While I love computers and information systems now, they were not always my first passion. I was always a student of history, and a keen observer of geopolitics. My bookcase can attest to that.
My embrace of the digital technology is a natural extension of my thoughts on geopolitical dynamic. After Edward Snowden’s arrival in 2013, I realized the importance of technical literacy to avoid being swept away in geopolitics.
Snowden’s not the only one to suggest that computers will be a major part of geopolitical warfare in the future. The idea of Fifth-Generation Warfare posits that geopolitical competition is going on constantly, everywhere, involving everyone connected to the global politico-socio-economic network. The digital devices are the most important component of this network.
When I first saw this video it piqued my curiosity to the fullest.
The Security Service of His Majesty
Braxman began by warning of a new, significant push from Western nations to increase their awareness and control of those who are within their reach.
The U.K. is the only Western developed nation that has attempted to spy on the private lives all of its citizens. In 2016, the U.K. Government proposed a plan The privacy advocates argued that outlaw end-to-end encryption. The government was still determined to defeat encryption in any way possible, despite the fact that cryptographers laughed at it.
Recent U.K. gave it another crack (pun intended). What’s notable this time is that the Brits are taking a more insidious tack — insidious for two reasons.
First, U.K. spy agencies and elected officials target devices instead of the links between them. This approach will be more viable if you have a basic understanding of cryptography.
To read an encrypted message when it’s in transit, an attacker must intercept the transmission while it’s happening and attack the ciphertext. (The scrambled text). However, to access the same data on the device at rest, an attacker simply needs to compromise that device. Encryption at rest can’t protect decrypted data. While not well-known for their expertise in computer science, legislators are so persistent that they had to try it eventually.
Two, this brazen Brits is using technology which, not only is viable, but has already been deployed on millions devices. A keystroke will activate it. Apple, the “guardians” of privacy, is responsible for the situation, as Mr. Braxman has pointed out. (This is one reason why I am not a fan of Apple).
Anyone who values their digital privacy will be wary of these efforts. Doubtless governments all over the world are closely watching the policy, especially those that lack democracy.
We wanted the Linux Desktop to be a big deal, but not this.
Braxman’s discussion of Linux was most intriguing to me because of his arguments for it as a privacy refuge. Although he presented Linux as a digital-privacy option in his video, I predict that Linux will become one of the most popular options if U.K. laws spread. You can only get it by clicking here options.
Instantly and instinctively, I took off with this. After my legs became sore, I settled on this article. Linux will be targeted if Linux is a digital haven and governments are determined to end privacy in order to facilitate surveillance. They have many ways to attack.
They could even outlaw the installation or distribution of Linux. Commercial regulations common in most countries could easily be used to criminalize Linux running on servers that are used for business.
You could also block sites that distribute Linux within or outside the country. There are many tried and tested techniques to do this. From delisting DNS, to getting ISPs enforce IP or Domain blocking.
It is important to note that “outlawing Linux” is a difficult proposition. If lawmakers worded their measures poorly, they could instantly ban most IoT devices including cars. I’m not a lawyer, but it’s my guess that lawmakers will have to make some mistakes before they can isolate the desired target.
The United States is the last known habitat of the penguin
Because of the uniquely strong protection of individual liberties enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and a key legal precedent established by the courts, the United States is the only place I’m aware of in which Linux would remain freely accessible, at least on paper — literally.
In my previous articles on privacy and the “Crypto Wars,” Bernstein v. Department of Justice First Amendment protection is granted to code as speech.
The ruling was made in the 90s by the U.S. federal government to restrict the distribution of “military” ciphers. Those who believed in universal access to strong encryption bypassed regulations by publishing software in books. The courts, when the government objected to the code being printed in books, ruled that the First Amendment covered code on any medium. Code became speech in law.
The government cannot silence “speech”, such as the offering of Linux distributions in the United States, based on this precedent.
Theoretically, a U.S. government that opposes privacy could attempt to force OS developers to add backdoors in order to circumvent privacy safeguards. The government can probably force large U.S. proprietary software companies to include backdoors by using legal threats that are scary enough, like fines, the loss of a business license and corporate dissolution. But this will not faze Linux organisations.
I have a suspicion that, under U.S. laws, the government might find it difficult to justify fining a business that distributes a product for free. Also, there are hundreds of Linux-based distros located abroad that U.S. Law cannot reach.
Let the Cat and Bird Game begin
Would a hypothetical U.S. Government that followed the U.K. lead throw in the towel? Hardly. We need to look at (a) what tools the government has available, (b) countermeasures that digital freedom advocates may use, and (c), the possible escalation in this dance between intelligence and counter-intelligence.
Round 1: Security services will not only monitor the drinking holes but also poison them. A hypothetical U.S. government that is obsessively against privacy would at the very least monitor anyone who visited a Linux distribution download site.
This regime could go further if it had more weapons at its disposal. Leaked NSA documents show that the agency is armed with sophisticated weapons. hacked telecom companies To execute supply chain attack, compromise the infrastructure on which other services rely. The NSA could easily crack the libraries that are the foundations of Linux distros. They would then be able to insert backdoors, keyloggers and other goodies.
Round 2: You may not be able to find the needle among the haystack that is the Linux kernel. Linux is open-source! you might insist. You’re right. If you read the information security press for a few weeks, you will see that open-source codebases are constantly containing scary bugs from decades ago. It could take many years to discover an NSA-engineered “backdoor”.
Round 3: Only the key holder can ensure that a key is secure. The download could be contaminated by U.S. government agents. The NSA can alter the contents of installation image files if it penetrates the systems that provide them. This is without touching the public code repository for the distro. Some of you may counter that the GPG signatures on distros are there for this reason. It’s not just you. It is a good idea to use a bilingual translator This is why it doesn’t help if an NSA-level organization steals a copy and signs whatever image it wants.
Round 4: The hackers are outclassed by the pros when it comes to spying games. Privacy ideologues may take the fight to protect digital privacy into the real world if the Feds attack internet-hosted Linux sources. It will then be intelligence versus antiintelligence. Under an (again), You can also find out more about the following:The old-school hackers would be back in full force. Hackers passing Linux distros on USBs will return in force.
In their own court, the spies would use traditional spycraft to infiltrate hacker networks in real life with their informants. Privacy seekers in the digital age would literally have to watch their backs. This level of paranoia and vigilance is not easy. But if you want to be that private, then you chose the hard road.
Adopt a Penguin before they’re endangered
Linux is a viable choice in the U.S., as long as its constitution remains intact. However, putting it into practice could be a challenge. Linux can now be had without spy movies. If you want to be able to protect your privacy in the future, you should grab a copy of an installation image while you still have a chance.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of ECT News Network.
