Re: [Jeff Covey @ Freshmeat] We Are Losing the Browser War

From: Strata Rose Chalup (strata@virtual.net)
Date: Thu Apr 05 2001 - 15:32:07 PDT


This reeks, guys. I don't mean the strict technical feasibility,
I mean the 100% certainty that any system implemented this way will
be grossly misused to the detriment of personal freedom and privacy.

"Cross-correlation between web cookies shows that the system retrieving
from the IP addr that corresponds to these coordinates was you. Since
that location is within company property. You're { fired for slacking off |
ordered to give up rights to the idea since it was clearly researched with
company resources | under arrest for trespassing | other }."

"Ralph, I went to that bar you say you go to after work and did a
"show network" command on my Wap-5 phone. Even down in the lounge
area, the network address never goes into the range you post from
when you "go out with the guys". What the hell are you up to?
As your wife, I demand to know!"

"Calm down, Mr CFO. We have set up a cooperative logging effort with
most backbone sites and are sniffing your network for packet origin data.
As soon as these crackers connect again to use those backdoors, our software
will get a geofix on the origin addresses and look for matching sessions
with the provider routing those addresses. It's recursive, and after some
number of hops it will literally lead us right to their door."

"Yes, Comrade, subversive messages have been posted from this Internet
Cafe, directed illegally outside the country. Of course our filtering
routers stopped the messages before they could leave mainland China, but
the fact remains that you and your family are liable for abetting these
dangerous radicals. The packet traces clearly show that they were sent
using the network in this very teashop. I do not care who you say is
running a wireless hub next door. The GPS does not lie."

"To: Mea 3
 From: Anan 7
 Organiztion: Ministry of Warfare
 Subject: casualty of war

 Dear Mea 3,

 We regret to inform you that mobile phone coordinates obtained during
 your routine voicemail checks establish you as being within the blast
 zone of the latest cowardly attack by Eminiar. Please report to the
 disintegration chambers no later than 2100 hours today.

 Sincerely,
 Anan 7"

I think that's plenty for now. Arguments of the form "but I just MAKE
gold-plated double-handled teflon-coated quadribarbed muon frogstickers,
I don't force anyone to go out into the swamps to stick frogs with them--
I'm an artist, not a barbarian!" will be greeted with mocking laughter.

A pitying glance will accompany the laughter for the "but if I didn't
build it, somebody else would, and theirs would stick even more frogs
than mine does!" variant.

_SRC

Eugene.Leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de wrote:
>
> Tony Finch wrote:
>
> > Yes, but consume is intended to suppoprt mobile computers so how do
> > you define their location in order to give them an IP address?
>
> 1) GPS. No, really. As long as you can't do mutual time-of-flight
> it's the way to go.
>
> 2) Address constraints from the neighbour node(s). Geodetic DHCP
> (assignment of address/position plus uncertainty mask). This
> way the mobile node doesn't have to have a positioning system
> onboard (but what's the big deal these days?).
>
> It's a bit of handwaving, but I think it can be made to work.

-- 
========================================================================
Strata Rose Chalup [KF6NBZ]                      strata "@" virtual.net
VirtualNet Consulting                            http://www.virtual.net/
 ** Project Management & Architecture for ISP/ASP Systems Integration **
=========================================================================



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