Thursday, February 21, 2008

Echelon



From Galloway's Introduction to Protocol:

"The process of converting domain names to IP addresses is called resolution. At the top of this tree are a handful of so-called "root" servers holding ultimate control...

There are just over a dozen root servers located around the world...

'With a stoke of the delete key, whole countries can be blacked out from the net. With the [root file] centralized, this is easily done... control the "." and you control access.'"


Scary, no? Although the global communications network is, in a way, decentralized, we now live in an era where control can be administered anytime, anywhere. The "monuments of power" which were once prevalent have been replaced with mysterious entities such as the FCC and NSA.

The concept that "freedom makes control possible" is very prevalent now. Bank transactions, personal information, pictures detailing who we know, where we live - are all laid out in a tangled, but still comprehensible network accessible to anyone with enough skill to decipher the code.

There exists a system whose existence has been acknowledged, but whose exact nature has yet to be determined (and, for the sake of security, likely never will). The ECHELON system is a "signals intelligence" gathering system spread out over several countries, including the United States. Ultimately, almost any form of communication can be intercepted - radio, cell phone, etc. - but the Internet, itself a wide-ranging electronic network, makes the job almost too easy.

Is this a little scary? Of course it is. How do I feel about it? Honestly, more apathetic than I should. The system has been attributed to a number of uses, from the grand purposes of stopping terrorists and drug dealers, to the seedy intentions of corporate espionage and data mining. Ultimately, the nature of power is dependent on the individuals in charge - the fingers grazing the so-called "delete" key.

Just a little something to think about.

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