[LINK] RFI: Intrusive Internet Mechanisms

[rene]

On Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:31:48 +1100, Karl Auer wrote:
[...]
> Hassle Mozilla, Microsoft etc to build proper privacy protection into
> their implementations of HTML5. Hassle them to provide finer-grained
> control (e.g., site-by-site Javascript, site-by-site Java, disk-write
> detection, RAM-write detection and so on).

And, meanwhile/as well, consider using a browser that has already 
implemented the first 2 site-specific controls Karl mentions, e.g. Opera, 
and/or consider installing a firewall wall that enables site-specific 
controls of those and possibly more (e.g. ActiveX) an example of which is 
Agnitum Outpost for Windows (don't know offhand if there's a Mac or Linux 
version).
[...]
> None of this is 100% effective, and some of it is very inconvenient...

True, but nevertheless imo there is zero prospect of governments or 
industry/businesses implementing anything that's anywhere near as 
'trustworthy' and effective as the methods Karl mentions, even in the long 
term future. Businesses don't want to, and governments/parliaments 
generally are more likely than not to mandate (privacy intrusive) 'ideas' 
that have more or equal cons than pros, in their claimed 'zeal' to protect 
users from privacy and security threats on the world wide Net.  

A recent example of the latter type of idea (which fortunately the current 
AU Cth Govt has recently said it doesn't intend to implement) is a proposal 
put to an AU Parliamentary Committee inquiry into cybercrime[1], that the 
NBN be 'built' in such a way that "NBN administrators" could deny access to 
computers that don't have 'approved' anti-virus/firewall software installed 
and/or if they don't then the NBN would automatically download 'temporary' 
software to the user's computer before connection. That got, more or less, 
converted into a Parliament Committee recommendation that ISPs should be 
required to monitor/probe (or something) customers' computers, to find out 
what protection software they have installed, and if not deemed adequate, 
then suspend their access account. 

Such ideas might sound 'good' or something until one starts thinking about 
the privacy intrusive methods would have to become government mandated 
(whatever) to (at least in theory) 'enable' 'authorised' monitoring/probing  
of users computers, and who'd be approving whatever third party software is 
deemed adquate, etc.

Imo there is a huge need for much more user education about what they can 
do to help protect themselves.

Irene

[1] House Standing Committee on Communications, Inquiry into Cyber Crime
http://www.aph.gov.au/House/committee/coms/cybercrime/index.htm

Govt response
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/coms/governmentresponses/cybercrime.p
df

Extract from Committee Hearing Transcript about mandating software 
installation
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1584574#r20