Use a firewall and go to jail

[Veracohr]

A brief description with links of two bills that would make the use of firewalls illegal: http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/archives/000336.html [quote]Here is one example of the far-reaching harmful effects of these bills. Both bills would flatly ban the possession, sale, or use of technologies that "conceal from a communication service provider ... the existence or place of origin or destination of any communication". Your ISP is a communication service provider, so anything that concealed the origin or destination of any communication from your ISP would be illegal -- with no exceptions. If you send or receive your email via an encrypted connection, you're in violation, because the "To" and "From" lines of the emails are concealed from your ISP by encryption. (The encryption conceals the destinations of outgoing messages, and the sources of incoming messages.)[/quote]

[Slowly]

Ask those idiots to check how they are going to implement this. It sounds like it would change the way most business in those states communicate with each other. Kcbass

[Philip OKeefe]

I don't forsee this passing - big (and small) business needs security and encryption for security reasons. There ARE people and organizations using these technologies to hide their illegal activities, but there are many legit uses. Besides, you don't REALLY think there's anythingout there that the NSA CAN'T read if they want to, do you? All this would do is make things a bit easier for them in terms of time. Not worth the hubub it will cause over constitutional / privacy issues IMO.

[Gtoledo3]

Hmmm, this has been in the works for quite awhile, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it got pushed through. I first read about this effort about 6 years ago in the Wall Street journal. Our government has beeen really keen on being able to keep all encryption codes on file.

[NYCDrew1642606430]

Yes, but this is just because the proposed bill has not been fleshed out yet. Soon, they'll have a subcommittee doing the dirty work, and they come back with proposals to amend the original scope of the bill. Phil, I kid you not, one could encrypt stuff that would take the NSA [b]months, maybe a year to dechiper[/b]. The simplest way to encrypt something is to enusre separate format and delivery of the keys - for example, send the encryption keys by mail (Fed EX)...it doesn't even have to be electronic...although that's the most efficient way.

[Brendan Orr]

Hmm, not good news for *nix users. If my state would ever pass something like that, I would move out. There is no reason to prohibit a user from keeping his/her computer secure. If the government wants to look at a computer, then they should get a warrant. Could you imagine what security vulerabilities could be unleashed if that happens. Even if ISPs have thier own firewall, they will certainly block certian ports that users might need. Besides, data isn't always transmitted across the internet, there are other forms of communication (I.e direct computer-to-computer and HAM radio). To Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Alaska, Colorado, and Tennessee: I say what nerve

[Super 8]

[quote]Originally posted by GT3: [b] I wouldn't be surprised at all if it got pushed through. [/b][/quote]I would. It'll NEVER sell! How are they going to handle E-commerce? Besides that, even if it DID pass I can see it now: 10 years in the making. Hacked and bypassed in 10 minutes. Lets just say, I'm not too worried...