> I am very suspicious of the USA, GPS and the Internet. I thought
> it was very significant how *quickly* they caught this latest
> dork spreading Miscrosoft virus. It was as if they went
> *straight* to him.

JT> That's nothing to do with GPS, that's just his idiocy. No-one
JT> said virus writers *had* to be smart.

 When I put myself in the midset of the American CIA, FBI, NSA etc,
I keep thinking the biggest threat to Security is not Osama, it is
the Internet. Kennedy created it to allow free communication via the
universties once radio and TV had been vaporised by nukes, and like
most things he started, it worked. Things have gone a lot less free in
the US since then.

 If I were CIA, FBI, NASA, etc... I would have *centralised* the Net
long-since. I would also ban free encryption (which they have done).
My guess is that the Net is no longer anonymous, no matter that you
think it is, and the way they homed on the new virus in 24-hours tends
to make me think that my guessiscorrect.

 I'm usually right, btw. I am 100% in Iraq so far...

> I know they spread the story he was registering the computers he
> infected, but durr... did anyone believe that?

JT> I would, they're not always very smart you know.

 He was smart enough towrite the code the do that... and didn't
think the FBI could use it to track him? Durr...

> My guess is that the USA (probably NSA) has centralised the total
> Net now.

JT> It was like that from the start Bob.

 No it was not. And is not... unless the entire Net has been
re-routed. To centralise the net, you have to put everything through
*one* node (or a small-enough number to monitor). The Net used US
universities originally, (thousands of them) and then ISPs as it grew.
It would be relatively easy to monitor the satellites, but the FBI
would want more than that...  

JT> Though I think your paranoia of the web has grown. It isn't
JT> like you think. 

 It's not paranoia if they *really* are out to get you. Once you
*do* centralise the Net, it gives you a magnificent tool for spying.
The US is spending $170Bn this year in Iraq... how much would they
spend to be able to eavesdrop on the Net? 

 It's easy enough to test... if you're game. Pretend you're Osama and
see how long it is before a suit turns up at your front door. BTW,
Osama no longer uses telephones or the Net. He uses *couriers*!

Regards,
Bob

--- BQWK Alpha 0.5