Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are!

[pwhodges]

I have a couple of friends in the security services and you may well be shocked at half the things which certain agencies are able to do; and these are only the things which they are allowed to repeat

Shocked? By no means - but you said "every email". That is so blatantly beyond the capability of the infrastructure that exists (as opposed to what is technically possible) as to be absurd. There is also a huge difference between seeing the logs showing what emails went where (through ISP servers - but many emails never go near those), and looking at the contents, even automatically, and ignoring encrypted mail. Now selectively, that could be another matter.

 

Paul

[Brian Childs]

Granted - but under the circumstances, one would be unlikely to be able to make any comment to this effect, and still retain anonymity.

 

Surely that would depend on how you chose to present your comment. If you forego use of the "I" word and/ or are careful about your phraseology you might manage it might you not ? Obviously, calling yourself X and then writing "at my recent recital at Christminster Abbey" or wherever is unlikely to retain the feline within the confines of the receptacle but what if you wrote "I have it on impeccable authority (ie myself) that the recent recitalist at Christminster Abbey told his partner that he found it impossible to take what he was asked to play seriously but was not prepared to pass on the generous fee on offer" ?

[pcnd5584]

Shocked? By no means - but you said "every email". That is so blatantly beyond the capability of the infrastructure that exists (as opposed to what is technically possible) as to be absurd. There is also a huge difference between seeing the logs showing what emails went where (through ISP servers - but many emails never go near those), and looking at the contents, even automatically, and ignoring encrypted mail. Now selectively, that could be another matter.

 

Paul

 

Typed in haste - obviously not every e-mail. Nevertheless, it is wise to be careful.

[pcnd5584]

Oh, yes; we know that. They could tell you what you did, with whom, 2007/ 08/12 at 3.23 A.M.

But did they ever empeach any of the catastrophes that happened these last years ?

It is like driving a Porsche in a field: the best can be the ennemy of the good.

 

Pierre

Unfortunately this is true, Pierre.

[SomeChap]

Shocked? By no means - but you said "every email". That is so blatantly beyond the capability of the infrastructure that exists (as opposed to what is technically possible) as to be absurd. There is also a huge difference between seeing the logs showing what emails went where (through ISP servers - but many emails never go near those), and looking at the contents, even automatically, and ignoring encrypted mail. Now selectively, that could be another matter.

 

Paul

 

Thanks to pcnd for clarifying what he meant, but this is still good stuff IMO. I'd also add that gathering all this data is one thing; getting the data you've gathered into an accessible and searchable format is quite another. Part of my job is to help companies do just that, in preparation for litigation. I'm slowly getting used to their faces going white when I explain to them just how much it will cost.

 

The world loves technology, but understanding of it is patchy. This means that things aren't as joined-up as the big tech companies would have us all think. (eg You just try converting Lotus Notes email into a format you can read in Outlook. Now try doing it for 50 people's email. Now try 5000 people's...)

 

I would however say that this fact doesn't necessarily stop agencies of different types from trying their best to apply the level of surveillance we've been talking about.

[pcnd5584]

Thanks to pcnd for clarifying what he meant, but this is still good stuff IMO. I'd also add that gathering all this data is one thing; getting the data you've gathered into an accessible and searchable format is quite another. Part of my job is to help companies do just that, in preparation for litigation. I'm slowly getting used to their faces going white when I explain to them just how much it will cost.

 

The world loves technology, but understanding of it is patchy. This means that things aren't as joined-up as the big tech companies would have us all think. (eg You just try converting Lotus Notes email into a format you can read in Outlook. Now try doing it for 50 people's email. Now try 5000 people's...)

 

I would however say that this fact doesn't necessarily stop agencies of different types from trying their best to apply the level of surveillance we've been talking about.

 

Thank you for this.

 

Occasionally I have to type posts very quickly (just before the start of a lesson), so I do not always have time to think or read through what I have written - at least that is my excuse....

[Pierre Lauwers]

Warning: "belgian humor on": The lessons are said and gone, (too) quickly forgotten,

while the writings remain. "belgian humor off".

 

Pierre

[Guest Echo Gamba]

Firstly, Stephen Dutfield IS my real name - I mean who on earth would choose that of their own accord! I am the South-Western District Secretary for the Theatre Organ Club, and the nearest I get to being a classical organist is to be an F.R.C.O. in the Robin Richmond sense (Fairly Rotten Cinema Organist!)

 

S

 

Malcolm Archer used to use a similar version, but substituting "church" for "cinema" and another word for "fairly"....

[Guest Roffensis]

Absolutely.

 

It is probably best to remain anonymous. I think I shall also remove the link to my website which is on my profile.

 

 

Yes, I agree. There are many websites out there with profiles and information on them. Whatever happened to real social contact? Today, people seem to keep in contact more by text and the internet.

 

The Mander site is an excellent site, but I think it prudent to be anonymous. Identity theft is common today. Privacy is fast disappearing out of modern culture, together with others respect for it.

 

All best,

 

R

[nfortin]

I still instinctively feel that it is to some extent cowardly to hide behind an alias. However, it is now time for nfortin to say "Au Reviore". I intend to continue to contribute to discussions under a new name, I'm sure the odd comment on pet topics will soon identify me to regulars!

[dcmbarton]

A lot of people think that they are anonymous online, particularly by using obscure usernames etc., but I generally find that it isn't that difficult for them to mention something in passing which gives them away. Links to websites etc. are a dead giveaway! To be quite honest, I'm not really bothered whether people know who I am or not. In the end, I'm 'me' whether I use an different username or my own.