanation. The picture is too big to fit on the webpage.

Nothing political at all about the map either since Cuba is gray as is Mongolia but both have huge surveillance networks ran by other countries within their borders. Most Mideast countries have a sterling record of human rights as depicted by the map.

Countries that are in gray means there isn't enough data to make a judgement. Nothing political about that.

Also some countries are rated higher, or not rated at all, than other parts of the same country.

No actually they're not. Every country has one rating.

Looks like some kids with crayons who don't like The USA, China, or Russia.

Looks like those are actually the worst surveillance societies in the world. You should do your homework.

I think the message here is the lie that this information is supposed to be used to protect you. They can't control the information - so how can that protect you? If anyone can get your data - how can you claim its for your protection?

I say let them publish everyone's prints and be done with it, then they can't make up more excuses to trick us into letting them track us like cattle.

Originally posted by Maxmars
I say let them publish everyone's prints and be done with it, then they can't make up more excuses to trick us into letting them track us like cattle.

What gives anyone the right to publish or expose someone else's biometric data? The hackers were doing this in protest of the government's actions, and I can understand that.

However, that does not mean I find it OK to have my personal data accessible at will by companies to better understand my purchasing habits, nor the government to be used to incriminate me.

This is a blatant disregard in privacy and the europeans have by and large been fine with it (or at least their socialist governments).

reply to post by projectvxn


Off topic(sorry) : You are thinking of a different group of people

Sorry for the one liner.

Originally posted by gkgoten100
reply to post by projectvxn

 

Off topic(sorry) : You are thinking of a different group of people

Sorry for the one liner.

Oh yes.. Anonymous. They could be doing something better. If they weren't such a blatant counter-intelligence operation. It's easy though, because they are preying on people who let their own interests be derailed, and their priorities skewed. The media can't tell you what to think, but they can tell you what to think about.

Originally posted by projectvxn
[ The media can't tell you what to think, but they can tell you what to think about.

Nice! I gave you a star for that one and I'll probably quote you someday!

Originally posted by biggie smalls

What gives anyone the right to publish or expose someone else's biometric data? The hackers were doing this in protest of the government's actions, and I can understand that.

However, that does not mean I find it OK to have my personal data accessible at will by companies to better understand my purchasing habits, nor the government to be used to incriminate me.

This is a blatant disregard in privacy and the Europeans have by and large been fine with it (or at least their socialist governments).

I didn't mean to have you infer that anyone does have the right. In fact, I was clumsily trying to imply that if the government has the data, ANYONE can get at it. These are the same people that lose the personal information of their citizens in the hundreds of thousands at a time (and notable more from time to time.)

Forgive my presumption regarding the comfort-level enjoyed by the European community. Frankly, I am a bit jealous of it. Here in the US I feel that any information that is 'collected' by the government ends up promptly in the hands of every undesirable element of our society (profiteers, insurance statisticians, corporate-driven interests, elite think-tanks, and pretty much everyone else we are customarily assured would never get at it without our direct consent.)

I might even be willing to say 'so what?' to that if it weren't for the fact that it is practically forced out of us in the name of 'our' security - which is a blatant lie - if security were their goal they would take much more straight-forward measures that would not necessitate lying to the populace.

If in governing you must hide, lie, deceive, and misdirect - you're no longer governing, you're ruling. I was raised on the principle that Americans are not ruled, they are governed - call me old-fashioned. From those particular principles of freedom and inalienable rights - I will not budge one inch.

[edit on 31-3-2008 by Maxmars]