3 ms·

Google's roadblock is laudable and good, but perhaps a bit overdue. They were knowingly transmitting user data in plaintext outside of their physica

by fiber08 12y ago

Google's roadblock is laudable and good, but perhaps a bit overdue. They were knowingly transmitting user data in plaintext outside of their physical control. I dunno about that. Imagine you're the engineer reviewing the design doc for the system that does cross-colo data transfers on company owned fiber. Do you really expect to see a detailed encryption system in there? Or even any discussion? I'm not sure I'd have said yes even now, much less a year ago. I may be a minority and sound hyperbolic in saying this, but in many ways Snowden feels like something of a "9/11" for our industry: innocent assumptions we made prior (the company-internal network is safe; no terrorist would go down with the plane) just aren't true anymore..

rhizome 12y ago
If Snowden is 9/11 for "our industry," what does that say about Risen and Lichtblau's story describing NSA surveillance getting spiked by the NYTimes just before the 2004 elections, before eventually being allowed to be published over a year later? http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/16/politics/16program.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/16/politics/16program.html?pa... Those with innocent assumptions last year had their heads in the sand, and if we're talking about Google, Apple, et al, who claim to hire the best of the best, then that's a sad situation indeed. The simpler explanation is that it wasn't a problem to them until their customers found out.
MichaelGG 12y ago
The AT&T fibre splitting thing was in 2006, Room 641a. So well before Snowden, it was known that fibre tapping was being done. The connection runs outside your control, why would you think it would be safe? Maybe they didn't think it likely, but the threat was always present and available for anyone with the desire and resources to exploit.

3 ms·

Google's roadblock is laudable and good, but perhaps a bit overdue. They were knowingly transmitting user data in plaintext outside of their physica

by fiber08 12y ago

rhizome 12y ago
If Snowden is 9/11 for "our industry," what does that say about Risen and Lichtblau's story describing NSA surveillance getting spiked by the NYTimes just before the 2004 elections, before eventually being allowed to be published over a year later? http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/16/politics/16program.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/16/politics/16program.html?pa... Those with innocent assumptions last year had their heads in the sand, and if we're talking about Google, Apple, et al, who claim to hire the best of the best, then that's a sad situation indeed. The simpler explanation is that it wasn't a problem to them until their customers found out.
MichaelGG 12y ago
The AT&T fibre splitting thing was in 2006, Room 641a. So well before Snowden, it was known that fibre tapping was being done. The connection runs outside your control, why would you think it would be safe? Maybe they didn't think it likely, but the threat was always present and available for anyone with the desire and resources to exploit.