The War on Encryption

[Sparko]

That why China takes the approach they have.
No need for inserting backdoors to do the encryption. Just install an app that screen-grabs everything and sends it to the government servers and insist that everyone installs the app. Lately they've even been insisting that tourists to a certain province (I can't recall the name, one with a number of Muslims living in it) install the app, or you don't visit.

the major backdoor with encryption is that the meatware on the other side needs to be able to read the message, so the message has to get decrypted.

I hear china monitors internet traffic in real time and can censor someone instantly. Total big brother over there.

[Raphael]

I hear china monitors internet traffic in real time and can censor someone instantly. Total big brother over there.

Their "Social Credit" system almost makes Big Brother look like the alpha product.

[Sparko]

Their "Social Credit" system almost makes Big Brother look like the alpha product.

yeah. just like that Black Mirror episode.

[Sparko]

This is interesting and a bit disturbing...

Amazon is reportedly teaching police how to get Ring footage without a warrant

Ring's "Law Enforcement Neighborhood Portal" shows police where Ring cameras are located on a map and makes it easy for them to request access to footage from individual Ring units without a warrant. Although the owners of the units are not legally obliged to hand over the footage, they may not feel comfortable turning down a request from law enforcement.
...
Even if a Ring owner does deny the request for footage, the police can still contact Amazon directly and request the footage through them, as reported by GovTech. If the request comes within 60 days and the footage has been uploaded to the cloud, Ring will hand it over. This essentially means that police have access to Ring footage whenever they want, even against the wishes of Ring owners.

https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/06/...olice-footage/

And...

Amazon asks police to advertise Ring cameras as part of partnerships



Amazon's fondness for surveillance camera technology apparently includes programs that ask homeowners to volunteer their own cameras. Motherboard has learned that Amazon has partnerships with US police departments that have law enforcement agencies advertising Ring cameras in return for free giveaway units and an anonymized portal where they can request footage directly from homes. While it's not as clandestine as it appears (more on this in a bit), there are worries the two sides are working too closely and encouraging locals to compromise their privacy.

In the case of Lakeland, Florida's police department, Amazon donated 15 camera-equipped doorbells and started a program encouraging Lakeland residents to download Neighbors, Ring's neighborhood watch app. Every qualifying download counted as $10 toward the cost of another free doorbell. In return, Lakeland PD not only advertised Neighbors and Ring through "outreach efforts," but created Ring-specific roles like a point of contact and coordinators for the press, social media, investigations and the community. Ring told Motherboard the positions weren't mandatory, but an email from one Ring staffer said that the people in these roles needed to be part of the company's online training session.
https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/25/...-partnerships/