bill to give president emergency control of Internet

[Mitt Romneys sideburns]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10320096-38.html


Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.

They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency.

The new version would allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for "cybersecurity professionals," and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license.

This must be part of that "Save the Internet" campaign I have been hearing about. Sounds FANTASTIC!

[catdd]

What doesn't he want emergency control over?
It's like this administration is on red alert for some mysterious "emergency". But that could just be a way of getting a foot in the doorway.
I say "give em nothin."

[Feenix566]

The Congress cannot confer on the President any power that they themselves do not already have. What provision of the Constitution grants the Congress that authority to sieze private property during an "emergency"?

[tpreitzel]

We all know a form of government seizure of the internet in the name of some "emergency" is coming. Why haven't we planned for it? Why hasn't RPFs taken steps to have a gateway to other networks, e.g. BBS systems? Personally, I really must learn more about networks, but I hate the subject. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be looking at BBS and packet radio software for my personal use.

[acptulsa]

The government sure loves that word 'emergency', don't they? How long before they declare that they're the only people allowed to use it? So, they take on emergency powers then they decide what's an emergency. I suppose losing an election will soon be an 'emergency'; I'm sure Breshnev would have approved wholeheartedly...

[amy31416]

Do I have to get a damned ham radio or what?

[tpreitzel]

Do I have to get a damned ham radio or what?

unfortunately, yes. The sooner we start the better. :o

[TonySutton]

They need to disconnect their computers from the internet(period)

[wizardwatson]

Do I have to get a damned ham radio or what?

No, ham radio's squeal too much.

[amy31416]

unfortunately, yes. The sooner we start the better. :o

Just curious--how much do they cost for a basic setup?


No, ham radio's squeal too much.

Not sure if that's a joke because it's a "ham" radio and pigs squeal or if ham radios actually squeal.

Hmm.

[acptulsa]

No, ham radio's squeal too much.

No such thing as squealing too much. We need to get busy squealing about this bill, and the sooner and the louder the better.

[tpreitzel]

Just curious--how much do they cost for a basic setup?



I'm not sure, today. I'll be looking and try to keep RPF updated as much as possible. For packet software, FBB used to be popular and versions can be found for major operating systems including Linux which I use.

[acptulsa]

All I know is, we must find a way to keep our lines of communication open or we are officially screwed.

[amy31416]

Well all I know is that ham radio operation is generally a hobby of nerds, and we have plenty of those here so there's got to be someone who's familiar with it!

(No offense to nerds, I'm one of ya.)

[Matt Collins]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10320096-38.html



Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10200710-38.html) this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s.00773:) handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.

They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt (http://www.politechbot.com/docs/rockefeller.revised.cybersecurity.draft.082709.pdf )), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency.


The new version would allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for "cybersecurity professionals," and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license.

[tpreitzel]

Well all I know is that ham radio operation is generally a hobby of nerds, and we have plenty of those here so there's got to be someone who's familiar with it!

(No offense to nerds, I'm one of ya.)

You're right. I have a technical background *, but nerds are far more capable than I. We're going to need them. Thankfully, our freedom message should ring loud and clear with many of them.

* Not in networking ...

[Matt Collins]

Well all I know is that ham radio operation is generally a hobby of nerds, and we have plenty of those here so there's got to be someone who's familiar with it!

(No offense to nerds, I'm one of ya.)



Do I have to get a damned ham radio or what?
KG4JYD here.


Get a book called "Now You're Talking" and it will explain everything you need to know to pass the simple ham exam. If you can graduate high school, then you can get a ham license, it's not hard.

Two other great ham / amateur radio resources:
www.qrz.com (http://www.qrz.com)
www.arrl.org (http://www.arrl.org)

[amy31416]

KG4JYD here.


Get a book called "Now You're Talking" and it will explain everything you need to know to pass the simple ham exam. If you can graduate high school, then you can get a ham license, it's not hard.

Two other great ham / amateur radio resources:
www.qrz.com (http://www.qrz.com)
www.arrl.org (http://www.arrl.org)

Thanks, I'll check those out.

[tpreitzel]

A link to the book, Now You're Talking, as Matt recommended:

http://www.amazon.com/Now-Youre-Talking-First-License/dp/0872597970

[tpreitzel]

For non ham applications, i.e. old analog dial-up, the following software is really capable if it lives up to the specifications and versions are available for nearly every operating system. Ease of use is another matter entirely and so is the cost per call ... ah, the good ole' days are here again. ;) This version allows a user to access the BBS via a web browser *. This BBS is actually quite nice and capable.

http://www.bbbs.net/

* http://bbbs.net/ ... Notice the nice interface to the BBS via your web browser. :) Use the guest login option ...

[InterestedParticipant]

bill to give president emergency control of Internet
These are moves of desperation, not the well thought out rationally deceptive moves of an elite psychopath. When I see all of these draconian measures, or threats of them, I see them as a sign of tremendous weakness on their part, for these moves are high risk and significantly out-of-character for them.

While they have scientifically studied the public for decades, they have also developed their own techniques which are predictable and transparent. In short, the public is understanding them now at a sufficient level so that they're deception no longer creates the social reactions necessary to fulfill their plans.

They are stuck, they are caught in a Catch-22, as the public awakening accelerates their techniques become increasingly impotent. I am almost completely convinced now that their momentum has ceased and we are seeing a very slow and gradual return to humanity's control over man and God's planet.

P.S. The Internet is the greatest control weapon ever deployed. They will only pull the plug as a final desparate move. It took them more than a 100 years to bring about this 2-way technology of perception management, and they will not dispose of it without significant consideration.

[tpreitzel]

Actually, if the movement to restore constitutional liberty wants to survive in harsher conditions, the participants MUST move to more independent networks eventually. Since the FCC regulates everything including smoke signals :), no networking is truly independent unless done "illegally" in the eyes of our corrupt government.

If the participants in this movement start moving operations to other networks, e.g. FidoNet, with gateways via the InterNet, we'd all benefit more or less. In other words, this movement needs to decentralize communication as much as possible. Image your favorite website now decentralized to another network, but still allowing "restricted" access to their network from the InterNet for the sake of convenience (problematic for security reasons). To survive, the latter is necessary is some form, but not the interNet connection. More and more communication should occur via non-interNet networks.

[catdd]

"Squeal like a ham radio, boy."

[InterestedParticipant]

Actually, if the movement to restore constitutional liberty wants to survive in harsher conditions, the participants MUST move to more independent networks eventually. Since the FCC regulates everything including smoke signals :), no networking is truly independent unless done "illegally" in the eyes of our corrupt government.

If the participants in this movement start moving operations to other networks, e.g. FidoNet, with gateways via the InterNet, we'd all benefit more or less. In other words, this movement needs to decentralize communication as much as possible. Image your favorite website now decentralized to another network, but still allowing "restricted" access to their network from the InterNet for the sake of convenience (problematic for security reasons). To survive, the latter is necessary is some form, but not the interNet connection. More and more communication should occur via non-interNet networks.
+1


"Squeal like a ham radio, boy."
Is like Government meets Deliverance?

[tpreitzel]

Even FidoNet is centralized to some degree, but at least it's a step back from absolute control. ;)

We need more decentralized networks for our cause. Maybe, we should usurp the name, Liberty Networks, before someone else does, i.e. the government. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the name, Liberty Networks, was already TM. :o

[BillyDkid]

The Congress cannot confer on the President any power that they themselves do not already have. What provision of the Constitution grants the Congress that authority to sieze private property during an "emergency"?It's just a damn piece of paper! Don't you know that??? This country went off the rails more than a century ago. It's not getting back on.

[roho76]

I don't understand why people continue to say things like "What gives them the authority" or "It's not in the Constitution".

THEY DON'T CARE

They aren't playing by the rules anymore. This is becoming a free-for-all and the sooner we realize that the better prepared we'll be when they take our forms of communication or give us a mandatory shot or try to steal any of our freedoms.

[Matt Collins]

Even FidoNet is centralized to some degree, but at least it's a step back from absolute control. ;)

We need more decentralized networks for our cause. Maybe, we should usurp the name, Liberty Networks, before someone else does, i.e. the government. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the name, Liberty Networks, was already TM. :o
FIDONET!!! HA HA HA. I haven't heard of thatin YEARS :D You just made my day mentioning that.


But POTS doesn't work. Every hear of CALEA? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_Law_Enforcement_Act


Basically every telephone network has a black box called CALEA in it which can turn the entire network on and off, in addition to of course instant wiretapping. That means that if an emergency goes down, the govt' can kill all telephones in the country INSTANTLY. This is not conspiracy, this is fact, research it!

[tpreitzel]

But POTS doesn't work. Every hear of CALEA? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_Law_Enforcement_Act



No, but CALEA doesn't surprise me. By 1994, the online revolution was well underway and our government couldn't have us peons communicating privately without their snooping... ;) I originally began my online odyssey via CompuServe in the mid 1980s BEFORE CALEA. But you hit the nail on the head. CENTRALIZED networks and their means of TRANSMISSION (carriers) are the problem. Although POTS are still vulnerable, they're likely better than the current situation which is moving more and more to CONSTANT connectivity and CONSTANT monitoring. Packet radio is probably the most independent means of worldwide communication, but one still has to be licensed to be "legal". However, we're entering a period where everyone can see through the illegality of our government's legislation and few will obey the illegal laws anyway. Proper etiquette is important in radio communication, though, so knowledge of the rules is important whether one intends to be licensed by the government or not.

[InterestedParticipant]

FIDONET!!! HA HA HA. I haven't heard of thatin YEARS :D You just made my day mentioning that.


But POTS doesn't work. Every hear of CALEA? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_Law_Enforcement_Act


Basically every telephone network has a black box called CALEA in it which can turn the entire network on and off, in addition to of course instant wiretapping. That means that if an emergency goes down, the govt' can kill all telephones in the country INSTANTLY. This is not conspiracy, this is fact, research it!
KA9Q ( I think that's it ) allows transmission of IP packets over Ham Radio airwaves. It got traction in the mid 90's, but I have no idea where it is now.

[tpreitzel]

One more item before I leave this subject TEMPORARILY (it's THAT important to our movement)

Has anyone considered using telephone cards purchased with cash to use public telephones? Cell phones are probably too vulnerable versus "landlines" (no transmission is strictly via buried cable today ;)). True, not too many public telephones exist anymore and the government would be forced to monitor ALL carriers ALL of the time.

Advantages:
1. Temporary connectivity
2. Force CONSTANT government monitoring of carriers
3. Anonymous (cash used to purchase card)

Disadvantages:
1. Finding public telephone
2. Connectivity and quality of connection (probably solved today)
3. Require portable computer ( devices are so small today that the problem is minimal)

More later ...

[devil21]

This bill has one purpose and one purpose only. It is legislate the ability of the federal gov't to shut down the privately owned Internet to try to squash any Internet-organized revolution that would likely gain momentum during an outright financial collapse. The feds and the elite know this and that's why it's being introduced by one of the very elite families that could lose control.

Don't let the smoke and mirrors of their fake "reasons" fool you. If they were so worried about cybersecurity then they could just pass a law requiring that all sensitive infrastructure be physically removed from the public internet.

This is a revolution squashing law.

[Matt Collins]

KA9Q ( I think that's it ) allows transmission of IP packets over Ham Radio airwaves. It got traction in the mid 90's, but I have no idea where it is now.You should look at IRLP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRLP It's basically VOIP over RF as seen here: http://www.irlp.net/

[Matt Collins]

Proper etiquette is important in radio communication, though, so knowledge of the rules is important whether one intends to be licensed by the government or not.Exactly, ham radio (amateur radio) is a hobby but it's also a SHTF backup scenario. It's fun but has very practical uses in emergency situations.


Learning how to use it and becoming proficient with the science and technology of ham radio will allow you to have a massive heads up in SHTF.

[SimpleName]

Ehh...the reason to take control of the Internet? Easier transfer of information? Really? The government doesn't have T1 lines or anything? They need to shut down normal activity so they can just use their direct lines and leave the regular ones dead? Makes no sense unless they are trying to shut down people from banding together to fight their tyranny. Because that absolutely isn't going to happen :mad:

[catdd]

This bill has one purpose and one purpose only. It is legislate the ability of the federal gov't to shut down the privately owned Internet to try to squash any Internet-organized revolution that would likely gain momentum during an outright financial collapse. The feds and the elite know this and that's why it's being introduced by one of the very elite families that could lose control.

Don't let the smoke and mirrors of their fake "reasons" fool you. If they were so worried about cybersecurity then they could just pass a law requiring that all sensitive infrastructure be physically removed from the public internet.

This is a revolution squashing law.

Which only re-enforces the belief that the government is purposely trying to bankrupt the country and they need to get all their ducks in order to handle things when it happens.
They have a new monetary system figured out but I think they have to wreck this one before implementing it.
All this talk about government takeover of the national guard and the internet, etc. "in case of an emergency" should tell the tale.

[devil21]

Which only re-enforces the belief that the government is purposely trying to bankrupt the country and they need to get all their ducks in order to handle things when it happens.
They have a new monetary system figured out but I think they have to wreck this one before implementing it.
All this talk about government takeover of the national guard and the internet, etc. "in case of an emergency" should tell the tale.

Exactly, the groundwork for the ability to legally institute a martial law/police state must be laid first and this law is another step. It's been in motion since the 90's but gone into overdrive since 9/11. But notice I said "to try to". It won't work. Like every law the gov't comes up with, the people will figure out a way around it if they really want to. Short of physically unplugging every last internet gateway, router and DNS server in the country at gunpoint there will still be a functioning infrastructure to be taken advantage of. OK so nobody will be able to go to Ebay. BFD. The underground network will always exist. The Internet can not be uncreated. I guarantee there are hoardes of revolutionary computer nerds and 4chan addicted nerds working on this already. I think it goes to show how uninformed .gov really is about these things as well as how willy-nilly they're going about trying to implement these laws.

[Working Poor]

bill to give president emergency control of Internet

So I guess that means someone has figured out how to blow up the USA using the internet?

[Pauls' Revere]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10320096-38.html



This must be part of that "Save the Internet" campaign I have been hearing about. Sounds FANTASTIC!

I saw this online and heard about it on the radio. I thought it was a joke a spoof of sorts...sadly, it's not.

Dam.

[Pauls' Revere]

The Rockefeller proposal plays out against a broader concern in Washington, D.C., about the government's role in cybersecurity. In May, President Obama acknowledged that the government is "not as prepared" as it should be to respond to disruptions and announced that a new cybersecurity coordinator position would be created inside the White House staff. Three months later, that post remains empty, one top cybersecurity aide has quit, and some wags have begun to wonder why a government that receives failing marks on cybersecurity should be trusted to instruct the private sector what to do.

Probably the most controversial language begins in Section 201, which permits the president to "direct the national response to the cyber threat" if necessary for "the national defense and security." The White House is supposed to engage in "periodic mapping" of private networks deemed to be critical, and those companies "shall share" requested information with the federal government. ("Cyber" is defined as anything having to do with the Internet, telecommunications, computers, or computer networks.)

So, this will include your cell phone network, your personal computer LAN, your server network, and anything else deemed cyber.

F**K!
F**K!
F**K!

:mad:

WAKE THE F**K - UP AMERICA!

[HOLLYWOOD]

Hmm, where's the ACLU?

http://www.eff.org/

Remember... all the Longhaul/Dark Fiber is controlled by the Big TELCOs. The Federal Government has given the TELCOs immunity on warrantless wiretaps under the FISA Act.

Don't you think the TELCOs will return the favor to the Government? Just like the Banks spying on EVERYONE's bank accounts... it is now a FASCIST STATE. A state that operates on the verge of paranoia every single moment.

IP over analog SW is one route to communicate.

So Senator Rockefeller from West Virginia is the Surrogate sponsor for the bill. So he had a wild hair up his butt and drafted this Bill? Who conjured-up this crap? The real evil behind this legislation...

[Reason]

Pretty sure this just means that Obama wants to play world of warcraft with my g/f and I.

[Mini-Me]

I'm seeing a problem here...

Let's play make believe for a moment. You're the government, and you want to shut down residential communications to isolate and quell growing resistance. How do you go about doing it?

First, let's assume you want to clamp down on communications for a prolonged period of time:
Your primary objective is probably taking down residential access to the Internet. In order to do so, you will need to forcibly shut down major residential ISP's, and you'll probably want to cut universities off from the backbone providers. (If you subsidize the former, they probably won't complain too much, either.) You may want to shut down the backbones and commercial ISP's entirely, but you'd still have to leave their phone lines open anyway or you would bring the entire economy to a screeching halt. After all, you want to keep people occupied at work instead of out of work with diminishing supplies and planning revolts. Because you're leaving some lines of communication open, everyone's going to be well aware that you, the government, are responsible for taking down the residential Internet. All things considered, you might as well just leave the backbones and commercial ISP's running, with the understanding that the significantly reduced traffic will be monitored closely for non-business-related communications (which will be dealt with by threatening to cut off the company's communications...and naturally, companies themselves will crack down on their employees to keep their doors open).
In order to keep communities isolated and unaware of what's going on elsewhere in the country, you'll want to also shut down residential phones (CALEA, as Matt mentioned) and cell phone towers. Because you're only leaving government and commercial lines open, even the most prepared resistor who knows a great deal of phone numbers won't be able to communicate via pay phones, since they won't have anyone to call!
You'll want to keep cable companies, satellite companies, and permitted radio stations on a short leash...any unwanted radio stations can be dealt with the same way as HAM radio:
Finally, you will want to cripple radio-based alternatives by polluting all the airwaves with random noise.

Now, you could shut down communications entirely for a short time by shutting down all major commercial, residential, regional, and backbone ISP's in addition to all phone lines (commercial or residential). You'd only be able to get away with this for a few days without riots in the streets, so you'd probably only do this to perpetrate communications blackout while doing some major dirty work like rounding up outspoken dissenters. In the meantime, you can send out reports over cable lines and the permitted radio stations about terrorists causing the communications blackout...and for a short period of time, enough people will probably believe you to allow you to accomplish your objective. (To sum up this paragraph: My best guess is that if ALL communications are shut down, it probably means we should assume the worst.)

Anyway, let's come back to my bolded comment, and this is where I see the problem: Wouldn't it be easy for the government to send out powerful radio signals and drown out most radio-based communications like HAM radio? Or am I missing something about directional signals, etc. or some other technology that would make a total communications blackout impractical?

[FindLiberty]

I'm seeing a problem here...

Anyway, let's come back to my bolded comment, and this is where I see the problem: Wouldn't it be easy for the government to

[snip]

communications?

Yep!

[devil21]

The forced move to digital TV to free up airwave frequency spectrum "for government emergency use" makes a lot more sense after reading Mini-me's post in conjunction with this bill.

This bill must not pass.

[Mini-Me]

The forced move to digital TV to free up airwave frequency spectrum "for government emergency use" makes a lot more sense after reading Mini-me's post in conjunction with this bill.

This bill must not pass.

I agree, but I still think contingency plans are important. We just need to keep in mind that we may not be able to rely on radio either.

The way I see it, our most important use of the Internet in a SHTF scenario is not necessarily about retaining our ability to organize at a national level; it's about keeping tabs on what's happening elsewhere in the country. If the government ever gets so out of control that it successfully shuts down all of our communications, it will obviously be much too late for political action anyway. On the flip side, nobody would ever really be able to plan any kind of insurrection over the Internet in the first place, since those communications would be easily intercepted, one way or another...and if it ever came to that point, we'd all be best off sticking together with local friends and family anyway.

The main problem with losing national-level communication is this: We would all know things have gotten really bad, but we wouldn't know HOW bad. This lack of awareness would be bad for both morale and individual planning/strategy. Civil disobedience would probably be on many of our minds at that point, but without communications at the national level, we wouldn't know how big the upswellings of civil disobedience are. On one hand, it's possible that resistors could be taken care of violently, and resisting openly would be walking into a trap. On the other hand, it's also possible that we'd let fear of this paralyze us and convince too many of us to abandon a course of action that might otherwise be fruitful.

So, I'm not sure if civil disobedience would be appropriate in such a scenario or suicidal. However, if violent action becomes the only recourse, I might suggest the general priority of restoring communications, which might mean forcibly retaking TV stations, telecom companies, and ISP's. If a lot of people swarmed these buildings, there would probably be no bloodshed...but if a small group took one by force, they'd need a lot of backup pretty damn quickly to actually defend their position and gain something from it. This would be useless if the government literally cut an ISP's physical lines, but I think they're unlikely to leave commercial, regional, and backbone ISP's completely non-functional for a particularly long period of time. Thinking it over, the first priority should probably depend on what the government is doing:

If they're gearing up for a long-term communications clampdown and keeping commercial lines open, it might be wise to covertly set up wireless Internet access from as many companies as possible and be a constant thorn in their side. If enough people did this and word got out, people might be emboldened to hijack the commercial remainder of the Internet (and knowledge of this might help thaw the atmosphere at those companies and inspire helpful attitudes and/or more rebellious communications in general). That said, there's no guarantee that anyone can run a server with substantial uptime in this manner, so it would only work if enough people were doing it to completely hose efforts at a crackdown.

However, if the government shuts down communications entirely and civil disobedience seems suicidal (i.e. there's blood in the streets or something), the first priority should probably be retaking whatever form of communication the government left open for propaganda purposes...probably TV stations. Also, if we can figure out what radio channels the government is using, taking control of radio transmitters might enable people to drown out those signals as well (two can play at that game).

I don't really know, though...all of this is just me thinking aloud.

[tpreitzel]

I'm not sure how easily localized longer wave radio communications could be disturbed, but shortwave is probably vulnerable to systems like HAARP.

Another problem with the government's ability to snoop is encryption. Even with parallel processing supercomputers, encryption can delay the government's ability to intervene which still allows for planning dissent as long as communications can proceed in some timely form.

As I've stated in the past, free-space optical (FSO directional IR) communication is becoming viable on a local level. * Sure, long distance carriers employing RF are still vulnerable, but IR requires direct LOS interception which won't be easy at all. I haven't researched updates to optical IR in about two years so more capability has likely appeared in that time.

Lastly, our movement needs to start preparations for blending our activities into the background noise of everyday life where we still can transmit our message as covertly as possible if needed.

Participants in the this movement should start taking some of these steps NOW! We know our government is planning to KO dissent as much as possible when they see fit. We also know that governments have been warning about a resurgence of "swine" flu this fall so plans are obviously underway to use another tragedy to further their plans. Time is short whether its one month or five years.

* General introduction to subject from 2006: http://www.wsdmag.com/Articles/ArticleID/13037/13037.html

[Mini-Me]

I'm not sure how easily localized radio communications could be disturbed, but shortwave is probably vulnerable to systems like HAARP.

Another problem with the government's ability to snoop is encryption. Even with parallel processing supercomputers, encryption can delay the government's ability to intervene which still allows for planning dissent as long as communications can proceed in some timely form.
Let me preface this by saying that my previous two posts - and this one - are based on speculation about what the government could do, and I don't really know what's actually in Rockefeller's bill.

Anyway, the problem is that we're not just talking about a scenario where the NSA is listening to us...we're talking about a scenario where our lines of communication are being methodically shut down. The ability to send encrypted messages over the net presupposes three things which probably wouldn't apply in that case:
ISP's will continue to deliver encrypted messages: In a scenario where residential ISP's are shut down and commercial/regional/backbone ISP's are overtaken by the government, that's extremely unlikely unless some form of deniable encryption protocol is used...in which case we'd all better find and learn (or write and distribute) capable software quickly, before it's too late.
A physical Internet connection: Having one may be easier said than done if the government takes down residential ISP's, overtakes commercial ISP's, and only offers service to particular corporate customers (i.e. no places that offer Internet access to their customers). It's also probably easier said than done creating something like this (http://nocat.net/) in your neighborhood, especially in a short timeframe where you've already lost direct access to the Internet for know-how. Furthermore, access to the rest of the country would either require a pervasive "no cat" network (unlikely) or for someone on your local wireless network to have direct Internet access. Finally, even a local "no cat" network presupposes that the airwaves aren't all being polluted by noise.
A reachable known address of some type to send your messages to: If you're wanting to broadcast a message across the country, you'll have to broadcast through some kind of widely known server (like RPF's, a newsgroup carrier, etc.) that will host your message, which has reliable uptime and which can can be reliably routed to...but if the government takes over ISP's, such servers will be easy for the government to physically locate and take down. Email may be useful, but only if you already know a person's email address...and if communications are tightly controlled as mentioned above, I'd imagine the government-controlled ISP's to create delivery blacklists, even if your mail server stays up. Other protocols (IRC, etc.) may be blocked entirely by ISP's if they're not necessary for business communication. Even if that doesn't happen, establishing real-time peer-to-peer communication or something of the sort requires everyone involved to know how to reach another peer...and that's way easier said than done during times of iffy/sporadic connectivity and no stable IP addresses (since the only stable addresses may very well belong to ISP's and sanctioned corporate users).



As I've stated in the past, optical (directional IR) communication is becoming viable on a local level. Sure, long distance carriers employing RF are still vulnerable, but IR requires direct LOS interception which won't be easy at all. I haven't researched updates to optical IR in about two years so more capability has likely appeared in that time.
Considering directional IR requires line-of-sight, it seems like this is a complete no-go for keeping up with national happenings. I'm not knocking the idea, but I imagine it's pretty much only going to help if you're in the middle of some covert operation with other locals, right? (Or am I wrong here?) Also, I imagine that you'd probably need to buy all the necessary equipment right now...enough for yourself and anyone else you wanted to communicate with, considering it doesn't sound like something your average friend or neighbor is going to have. Where would you get something like that, and how much would it cost?



Lastly, our movement needs to start preparations for blending our activities into the background noise of everyday life where we still can transmit our message as covertly as possible if needed.

I definitely agree with this, but as I mentioned above, transmitting a message across the country [and knowing when and where to send it so someone friendly will receive it at the other end] in a communication lockdown scenario would be most definitely easier said than done. Local communication may be a bit easier, and nothing can really stop face-to-face communication, but I worry about every community becoming isolated from the rest of the world with no real idea of what's going on. :-/

[Bman]

A shutdown of the internet could quite possibly set off a riot these days.

Anyone ever see the episode of South Park when the internet went down? funny stuff.

[tpreitzel]

Disregard...

[tpreitzel]

L
Anyway, the problem is that we're not just talking about a scenario where the NSA is listening to us...we're talking about a scenario where our lines of communication are being methodically shut down. The ability to send encrypted messages over the net presupposes three things which probably wouldn't apply in that case:
ISP's will continue to deliver encrypted messages: In a scenario where residential ISP's are shut down and commercial/regional/backbone ISP's are overtaken by the government, that's extremely unlikely unless some form of deniable encryption protocol is used...in which case we'd all better find and learn (or write and distribute) capable software quickly, before it's too late.
A physical Internet connection: Having one may be easier said than done if the government takes down residential ISP's, overtakes commercial ISP's, and only offers service to particular corporate customers (i.e. no places that offer Internet access to their customers). It's also probably easier said than done creating something like this (http://nocat.net/) in your neighborhood, especially in a short timeframe where you've already lost direct access to the Internet for know-how. Furthermore, access to the rest of the country would either require a pervasive "no cat" network (unlikely) or for someone on your local wireless network to have direct Internet access. Finally, even a local "no cat" network presupposes that the airwaves aren't all being polluted by noise.
A reachable known address of some type to send your messages to: If you're wanting to broadcast a message across the country, you'll have to broadcast through some kind of widely known server (like RPF's, a newsgroup carrier, etc.) that will host your message, which has reliable uptime and which can can be reliably routed to...but if the government takes over ISP's, such servers will be easy for the government to physically locate and take down. Email may be useful, but only if you already know a person's email address...and if communications are tightly controlled as mentioned above, I'd imagine the government-controlled ISP's to create delivery blacklists, even if your mail server stays up. Other protocols (IRC, etc.) may be blocked entirely by ISP's if they're not necessary for business communication. Even if that doesn't happen, establishing real-time peer-to-peer communication or something of the sort requires everyone involved to know how to reach another peer...and that's way easier said than done during times of iffy/sporadic connectivity and no stable IP addresses (since the only stable addresses may very well belong to ISP's and sanctioned corporate users).

Possibly. Encryption still plays a viable role even IF most forms of telecommunications are severely controlled or directly manipulated with RF interference. Let me give you a scenario.

Assume the worst as your comments indicate. Even under such conditions, we would still likely have communication nationally, just not in real time. Every community has commercial traffic via motorized transport than runs on a predictable schedule, correct? ;) We can use that mode of transportation if needed. Magnetic holders for car keys could be employed to hold small chips storing huge amounts of data from FSO networks in one community. An encrypted message could then be sent to a recipient in another community dozen of miles, even hundreds of miles away if necessary, that vehicle, license #xxx, is headed their way with the actual location of the holder on the vehicle specified. The government's penchant for tracking can help us ID and track the vehicle. Some commercial traffic likely employs GPS. If available, we could use access to GPS data to track a vehicle, but it's not required. The only requirement is a vehicle traveling a route on a predictable schedule and a secure transmission identifying the location of data on the vehicle. This whole process would likely takes less than 12 hours to place, transport, and retrieve data from one FSO network to the next in another community. By the time the encrypted message was decoded, the information would be irrelevant because the data would be off the vehicle and at its destination. Another great benefit lies in its usage of everyday activities (commercial transport) to mask transmission of our data which simply piggybacks along with the free ride. Although inconvenient, this scenario is doable and quite secure. In recap, FSO networks are highly secure in one community. The data is transported via piggyback on commercial traffic with known schedules into a distant community for free and retrieved within 12 hours or so. The data is then verified by checksum and decrypted as appropriate and then loaded into another highly secure FSO network in that community. Even OTR trucking could be employed, but the longer distances becomes slower and more problematic. So the process continues.





Considering directional IR requires line-of-sight, it seems like this is a complete no-go for keeping up with national happenings. I'm not knocking the idea, but I imagine it's pretty much only going to help if you're in the middle of some covert operation with other locals, right? (Or am I wrong here?) Also, I imagine that you'd probably need to buy all the necessary equipment right now...enough for yourself and anyone else you wanted to communicate with, considering it doesn't sound like something your average friend or neighbor is going to have. Where would you get something like that, and how much would it cost?

Look at the link and previous linked article closer. Canobeam (Canon) * is one source. The cost was pretty steep a few years ago ($10k-$30k) so a FSO link would have to an collective effort in a local community until the average price drops from $20k to ~$2k. I'm not so sure today. It is limited to community use since maximum distances were about 1 mile a few years ago. Canon still specifies a maximum distance of about 2000 meters (~ 1 mile). Adopters of this technology can generally rest assured their local communications on an optical network are secure from snooping (nice). Any gateways into those networks probably won't be, however. Personally, I'd participate in funding FSOs for our movement along with my peers. Every community of patriots (currently liberty based organizations) should have such a link to coordinate local activities and restricted access to it. For example, instead of driving around town contacting peers, a user of the system would arrive at the offices of such groups and communicate on the network with his peers. The communications would be securely stored. Another local user does the same with all of his peers at one time. At the conclusion of the day, the stored information from the network is transported mechanically or electronically depending on the circumstances outside the local community.


* http://www.usa.canon.com/html/industrial_canobeam/canobeam/index.html

[Mini-Me]

Possibly. Encryption still plays a viable role even IF most forms of telecommunications are severely controlled or directly manipulated with RF interference. Let me give you a scenario.

Assume the worst as your comments indicate. Even under such conditions, we would still likely have communication nationally, just not in real time. Every community has commercial traffic via motorized transport than runs on a predictable schedule, correct? ;) We can use that mode of transportation if needed Magnetic holders for car keys could be employed to hold small chips storing huge amounts of data from FSO networks in one community. An encrypted message could then be sent to a recipient in another community dozen of miles, even hundreds of miles away if necessary, that vehicle, license #xxx, is headed their way with the actual location of the holder on the vehicle specified. The government's penchant for tracking can help us ID and track the vehicle. Some commercial traffic likely employs GPS. If available, we could use access to GPS data to track a vehicle, but it's not required. The only requirement is a vehicle traveling a route on a predictable schedule and a secure transmission identifying the location of data on the vehicle. This whole process would likely takes less than 12 hours to place, transport, and retrieve data from one FSO network to the next in another community. By the time the encrypted message was decoded, the information would be irrelevant because the data would be off the vehicle and at its destination. Another great benefit lies in its usage of everyday activities (commercial transport) to mask transmission of our data which simply piggybacks along with the free ride. Although inconvenient, this scenario is doable and quite secure. In recap, FSO networks are highly secure in one community. The data is transported via piggyback on commercial traffic with known schedules into a distant community for free and retrieved within 12 hours or so. The data is then verified by checksum and decrypted as appropriate and then loaded into another highly secure FSO network in that community. Even OTR trucking could be employed, but the longer distances becomes slower and more problematic. So the process continues.
So we're talking about a good old fashioned sneakernet, and one that would even get around travel restrictions to boot...I like the general idea. :) Working out the logistics might be tough though, since we couldn't necessarily rely on ordinary methods to relay the encrypted message about the scheduling (since ISP's may be ordered to drop all encrypted messages). Plus, every community involved pretty much has to be aware of at least one other such community and understand the general arrangement - aggregating local network data and transporting it via sneakernet - in advance*. How would encrypting the actual data work? To the best of my knowledge, it's unwise to encrypt/decrypt a large amount of data with asymmetric public/private keys, right? If this is correct, it would also be necessary for symmetric key exchange between communities. This is easy - even with changing keys - after the first exchange, but knowing someone's initial key might be another prerequisite to starting up the network. (Knowing a symmetric key would leave you set to make a large transmission, whereas knowing only someone's public key would mean you'd be sending only a symmetric key with the first sneakernet transmission.)

I also see another problem: Truck drivers (etc.) may eventually notice people attaching/removing data storage devices to/from their vehicles. Although it may (or may not) be impractical for armed thugs to escort commercial vehicles and keep an eye out, it wouldn't be hard for a hostile truck driver (etc.) to rat out a participating community...which would presumably be promptly raided. Ultimately, I think the long-term success of a sneakernet probably relies on using only trustworthy/complicit transporters.

*Also, communities needing to be aware of each other in advance poses another issue. What's the best way to accomplish this? Even if we started this up in PM's, it'd be unwise to blindly trust just anyone who posts here. I suppose communities don't necessarily HAVE to know about each other in advance, but relying on the grapevine carries serious risks as well. After all, anyone could masquerade as a community [or messenger for a community] who wants in on the action.



Look at the link and previous linked article closer. Canobeam (Canon) * is one source. The cost was pretty steep a few years ago. I'm not so sure today. It is practical for community use since maximum distances were limited to about 1 mile a few years ago. Canon still specifies a maximum distance of about 2000 meters (~ 1 mile). Adopters of this technology can generally rest assured their local communications on an optical network are secure from snooping (nice). Any gateways into those networks probably won't be, however.


* http://www.usa.canon.com/html/industrial_canobeam/canobeam/index.html
That's what I feared...it seems like it's not exactly something every family can buy at Wal-Mart, self-install, and start using today. :-/ Realistically speaking, every node on a network larger than two nodes will want at least two transceivers (arranged in a circular graph pattern so everyone needs only one of each). I can't find any official prices, but I just checked on ebay, and the cheapest Canobeam transceiver there is selling for $9900 (http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=canobeam&_sacat=See-All-Categories). :eek: Considering how expensive and esoteric they are, nobody's going to be buying them until it's already too late. Even if several communities had the money, I imagine they're in short enough supply to keep them from becoming a viable SHTF networking option...and that's assuming they're still allowed to be sold.

In short...crap. I guess the "no cat wireless network" using ordinary wireless routers is still an economically viable option (combined with sneakernet), but it could be easily detected and possibly eavesdropped on (if government nodes join in and conduct man-in-the-middle attacks), not to mention possibly interfered with via radio noise. The eavesdropping could be eliminated by only sending encrypted messages and exchanging encryption keys in person, but detection and interference are still threats.

I just read your edits, and on the surface, I think the sneakernet idea would work between established pro-liberty organizations (with or without FSO's)...but if our communication lines are being methodically shut down, I think comings and goings at such highly conspicuous organizations would probably be closely monitored (if allowed at all). Anyway, I'm going to sleep too for now. :)

[tpreitzel]

#51 updated ... I need sleep. ;) More later...

[tpreitzel]

So we're talking about a good old fashioned sneakernet, and one that would even get around travel restrictions to boot...I like the general idea. :) Working out the logistics might be tough though, since we couldn't necessarily rely on ordinary methods to relay the encrypted message about the scheduling (since ISP's may be ordered to drop all encrypted messages).

Methods exist for relaying data outside an area even in a totalitarian society. Use homing pigeons if necessary to send a message in advance describing the details of the transport. Today, chips are lightweight. Actually, one might replace vehicles with pigeons, but I'm not sure how reliable or quick that method might be. ;)


Plus, every community involved pretty much has to be aware of at least one other such community and understand the general arrangement - aggregating local network data and transporting it via sneakernet - in advance*.

Yes, but the actual number of liberty-minded participants in running and maintaining the FSO network is minimal. Most participants would simply use the network for communication.


How would encrypting the actual data work? To the best of my knowledge, it's unwise to encrypt/decrypt a large amount of data with asymmetric public/private keys, right? If this is correct, it would also be necessary for symmetric key exchange between communities. This is easy - even with changing keys - after the first exchange, but knowing someone's initial key might be another prerequisite to starting up the network. (Knowing a symmetric key would leave you set to make a large transmission, whereas knowing only someone's public key would mean you'd be sending only a symmetric key with the first sneakernet transmission.)

TBD



I also see another problem: Truck drivers (etc.) may eventually notice people attaching/removing data storage devices to/from their vehicles. Although it may (or may not) be impractical for armed thugs to escort commercial vehicles and keep an eye out, it wouldn't be hard for a hostile truck driver (etc.) to rat out a participating community...which would presumably be promptly raided. Ultimately, I think the long-term success of a sneakernet probably relies on using only trustworthy/complicit transporters.

Who cares? Some risks are involved in any activity especially under your scenario. Small chips can be destroyed rapidly by humans. The main risk is the integrity of the individuals retrieving the data if caught. Two can operate in the retrieval process. One participant can be a diversion if necessary.


*Also, communities needing to be aware of each other in advance poses another issue. What's the best way to accomplish this? Even if we started this up in PM's, it'd be unwise to blindly trust just anyone who posts here. I suppose communities don't necessarily HAVE to know about each other in advance, but relying on the grapevine carries serious risks as well. After all, anyone could masquerade as a community [or messenger for a community] who wants in on the action.

Partly true which is why the total anonymity of transporting the data is probably securest. Traitors and snitches exist in every organization or movement, e.g. RPFs, but procedures can be implemented to minimize the risk.



That's what I feared...it seems like it's not exactly something every family can buy at Wal-Mart, self-install, and start using today. :-/ Realistically speaking, every node on a network larger than two nodes will want at least two transceivers (arranged in a circular graph pattern so everyone needs only one of each). I can't find any official prices, but I just checked on ebay, and the cheapest Canobeam transceiver there is selling for $9900 (http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=canobeam&_sacat=See-All-Categories). :eek: Considering how expensive and esoteric they are, nobody's going to be buying them until it's already too late. Even if several communities had the money, I imagine they're in short enough supply to keep them from becoming a viable SHTF networking option...and that's assuming they're still allowed to be sold.

I just read your edits, and on the surface, I think the sneakernet idea would work between established pro-liberty organizations (with or without FSO's)...but if our communication lines are being methodically shut down, I think comings and goings at such highly conspicuous organizations would probably be closely monitored (if allowed at all). Anyway, I'm going to sleep too for now. :)

No, one cannot waltz into Wal-Mart and buy FSO equipment at the present time. ;) Personally, I don't think the government really WANTS the average consumer to buy FSO equipment, but they probably love using OUR tax dollars to use it themselves. ;) Governments want their subjects to use RF equipment which can easily be monitored. In one of my aforementioned links, the longest range Canobeam (~1 mile transmitter) can be purchased for $20k so the entire setup including receiver would probably cost $30k which isn't bad for a secure link between two points (liberty based organizations) within a community. Actually, trustworthy operators of amateur radio equipment would be logical FSO receivers within a community as the necessary antennas for LOS communications are already installed. True, transmitting the encrypted data over RF bands is problematic, but it's simply one type of carrier. Multiple types of carriers can be employed if necessary, i.e. mechanical as well as electronic.

True, in your scenario, these organizations would have to go underground via front organizations just like our sneaky CIA. The biggest problem with using FSO equipment would be disguising the equipment because it must be installed on towers. Although unsure, portable towers could possibly be erected at night if the tracking ability of FSO equipment improves enough to stay aligned under suboptimal conditions. Again, traitors just come with the territory in such an environment.

[FindLiberty]

Here's an alternative idea that's one step up from "keys and a kite" offering simplicity + long range performance after tshtf:

Morse code + spark gap transmitter (forget FCC approval on that bandwith hog) and a cat's whisker receiver fed by a long antenna wire hung between two trees.

or better yet,

Spark gap transmitter attached to a reliable (but power hungry) Teletype ASR-33 terminal.

gloriouis... now we're talkin' (again) !

[shelly]

I made a video cuz I was mad.

YouTube - Cybersecurity Act of 2009: President Can Take Over Internet, Access Private Data (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTQtXkiB6Uo)

[tpreitzel]

I made a video cuz I was mad.

YouTube - Cybersecurity Act of 2009: President Can Take Over Internet, Access Private Data (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTQtXkiB6Uo)

Now's the time to revisit this issue. :o

Anyway, I've made a switch back to the past. Within a week, I'll have a PSTN line ready for a BBS running Fido software. By the end of February, my Fido node should be available. I'll see some of the more "adventurous" folks on the other side. ;) I'll still be connected to the internet until conditions force me otherwise.

Access Echomail from the internet:

http://www.fidotel.com/public/default.htm

[DapperDan]

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e399/pogu3/2004-al-gore.jpg

I'm not surprised Rockefeller was behind it. This needs to be gotten rid of asap.

Ham Radio is a good investment regardless if it passes or not ;)

[tpreitzel]

Here's some other links on coherent (lasers - expensive) and incoherent (high power LEDs - cheap) light (FSO) links:
These inventions are simply amazing and quite useful for personal, secure communications.

http://ronja.twibright.com/

http://www.modulatedlight.org

[tpreitzel]

www.fasto.cz/fso (http://www.fasto.cz/fso)

The aforementioned company has commercialized the Ronja open hardware project.
I'm in the process of inquiring about the price for one complete link for testing purposes.
Personally, I think this system is a great idea and should be vastly cheaper than using coherent light (lasers).
Maximum range will be approximately 3000 feet. One can actually link whole neighborhoods together with the Ronja system.
Some ISPs in Eastern Europe even use this system. If you want a secure system in a mesh network, I'd look into this product further.

Dear Sir,
we are probably the only Ronja seller now.
We can provide you with Ronja RX TX and Twister.
We have it on stock.
Let me know how many pieces and where would we ship and I will calculate
you the price.
We can even send you the whole link.

Sincerely,
Vít Jedlicka
www.fasto.cz (http://www.fasto.cz)

[dgr]

Want the details , look up Bush Presidential directive 51 and Homeland Security Presidential directitive, sorry I'm to compute challenged to provide link.

[tpreitzel]

BTW, I asked Chris Anderson of www.diydrones.com (http://www.diydrones.com) and he replied that LOS communication is possible without a fixed tower by using a

"A tethered blimp with a stabilized gimble is the way to go." I'll have to research this subject more, but it's looking technically possible to setup an optical LOS communication link capable of carrying 10Mbit/s data over a distance of 3000 feet without requiring any FCC approval. Furthermore, it's looking technically possible to use a tethered blimp with a stabilized gimbal as a substitute for a tower.

If so, communication will be about as private as possible and free from FCC intervention. Now, is the price reasonable in both currency and labor? We'll see.

A couple of years ago, I wouldn't have imagined such a secure link being possible under $30k.