Indian Intelligence Officials Want To Block Skype
from the as-if-there-aren't-alternatives dept
Skype and other VoIP tools have become quite useful for reaching people around the world. I know that, recently, when my wife happened to be in India on a trip, being able to call her via Skype was incredibly useful. It's a good thing she's back now, as reader Shailendra alerts us to the news that Indian intelligence officials are once again asking the government to consider banning Skype. The reason I say "once again" is that I remember similar proposals from a few years back that went nowhere. The official concern, of course, is that "bad people" may use Skype to communicate in a way that can't easily be tapped or traced. But that's going to happen no matter what. If Skype is banned, people will still figure out a way to use it, or they'll migrate to some other tool. Banning Skype or other VoIP providers isn't fixing a problem, it's pretending a problem doesn't really exist.
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I can remember
Apparently the correct answer to that question is: government officials....
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Re: I can remember
Any child who shows a tendency to go for whack-a-mole games could be targeted for additional instruction in critical thinking skills!
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Re: Re: I can remember
Too late, they're already off to Fort Bragg, Langley, Calcutta, and Sony BMG for early training on how to get those moles, get 'em real good like....
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A global oxymoron
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Look at both sides of the issue
There is an alternative: Skype needs to share its encryption code with the Indian authorities, after which there is no issue.
Why don't you ask why Skype can share it's code with US and China governments but not India? India doesn't usually engage in Internet censorship, unlike China.
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Re: Look at both sides of the issue
This isn't a case of a government trying to censor legitimate methods of communication - it's an issue of national security. If Skype has been willing to share information with other goverments in the past, why not India?
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Re: Re: Look at both sides of the issue
For that, Skype would need to share their encryption keys, which they won't admit to having shared with any outside agency.
You think Skype pisses them off, wait until people start using Zfone in any substantial way.
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Re: Look at both sides of the issue
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(when describing the Indian authorities... not a person)
at least that was my experience when I visited India last, To give them their due its a fairly consistent from the person you meet at passport control to everyone else who works in Govt. offices.
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Not the real reason
The Indian telecom companies have been loosing a lot of money because of Skype. They are the real pressure to ban Skype.
Any intelligence reason is just an excuse.
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