Should Your Government Spy On You?

December 2011
by Robin Wark

Governments in various countries, and their agents, are reportedly using Trojans and other malware to track citizens.

Alleged recent use of a Trojan by German police has rekindled the debate of whether the government, and its agents, should use software to spy on people.

In an October website article, Ars Technica reported that a "lawful interception" application that was supposedly designed to monitor IP telephone calls could do much more. The Berlin-based Chaos Computer Club alleges:

The government malware can, unchecked by a judge, load extensions by remote control, to use the Trojan for other functions, including but not limited to eavesdropping. This complete control over the infected PC - owing to the poor craftsmanship that went into this Trojan is open not just to the agency that put it there, but to everyone. It could even be used to upload falsified 'evidence' against the PC's owner, or to delete files, which puts the whole rationale for this method of investigation into question.

Joachim Herrmann, the Interior Minister of Bavaria, the German state which used the program, was quoted as defending its actions.

"These are measures that are clearly defined by the federal government and which the constitutional court has allowed for the use in investigating serious crime."

The article cites that Wired magazine reported that the German state of Bavaria approached the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2007 for information on malware techniques they use. It was reported, in an April 18, 2009 Computerworld website, that the FBI used spyware to catch an unemployed former engineer who was trying extort money from Verizon and Comcast.

The Massachusetts man allegedly blamed these companies, among others, for favouring foreign engineers and because he believed they indirectly stole his intellectual property. He cut 18 cables carrying voice and data and said he would slice more if they did not pay him. His demands were $10,000 monthly from each company deposited into multiple bank accounts they were to set up for him. The details of these accounts were to be posted on a web page. He tried to hide his IP address but by using a Computer and Internet Protocol Address Verifier (CIPAV) program he was identified. While the details of how this program was placed on his computer were not available, security researchers have suggested that an exploit was utilized.

The use of technology to spy on citizens does not appear to be limited to the U.S. and Germany. On Nov. 15, the Global Voices website ran an article about how Syrian government has allegedly been tracking and keeping tabs on citizens online. The Times of India reported on Nov. 11 that Delhi Police will soon have its own Internet monitoring system. It will reportedly allow access to emails, chats and other online content as well as mobile phone communications.

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