M$ provides police backdoor access to Vista.

[jabastien]

read about it in the Seattle Times and Techdirt
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/m ... law29.html
http://techdirt.com/articles/20080429/095514977.shtml

[Tsuroerusu]

I am sure the Chinese government peed their pants in excitement, when they heard of this!

[allix]

Ben will still run vista though

[Wally Balljacker]

Ben will still run vista though

I don't plan on using my computer for crime, so what do I have to be worried about?

[jturning]

I don't plan on using my computer for crime, so what do I have to be worried about?

The point would be if they have a back door, it could easily be exploited by anyone once it was exposed to the world. Also, for the same reason we didn't want the FISA legislation to get passed so the government could keep spying on Americans. If they can spy on everyone, it will eventually get used for evil. They'll collect dirt on everyone of consequence, i.e. Congressman and Senators, and before long you have an actual big brother state that does whatever they want with impunity. Sure, today law abiding citizens don't have anything to worry about, but down the road you could be persecuted for anything they decide is no longer acceptable, i.e. running an OS with no back door.

Supposedly, there is no back door with the USB key. It just has standard forensic tools currently available automated to complete the work more quickly. The interesting point is the work Microsoft is doing to help get computer forensic labs setup for law enforcement. Of course we do know that Microsoft has put in the DRM garbage related to content. And it's still suggested there is a backdoor to the bitlocker encryption package. They've bent over backwards for content producers, so I do think it's a good bet. We'll probably know when there is a big case on trial and the defense leaks it. I'm sure they'd use the same tactics like they tried with the EFF vs AT&T lawsuit to hide it.

Bugz

[dann]

Ben will still run vista though

I don't plan on using my computer for crime, so what do I have to be worried about?

Oh I don't know, maybe acquiring your software from pirate bay or bit torrent and using a crack might be of interest to their back door boys? Which I do believe you were kidding on that end in the other thread.

[MattKingUSA]

Ben will still run vista though

I don't plan on using my computer for crime, so what do I have to be worried about?

I plan on using your computer for crime.

[Wally Balljacker]

Ben will still run vista though

I don't plan on using my computer for crime, so what do I have to be worried about?

I plan on using your computer for crime.

Uh huh, well good luck getting into my network.

[MattKingUSA]

I'm just saying, you may not plan to do anything illegal...but I might. Anyway, this is not good if you live anywhere other than in the US. I wouldn't use MS trash if I were a company or goverment. I would be worried about my data being accessable from MS or police.

[karst]

hmmm Interesting. So lets just say A Russian company has some info on their systems that pertains to Russian national security...and these days what in Russia doesn't pertain to national security. If they use Vista The US can get the information. Talk about encouraging a "national champion". Or even steering away from that since we're unlikely to be at odds politically with the Russians of course. A Foreign company has a neat new development. A large US company asks it's congressional representative or even their senator to authorize some poking around through our handy back door. you know to "level" the playing field and all. The possibilities are endless.

[Vogateer]

Ben will still run vista though

I don't plan on using my computer for crime, so what do I have to be worried about?

This sounds like the "If you're not breaking laws, why worry about the police checking in on you" argument. Nice to see people are still willing to throw away 4th Amendment Rights without so much as a second thought. Glad our founding fathers bothered putting it in Bill of Rights...

If you need more reasons than the numerable instances where things like this have occurred due to no-knock warrants and other cases of 4th Amendment abuses, then think of Cardinal Richelieu, who is famous for saying, “Give me six lines written by the most honorable of men, and I will find an excuse in them to hang him.”

There's a reason why "trumped up charges" is a phrase. Give someone enough information on you, and they will be able to make it look like you've committed a crime, whether you have or not.

Then there's the whole point that the Fourth Amendment was meant to keep the federal government from getting involved in areas where it has no business. The Fourth Amendment should have prevented the most ludicrous laws we have (usually done in the name of the "war on drugs" and such), and abiding by that amendment would have prevented a lot of harm. It hasn't been enforced, and many people suffer because of it. Much the way the Government has no business in such affairs, Microsoft has no business in knowing what you do on your computer.

[Wally Balljacker]

Ben will still run vista though

I don't plan on using my computer for crime, so what do I have to be worried about?

This sounds like the "If you're not breaking laws, why worry about the police checking in on you" argument. Nice to see people are still willing to throw away 4th Amendment Rights without so much as a second thought. Glad our founding fathers bothered putting it in Bill of Rights...

This is totally different, all this does is allow the police to easily access the files on a computer that has been confiscated from a crime scene using standard tools. This isn't a backdoor. "It does not circumvent Windows Vista BitLocker encryption or undermine any protections in Windows through secret 'backdoors' or other undocumented means". This thread is completely misleading. If you commit a crime using your computer, expect the police to examine it regardless of what operating system it runs.

http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/t ... evice.html

[Vogateer]

I know this is tangential to the discussion about the device, but the argument "I don't plan on using my computer for crime, so what do I have to be worried about" is just too close to the "if you're not a criminal, why do you mind the police searching you" argument, since it assumes that nothing bad can happen to you if you haven't committed a crime, when in the case of other fourth amendment abuses, there are plenty of victims of police policies who've done absolutely nothing wrong, but have been left with dead pets and a household destroyed. If this device doesn't take any special advantage of a Microsoft "hook" then it seems kosher, but I still strongly dislike making a parallel argument to the "throw away your fourth amendment rights" argument.

There's always the chance that you'll be mistakenly placed in the police's crosshairs (they've gotten the address wrong before, among several other errors), and they'll use this device on you, and even though you didn't do anything wrong, someone else ends up getting access to your files, and someone lets loose on the rumor mill some private information about you or your family. Yes, this would happen without the COFEE device, but it also happens whether you've committed a crime or not, so not committing a crime doesn't exclude you from worrying about these things.