Wire Tapping Rules Slow Down University WiFi
from the gotta-make-sure-you-can-tap dept
There have been plenty of stories about technical problems associated with municipal-level WiFi projects, but this one may be a first. The WiFi network designed to cover Bowdoin College and its neighbors in Brunswick, Maine has been put off indefinitely, due to worries over whether or not the network needs to be wiretap-ready for the FBI. There's been a long debate going over whether or not CALEA wire-tapping rules should apply to internet access, and an FCC ruling last year on the subject didn't create any separate rules for colleges and universities. Some believe that if the network is for students and faculty only, it doesn't need to follow the wiretapping rules -- but others aren't so sure. Either way, this particular network has been put on hold until someone from the FCC explains to the CIO at Bowdoin just what the requirements are when it comes to wiretapping compliance.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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however, i am concerned what this means for those coffee shops and bookstores with free wifi now. does that mean they'll have to adjust for "wiretapping" abilities in the future?
ps. first
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Dont look a gift horse...
Its free, your civil rights are not being infringed when your sending signals out from your home...
I've heard of several colledge professors who should be arrested for some of the crap they sprout.
But seriously if you want the FBI to be able to catch bad guys, you have to enable them in some things, while I know we all dont want to be cavity searched every time we go into a supermarket, I think this is reasonable...
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Let alone the fact that the government hasn't asked to tap the network, maybe aren't even legally able to do so, and the university is still having this debate.
What the hell, America?
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whatever
so you think people should now be arrested for speaking their opinions in "colledge"? Here's an idea, lets just throw out the first ammendment and all become sheep that follow whatever dubya and his goons lay out for us w/out question.
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give up some freedom?
Now, come on people - think this through before you give up the freedom that so many gave their lives for us to have! What would be next in the name of National security??? Know for sure that our government's curiosity would not be satisfied with this little bit of information. Where would they stop -- or would they stop?
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Haiku
I fear the end of all days.
*Hides in cardboard box.
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This is a great idea
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Love It
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Re:
Great post...well thought out and quick and to the point......
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Re: whatever
NONE OF THEM CARE ABOUT YOU OR YOUR FREEDOMS.
both are out to oppress you and rob you of your freedoms and the only way we the people will ever safeguard our freedoms is to throw both the left and right out of government.
you can whine about dubya and his goons all you want but there isn't a shred of evidence that any Democrat would be any better -- witness the fact that it was Billy Bob Clinton who gave us such gems as CALEA, the Clipper Chip, DMCA ...should I go on?
unless we all band together and throw ALL THE BUMS OUT -- meaning all incumbent politicians at all levels and refuse to elect any more republicrats or demicans we're gonna get this sort of crap...
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I love hearing all the people praise the governments motives to "protect the children" oh wait, I mean "catch those terrrrrists" oh wait, I mean "track everything everybody does says and thinks" got it that time :)
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Re: Love It
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America will be no different should it follow the type of path the gov would want us to.. lower our freedoms, then over decades slowly transition to where our political and social thoughts are monitored with every bit of efficiency (even more) than in 1984 (the book, in case anyone wonders). Then we'll suddenly look around, see how the world has changed so slowly that the lay people didn't even see it coming and thought all the changes were for the better all along the way but realize we're all pawns. And not a thing that can be done about it.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned 'intelligent people' will have left the country for someplace with more sense. Or maybe stayed and fought a civil war, but I doubt that. Much easier to move. :)
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And in Response....
#14 - Much better :)
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This is easy
Your 'colledge (sic)' professors really aren't very clever (which explains a lot about your 'colledge (sic)' educated ruling class.
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Cheap, readily available encryption
Large government is never your friend. What you are doing might be legal now, but it takes just one rider tacked to a budget to make you a criminal. Keep that in mind when you are spouting (not sprouting) the "catch the terrorists and criminals" line.
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I'm all for wire tapping as long as you can tap out a good beat!
We've celebrated 230 years of Freedom, we are due for a revolution!
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By the way...before anyone calls me anti-american just know that I've already been deployed to Iraq once and I'm sure will go again...willingly I might add. If you want me to help someone...fine I'm down with that but, I'm not risking my life so I can come home to a friggin police state!
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But if there's lots of folks like you in, then perhaps such a fear wouldn't come true. Even if the top brass wanted to topple the government, if the guys actually carrying the guns didn't go for it then it wouldn't happen.
Pretty easy to see division already taking place. Eisenhower admitted he didnt have full control over the military or knew all that it did, and he was famously ex-military himself. No president since has probably known. Easy to see division in the country as well, with California signing up with Britain on the carbon market thing.. I didn't even think the constitution allowed that sort of state-foreign nation alliance :P
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Re: Love It
don't tell me you believe the "official" 9/11 fantasy too -- 19 guys (7 of which are alive still today) defeat the laws of physics (buildings fall at the speed of gravity through pancakes) and the greatest military defense system on earth (NORAD runs hijacked plane airdrills that day), led by a guy from a cave! come on!
WAKE UP
for starters, see WTC 7 fall
www.wtc7.net
http://www.wtc7.net/
WTC landlord admitted on PBS that he called for the building to be demolished at 5:30pm that day.
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Garbage
Neal Saferstein
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Re:
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Re: whatever
Many thousands of Americans have died to protect our freedoms, one of which is the right to free speech.
So another option might be to arrest people who dishonor their sacrifice by calling for the end of free speech.
Including people who can't spell college or spout.
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Founding fathers opinion
If its broadcast via wifi then all they need do is record the traffic and have the NSA computers decrypt the signals later.
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Fantasies
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Re: Dont look a gift horse...
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Re: Re: whatever
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Re: Garbage
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More info
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Well, its free.
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Sanity, anyone?
The main problem is that the government tends to lag behind when it comes to dealing with new technology as it emerges. So, it is understandable that this college is having problems deciding if it needs to meet the compliance with the standing law, or just wait around till someone decides to do something about it.
I say, for them, they should just leave it non-compliant and plead innocent if the gov't decides to come along and get angry if they need to tap in and listen to some traffic. Plus, any sysadmin who is worth his salt should be able to run a packet sniffer and do some tapping of their own (compliant or not).
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Pfui
-Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. - Ben Franklin
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Pfui
-Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. - Ben Franklin
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Facts?
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It's Wifi
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Re: Dont look a gift horse...
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chains
The political parties are irrelevant. They both obey the lobbyists who buy the laws the corporations want at the expense of the people. Take the money out of politics--public campaign financing with a dollar limit, paid on the basis of number of party members, with an extra allowance for new parties trying to get attention. A nonpartisan, professional group to run elections would help too.
v.
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IEEE...Is awesome
IEEE is a great orginization that stood up to the emerging technology and came up with standards for industry to follow. w/o standards every time you upgrade one piece of hardware, you'd have to buy a complete new system. standards are there to make true competition. if something better comes up, hey, let it. so before you bash IEEE, when was the last time someone other than IEEE came up with standards for networking?
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Re: Dont look a gift horse...
spouts
"your smart, dude!"
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ISP Would Provide Law Enforcement Access
I can only assume that the college would be in a similar situation. Their internal network is private and wouldn't need to be accesible to law enforcement under CALEA. Any connections from inside the private network out to the Internet are subject to CALEA, but it would be the ISPs responsibility to provide access, not the universities.
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