Difference between revisions of "Skype"
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== Security and Privacy of Skype == | == Security and Privacy of Skype == | ||
| − | Kurt Sauer, Skype's Chief Security Officer in an interview, "We provide a safe communication option. I will not tell you whether we can listen or not."<ref>{{cite web|author=ZDNet.de |url=http://www.zdnet.de/mobiles_internet_drahtloses_arbeiten_telefonieren_uebers_internet_wie_sicher_ist_skype_wirklich_story-39001620-39151472-1.htm |title=Telefonieren übers Internet: Wie sicher ist Skype wirklich? – Telekommunikation | Mobile Business |publisher=ZDNet.de |date=|accessdate=December 8, 2014}}</ref> This didn't deny the fact revealed by [[Edward Snowden]] in June 2013 that the [[NSA]] [[mass surveillance|monitors Skype conversations both international and domestic. The Skype software uses a non-[[Open source]] proprietary protocol. The [[Free Software Foundation]] (FSF) is worried about [[privacy]] issues caused by proprietary software and protocols, thus they have made the development of a secure Skype replacement alternative one of their projects of high priority.<ref>"[http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority.html#skypereplacement FSF High Priority Projects]", [[Free Software Foundation]]. Accessed December 8, 2014.</ref> | + | Kurt Sauer, Skype's Chief Security Officer in an interview, "We provide a safe communication option. I will not tell you whether we can listen or not."<ref>{{cite web|author=ZDNet.de |url=http://www.zdnet.de/mobiles_internet_drahtloses_arbeiten_telefonieren_uebers_internet_wie_sicher_ist_skype_wirklich_story-39001620-39151472-1.htm |title=Telefonieren übers Internet: Wie sicher ist Skype wirklich? – Telekommunikation | Mobile Business |publisher=ZDNet.de |date=|accessdate=December 8, 2014}}</ref> This didn't deny the fact revealed by [[Edward Snowden]] in June 2013 that the [[NSA]] [[mass surveillance|monitors]] Skype conversations both international and domestic. The Skype software uses a non-[[Open source]] proprietary protocol. The [[Free Software Foundation]] (FSF) is worried about [[privacy]] issues caused by proprietary software and protocols, thus they have made the development of a secure Skype replacement alternative one of their projects of high priority.<ref>"[http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority.html#skypereplacement FSF High Priority Projects]", [[Free Software Foundation]]. Accessed December 8, 2014.</ref> |
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==Prescient Quotes on Police State Telephone and voIP Surveillance== | ==Prescient Quotes on Police State Telephone and voIP Surveillance== | ||
Revision as of 20:59, December 8, 2014
Skype is an internet - telecommunications company and software (App) which allows people to make telephone calls over the internet called VoIP along with Instant messaging and video chat computers or smartphones and tablets[1]. Skype was founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis and is now owned by Microsoft.[2]
They also allow one to exchange files and images, send video messages and create conference calls. Skype software works on computers running Microsoft Windows, Mac or Linux, as well as Android, Blackberry, Apple iOS and Windows Phone smartphones and tablets.
In January 2011 after releasing video calling on the Skype client for iPhone, Skype attained a world record 27 million simultaneous online users.[3] and by 21 January 2013, Skype had more than 50 million concurrent users online.[4]
Security and Privacy of Skype
Kurt Sauer, Skype's Chief Security Officer in an interview, "We provide a safe communication option. I will not tell you whether we can listen or not."[5] This didn't deny the fact revealed by Edward Snowden in June 2013 that the NSA monitors Skype conversations both international and domestic. The Skype software uses a non-Open source proprietary protocol. The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is worried about privacy issues caused by proprietary software and protocols, thus they have made the development of a secure Skype replacement alternative one of their projects of high priority.[6]
Prescient Quotes on Police State Telephone and voIP Surveillance
- "The progress of science in furnishing the government with means of espionage is not likely to stop with wiretapping. Ways may some day be developed by which the government, without removing papers from secret drawers, can reproduce them in court, and by which it will be enabled to expose to a jury the most intimate occurrences of the home. Advances in the psychic and related sciences may bring means of exploring unexpressed beliefs, thoughts and emotions. 'That places the liberty of every man in the hands of every petty officer' was said by James Otis of much lesser intrusions than these. 1 To Lord Camden a far slighter intrusion seemed 'subversive of all the comforts of society.' Can it be that the Constitution affords no protection against such invasions of individual security?"
- Louis Brandeis (1856-1941), United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Dissenting, Olmstead v. United States, 277 U.S. 438 (1928).
See Also
- Censorship: Tools of censorship, Censorability, Fairness Doctrine, Liberal censorship, Media censorship
- The Perpetual War: War on Drugs, War on Terror and the Police state
- Domestic Mass Surveillance of Law-Abiding Citizens: via Utah Data Center, PRISM, NSA-DHS-BATF-FBI-CIA and other Intelligence agencies' Computer surveillance, Eavesdropping, Data mining, Spyware, Wiretap - Roving wiretap, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, NSA warrantless surveillance controversy, National security letter, Patriot Act, NDAA, Executive Orders, United States Census, Common Core, "Stasi"-like secret police "If You See Something, Say Something" informants, and other exponential expansion of the Police State
- Asset Forfeiture: Confiscation for Police budget deficit via RICO
- Mililtarization of Police: SWAT and Pre-dawn No-knock raids, Sneak and peek warrant
- War on Drugs: Addiction and Drug trafficking of the Drug cartels, Mafia, Gangs, Drug dealers, Hollywood values - Fashion industry values - Public school values - Professor values
- Computer Crime and Cyberwarfare:
- Hackers: China, Russia and others
- Bradley Manning - Homosexual Hacker Traitor of State secrets
- Wikileaks and Julian Assange - Australian leftist hacker
- Dangers of Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube, Yahoo
- Big Government: ObamaCare-Common Core-Social Security Welfare state leads to Nanny state, leads to Police state: Globalist-Statist-Socialist-National Socialist-Communist
- Liberal Totalitarianism
Contrast with:
- Security Software and Security-Focused Operating Systems to protect unalienable Fifth Amendment - Fourth Amendment Right to Privacy (Internet privacy, Information privacy, Expectation of privacy) and Second Amendment - First Amendment (Freedom of information and Political freedom) rights against unconstitutional Gun control - Internet censorship Big government Police state, hackers, and "all enemies, foreign and domestic" of American liberty.
- Anonymity with Tails Operating System: Linux-based with Tor (anonymity network), Firefox Iceweasel browser, HTTPS Everywhere encryption
- Prism-Break.org: Opt out of global data surveillance programs like PRISM, ECHELON, XKeyscore and Tempora.[7]
- Open Source Free software not over-priced tracking by Microsoft-Apple-Google-Android
- Privacy Search Engines: Duck Duck Go and Ixquick: Privacy-oriented Search engines instead of tracking by Google, Yahoo and Bing
- Internet Anonymity - Right to be forgotten Pseudonymity (Pseudonym) using Anonymous web browsing with Tails and VPN (Virtual Private Network), HMA, OpenVPN and IPsec , Proxy servers, Anonymizer (Anonymous proxies)
- Mozilla Firefox with Browser extensions instead of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari (web browser) and Opera (web browser)
- Browser Security via HTTPS Everywhere (HTTPS (HTTP Secure) instead of Plaintext (Cleartext) HTTP; and NoScript to stop JavaScript
- Ad Filtering (Privacy mode and Adblock Plus or Ghostery) to stop Ad tracking - Website visitor tracking via Geolocation, Geotargeting, Personally identifiable information and Device fingerprints
- Internet Safety, Computer Security via Password strength and Password managers via KeePass or LastPass and Antivirus-Firewall
- Secure Communication:
- E-mail Privacy and Email Encryption: Claws Mail or Enigmail or Kontact using Hushmail or MyKolab, Anonymous remailer, instead of tracking by Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird using Yahoo! Mail, Gmail iCloud
- Secure Messaging and Off-the-Record Messaging via I2P Instant messaging, Cryptocat, Bitmessage instead of Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Internet Relay Chat, Google Plus, Facebook
- Silent Phone with Silent Circle instead of Android or iPhone Smartphone
- OPSEC: "Loose lips sink ships"
- Encryption: Encryption software, Disk encryption software, LUKS or TrueCrypt instead of Microsoft BitLocker, PGP and GNU Privacy Guard, Data encryption, Public-key encryption, Cryptography-Cryptanalysis-Cryptology-Steganography
- Peer-to-Peer: Sneakernet, Friend-to-friend, Darknet (file sharing), Anonymous P2P instead of BitTorrent
- Deep Web - Dark Internet: Tor, AmRD, Tor2web, The Hidden Wiki, Anonymous blog
- Cryptocurrency-Digital Currency-Alternative Currency-Virtual Currency: Bitcoin and Hard money-Precious metals-Tangibles versus PayPal, Credit cards and inflation-prone U.S. Dolars: Federal Reserve System's Keynesian economics Ponzi scheme of Quantitative easing-Debt monetization devaluation of Fiat currency through Money supply-Treasury bills bought mostly by China and Japan
- Privacy Resources:
- Hologram of Liberty - The Constitution's Shocking Alliance With Big Government by Boston T. Party - Kenneth W. Royce
- One Nation, Under Surveillance - Privacy From the Watchful Eye by Boston T. Party
- How to Be Invisible - Protect Your Home, Your Children, Your Assets, and Your Life, by J. J. Luna
- Electronic Frontier Foundation and Electronic Privacy Information Center, Oath Keepers, Judicial Watch
- Freedom of Information Act, Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 and Privacy Act of 1974
- Edward J. Snowden Revelations of unconstitutional domestic spying on law-abiding American citizens; GlobaLeaks
- Crypto-libertarianism Limited government implies:
- Conservative values, American values - Small town values, American Patriots and Bill of Rights liberty
- Capitalism and Free enterprise
- Family values and Parental rights: Sanctity of life, Family-Marriage, Homeschooling teaching Virtue, Patriotism, Duty, and Self-reliance
Further reading
- Rushe, Dominic. "Skype's secret Project Chess reportedly helped NSA access customers' data." The Guardian. 20 June 2013.
- Latest Products."Skype Launches Video Messaging For Free"
References
- ↑ Ben Markton (17 April 2014). Skype. CNET. Retrieved on December 8, 2014.
- ↑ Andreas Thomann (6 September 2006). Skype – A Baltic Success Story. credit-suisse.com. Retrieved on December 8, 2014.
- ↑ Skype Hits New Record of 27 Million Simultaneous Users. Retrieved on December 8, 2014.
- ↑ 50 million concurrent users online. Retrieved on December 8, 2014.
- ↑ ZDNet.de. Telefonieren übers Internet: Wie sicher ist Skype wirklich? – Telekommunikation | Mobile Business. ZDNet.de. Retrieved on December 8, 2014.
- ↑ "FSF High Priority Projects", Free Software Foundation. Accessed December 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Help make mass surveillance of entire populations uneconomical! We all have an unalienable right to privacy, which you can exercise today by encrypting your communications and ending your reliance on proprietary products and services."