Linux and Forensic Discovery "Found this on cryptome.org where Linux is cited in a DOJ document against Moussaoui (sometimes referred to as the "20th man"). FBI: Moussaoui E-mail Not Recoverable - January 1, 2003." An interesting read which gives some insight into how computer evidence is handled in court. [Slashdot.org]

There's nothing particularly revelatory in this court document from the Moussaoui case.  What struck me was the effective privacy that could be achieved using Kinkos workstations to check your Web-based email account. 

Kinkos wipes all workstation hard drives weekly, and those workstations receive a lot of use.  According to the FBI computer forensics expert's testimony, this makes it highly unlikely sensitive data could be retrieved from the workstations' hard drives weeks later.  And best of all, Kinkos doesn't turn over hard drives to the FBI without a search warrant.

Of course, none of that's a substitute for good, solid crypto, but hey -- it works.

3:27:02 PM   

The thing I like about Lessig is that he has original ideas and he puts his money where his mouth is. In this post he offers a solution to spam, and says if it doesn't work he'll resign his job. [Scripting News]

Whoa.  Wow.  I don't know what to say.  What a terribly, terribly, evocative proposal.  Just the words "spam bounty hunter" bring to mind dark rooms lit by the flickering glow of output scrolling across a terminal window framed by a CRT sitting on a desk crowded with tortilla chip bags, Sprite cans, and an O'Reilly camel book.  I don't know whether Lessig's proposal is ethical or constitutional, but I damned sure know people who would love to make a living hunting down spammers.

12:32:14 AM   

Stanford Law: Using wireless networks "moral and legal".  A Palo Alto Online article about wireless networks includes this tidbit: Jennifer Granick, director of Stanford University's Center for Internet and Society, sees the unauthorized use of open wireless connections as moral and legal. A practicing lawyer and lecturer at the Stanford Law School, Granick said considering unauthorized wireless use a terrorist act amounts to idiocy. [Warchalking]

Oh, totally.  And there are technical solutions to these problems.  I'm not sure it would satisfy the government, but all APs should be configured to be both secure and open by default.  Currently, you get a choice: either your AP is closed and secure, or open and insecure.  However, it's technically possible for an AP to provide secure access to those with a password, and "guest" access to anonymous users.  Guests would get access to upstream bandwidth, but no access to local resources (user shares, printers, mail services).

It wouldn't be that difficult to ensure quality of service (which is mentioned in the article as a potential problem).  APs would provide unlimited bandwidth to authorized users, and use traffic control to prevent guest users from consuming more than their fair share of bandwidth.

The entrenched monopoly service providers are desperate to stop community wireless networking lest it effect their lucrative pricing models.  And they have the government's ear.  They'd like nothing more than to spin open wireless networks as a national security threat.  They mustn't be allowed to control the debate.

12:10:22 AM