Hijackers can frame the innocent in Digital Economy Act

Articles, Communications/information, News articles, Technology No Responses »
May 162010

By Aine Gormley

The Digital Economy Act (DEA), which will come into effect over the next 12 months, will make the targeting of internet users who breach copyright laws more likely. But flaws in technology that allow criminals to hijack Internet connections may wrongly force service suspensions and fines on innocent users.

Currently, it is the copyright holders who must uncover the identity of those who breach their copyrights. If a user offers a song or film for free, through peer-to-peer file sharing, the unique address of their Internet connection, or Internet provider (IP) address, is visible. The copyright holders then have to obtain a court order for the Internet service provider (ISP) to identify the customer.

A peer-to-peer system of nodes

Under the DEA, an ISP must issue warning letters to suspected infringers, suspend Internet connection to repeat infringers, and may be criminally liable to a maximum of £50,000.

BitTorrent, one of the most common peer-to-peer file sharing protocols, said: “As a result [of the DEA] everybody will have to stop online sharing, providing the entertainment industry with the possibility to net billions.”

Andrew Heaney, telecommunications provider TalkTalk’s director of strategy, said: “What the Digital Economy Bill proposes is to place a burden of responsibility on the person owning the internet connection.”

Despite the fact that often more than one person uses the same IP address; the most computer savvy copyright thieves can cover their tracks by hijacking other connections. This has wrongly identified hundreds of people, according to Deborah Prince, the head of Legal Affairs at Which?, a consumer advocacy organisation.

File sharing has become a serious problem for the music and film industry. The new act will ensure the ISP takes responsibility to stop copyright theft, and aims to stimulate the UK’s digital economy. Thus 189 out of 236 MPs passed the bill on 8 April .

It has been dubbed as the right idea, but wrong approach. “You have to prove it wasn’t you who pirated that film, otherwise you risk being disconnected,” Heaney told the Guardian.

Prince added, “We urge the estimated five million people in the UK who have unsecured wireless networks to secure their connections immediately. This will stop them from being wrongly blamed for any illegal activity.”

Posted by Aine Gormley at 3:50 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

No scan, no flight

Articles, England, Health, Location, National, News articles, Policy, Science, Technology, UK 2 Responses »
Feb 082010
By Charlotte King

In the wake of the attempted aircraft bombing on Christmas day, compulsory full-body scans have been introduced by the UK government as part of pre-flight security checks on passengers travelling from Heathrow and Manchester airports.
According to the Home Office, the current terrorism threat level in the UK is ‘severe’, the second highest possible. This means a terrorist attack is considered highly likely.

The new full-body scanners could help detect and deter terrorists, but not everyone will be scanned, and the selection process is not well defined. Lord Adonis, Transport Secretary, said: “If a passenger is selected for scanning and declines, they will not be permitted to fly,” and the Department of Transport’s interim code states that passengers cannot be selected by profiling - based on gender, age, race or ethnic origin.

Manchester airport has been trialling full body scanning using x-ray technology since October 2009. So far, passengers have been scanned on a voluntary basis, but now it will be compulsory.
The scanners are based on backscatter technology, which involves firing low level x-rays at the body and then analysing the response as the radiation is reflected back. The resulting pattern varies depending on the materials the x-rays hit, uncovering hidden items. Each scanner costs around £80,000.

Although there are concerns about the safety of exposing passengers to x-ray radiation, an assessment by the Health Protection Agency showed that the total dose received in one scan is less than a single hour’s background radiation – which occurs naturally.
The backscatter technology differs from traditional x-ray machines, such as those used in hospitals, where x-rays fully penetrate the body and can cause harm with repeated exposure.

BAA Heathrow said: “the technology will better enable the detection of concealed items while allowing passengers to remain fully clothed.”
However, many are concerned about privacy, including Big Brother Watch (BBW) - a campaigning group which aims to protect civil liberties and personal freedoms. Director of BBW Alex Deane said: “what kind of a free society does the government think it is ‘protecting’, when it invades our privacy like this?”.
Airport staff are allowed to scan anyone, including children, although the images are immediately deleted after they have been examined. In addition, the staff who select scanning subjects do not view the images themselves. The whole process takes only around seven seconds, but the images do not leave much to the imagination.

Ian Hutcheson, BAA Security Director said: “The security and safety of our passengers and staff is BAA’s first priority. The introduction of full-body scanners and other technology is one significant step towards a more robust defence against the changing and unpredictable threat posed by terrorists”.
BAA plans to install scanners in each of the five terminals at Heathrow. There are also plans to install scanners at Gatwick and other UK airports.
Posted by Charlotte King at 10:07 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , ,