OpenNet Initiative investigates, surveillance practices

Governments in many parts of the world have been aggressively adopting a new generation of controls aimed at filtering and controlling information flow on the Internet, citing concerns such as cyber security, crime and terrorism, according to the OpenNet Initiative.The OpenNet Initiative, which says it “investigates and analyses Internet filtering and surveillance practices in a credible and non-partisan fashion,” in its updated study released last year titled, “Access Controlled: The Shaping of Power, Rights, and Rule in Cyberspace,” said that it was fast becoming the global norm to control information flow on the Internet. The OpenNet is a collaborative partnership between the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, the Berkman Centre for Internet and Society at Harvard University, and the Ottawa-based SecDev Group.Asked whether the trend was likely to become more pronounced, given the recent developments in the Middle East, one of the contributors to the study, Ethan Zuckerman, a senior researcher at the Berkman Centre, said, “In general, we see governments becoming more aggressive and more overt about their Internet filtering.”The OpenNet has described the recent Internet blackout in Egypt as ‘just-in-time-blocking' - when information flow is brought to a halt during critical times such as political crises, elections, or social unrest. Discussions have resurfaced about the deployment of 'Internet kill switches,' a way in which nations could snuff out the Internet when such a crisis occurs.“For all the talk of Internet kill switches, turning off the Internet is a relatively easy and unsophisticated thing to do. What is hardest to do is filtering on finer, more granular levels,” Mr. Zuckerman.
The first-generation controls were deployed primarily at Internet “choke points,” places in the network where Internet addresses that had been blacklisted by the authorities could be filtered and blocked. These were mainly the gateways run by the Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The number-based IP addresses connected to particular websites or domain names could be used for the blocking. Keywords could also be used in weeding out proscribed sites or pages. Reports of watchdogs such as the OpenNet and Freedom House indicate that though not pronounced, selective filtering has been a part of the Indian Internet scene. Google's Transparency Report for the first half of 2010 also shows that India is among the nations from where a number of government inquiries for information about users and requests to remove or censor content emanate.“As far as censorship of Internet goes in India it is still first generation in terms of blocking and filtering at the Internet choke points. However, the Indian government has made and is making several moves that continue to undermine privacy and anonymity on the Internet. This has a chilling effect on freedom of expression and information accessing behaviour on the Internet,” says Sunil Abraham, executive director of the Bangalore-based Centre for Internet and Society.Second and third generation techniques of Internet filtering, as described in Access Controlled, are “more subtle, flexible, and even offensive in character,” often using legal regulations to supplement or legitimise technical filtering measures, extralegal or covert practices. These include the use of viruses to infiltrate computer systems, the launching of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and surveillance at strategic points in the Internet and telecommunications infrastructure. The DDoS attacks involve directing traffic of such large volume at targeted sites during a particular period, in order to crash them, or keep them largely inaccessible. Counter-information campaigns could also be mounted, supplemented by policy measures and other strategies, including legal ones.Governments have also been assiduously building up capabilities for monitoring and intercepting the large volume of information that flows on the Internet, including email, which mostly flows through the infrastructure of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Internet exchange points. In the Indian context, the I.T. Act “along with the ISP licences allows for blanket surveillance and also data retention,” says Mr. Abraham.It is difficult to say if this sort of monitoring and interception is really effective in countering terrorism and other national security threats, says Mr. Zuckerman. “I don't believe trading privacy for security is a fair trade.”

source-hindu

Anti-sec - group of hackers to keep security

Anti-sec is the group of underground hackers; and they are here with the cause. They say big no to promoting Hacking related open materials and making it a child’s play. This is probably the revulsion to combat evil trends in cyber arena and control over this deservedly elite occupation which has been encroached by larger commercial groups such as virus creators, antivirus producers, that the movement is more a rebellion against that. This group came in lime light after hacking “imageShack’ one of the most popular image hosting service in the cyber world. Anti-Sec Movement, staunchly dedicated to the eradication of “full disclosure” hacked this world’s largest image hosting site, played around with their own ideas and they replaced the images uploaded by users with that of their own, which is supposedly the image of the manifesto of ‘their movement’. The entire visual display was rounded off with the message “no images were harmed in the making of this.. Image.”

Anyways nobody could deny their abilities after the attack of milw0rm. Anti-secs want to keep security - in particular, exploits - private. In way they are right because inj3ct0rs were getting bad name because of open display of exploits. There are evidences that the exploits were used by antinationalist for elicit purpose. Milw0rm is their nemesis. There's a discernible political bent to their writings and ratings. While we see a general shift on the internet towards the idea that "information just wants to be free", the anti-sec people don't agree with this when it comes to matters of security. From a white-hat point of view, they're saying that full disclosure actually causes more damage than if only a select few, capable, and not necessarily malevolent, people were to know about any particular exploit. So far it’s not clear that there's a tad of immaturity and insecurity in these people or they really want to work in the interest of cyber security, and one should appreciate that. The common claim of the Movement is that “full disclosure is the disclosure of exploits publicly - anywhere.” the security industry for making profit due to “full-disclosure” with “scare tactics” that were intended to make the public purchase anti-virus software and firewalls. Well, with their daring “heist”, the members surely have managed to across loud and clear the gist of their intention.

In other terms you can say this movement is kind of fight or crusade against the traditional for-profit computer security industry. They think that publicizing security holes and those hole's exploits causes more pain than it helps. They also seem to be kind of anti-capitalist and are very talented security researchers. Antisec are the kind of amazing group of hackers who don't want profit from fear. Generally Hackers are known for creating deterrence, fear and penetrations. Here is this group to sabotage such intentions of Dark side of cyber world. There are so many myths and misconceptions about them but the fact is that they at least have credibility. These guys are sticking to their guns and keeping the hacking underground just that, underground. Anti-sec is a response to the fear-mongering era of 1998 - 2004 when every hanger-on wannabe computer guy became a security researcher and started publishing "advisories". Between dotcom bubble eras to 9/11, everybody was a security guy, and not only that, but the "security guy" was pointing the finger at the hacker community every time a script kiddie defaced some web page. Those most sec guys are snake-oil salesmen and absolutely deserve no sympathy. If they're gonna bad-mouth hackers and promise protection to everyone then let them protect themselves from the real Hackers; by and large, they're out-gunned and out-skilled.

There are many so called security ( tech or defense agencies) minting money over suing the tag of Hacker, they have made it business, every year thousand of hackers are (youngsters) manufactured in their so called industry but still nation lacks hundreds of security personals towards national security. This is irony and here is need of someone to stop these ‘manufacturers of hackers’, I think hackers like Anti sec are the proper takers on these morons. Anti-sec doesn't go after civilians, by the way. The another biggest threat today is there are hundreds of exploit writers around the globe, One group publishes exploits and carries out mayhem for fun so make such high profile hacks were attempted just because of open display of these exploits. It doesn't matter what they are or what they do and why they do the most important thing is they are here with the Cause, and that is nothing but the security at large.
The Anti Security Movement or popularly written as Anti-sec is a popular movement opposed to the computer security industry. It attempts to censor the publication of information relating to but not limited to: software vulnerabilities, exploits, exploitation techniques, hacking tools, attacking public outlets and distribution points of that information. Movement followers have cited websites such as Security Focus, Security team, Packet Storm Security, and milw0rm to be targets of their cause, as well as mailing lists like "full-disclosure", "vuln-dev", "vendor-sec" and bugtraq, as well as public forums and IRC channels. The start of most public attacks in the name of the anti-security movement started in around 1999 and 2000. The "anti-security movement" as it is understood today was coined by the following document which was initially an index on the anti.security.is website. The purpose of this movement is to encourage a new policy of anti-disclosure among the computer and network security communities. The goal is not to ultimately discourage the publication of all security-related news and developments, but rather, to stop the disclosure of all unknown or non-public exploits and vulnerabilities. In essence, this would put a stop to the publication of all private materials that could allow script kiddies from compromising systems via unknown methods.

A common misconception is that if groups or individuals keep exploits and security secrets to themselves, they will become the dominators of the "illegal scene", as countless insecure systems will be solely at their mercy. This is far from the truth. Forums for information trade, such as Bugtraq, Packetstorm, www.hack.co.za, and vuln-dev have done much more to harm the underground and net than they have done to help them. This was one of the first anti-security hacktivist groups. The group waged war on the security industry with their popular assault known asAnti-Sec. In a nutshell, this group doesn't like websites that promote security. If a website provides different methods for safety then Anti-Sec wants to blank their site. They want to take away the ability of organizations to sell their services.

No one knows about this group so far, they don’t have any sort of forum or website or any traces where the members can be located, and if someone clames about knowing them, then It can subject to doubt. The kinds of hacks they have performed and beguile they blown against bigwigs are not in a mood to spare them, maintaining anonymity is compulsion for them. Still it’s very much interesting and leaves the reason to think about their agenda and activities. Bravo guys..

Read in details ,soon to be published “Cat Techie”………………….

Anonymous -internet-based super consciousness

In the recent past this group of hackers have done marvelous job, and the way they displayed their protest against all sort of atrocities was worth appreciating. I wish even Indian hackers have this much of unity and determination amongst them. Earlier it was a myth a social worker, or leader or some patriot can bring revolution and change the entire system, can get freedom for the country or protect against injustice. But these warriors have refuted all those claims by setting new trends in internet world.

The name Anonymous itself is inspired by the perceived anonymity under which users post images and comments on the Internet. Usage of the term Anonymous in the sense of a shared identity began on image boards. A tag of Anonymous is assigned to visitors who leave comments without identifying the originator of the posted content. As the popularity of imageboards increased, the idea of Anonymous as a collective of unnamed individuals became an internet meme.. The secretive organisation is being investigated in several countries over strikes on Visa, PayPal and others. The group retaliated overnight by breaking into the company's website and hijacking his Twitter account. Anonymous, known for being a loosely-knit group, has been involved in a number of high profile online protests and attacks in recent months. In December, the group launched a campaign in support of Wikileaks that disrupted services at MasterCard, Visa and other companies that had withdrawn support the whistle-blowing website. The strike led to police investigations around the world, and a number of arrests in Britain and the Netherlands. Whatever, but no one could stop them doing whatever they are determined to do. I feel proud of these hackers because they have that strength to change wrong equations of so called supreme power by gaining control of all the company's e-mail, erased its files, taken down their phone systems and placed copies of many internal documents online.

Anonymous, which started as an offshoot of the notorious 4Chan internet messageboard, has been linked to a number of virtual and real-world protests over recent years. As well as the Wikileaks attacks, it also orchestrated strikes on government services in Tunisia and Egypt in support of popular protests in those countries. It has also launched vociferous protests for the right to uncensored access to pornography online and taken action against an anti-piracy firm hired by Bollywood studios. It is involved in a long-running battle with the Church of Scientology, amid claims that the religious group stifles dissent. The group has previously claimed it has no real leadership, although some individuals have come forward from time to time to explain their motives.

Somewhere in December there was an interview on BBC of someone known as Coldblood, he said in that interview that "thousands" of people had joined the protests to support Wikileaks' right to publish the US government's classified diplomatic cables. "We are trying to keep the internet open and free but in recent years governments have been trying to limit the freedom we have on the internet," he said at the time. Coldblood confirmed that he was among five people arrested across the UK last month as part of the police investigation into the Wikileaks protests. Anonymous broadly represents the concept of any and all people as an unnamed collective. Definitions tend to emphasize the fact that the term cannot be readily encompassed by a simple definition, and instead it is often defined by aphorisms describing perceived qualities.Hackers from Anonymous, best-known for attacks on Scientology and Wikileaks detractors, Operation Payback" attacks against Mastercard and Visa in December; brought the name to Anonymous as an organized crime syndicate.

Anonymous are utterly democratic mass of untraceable Internet users who come and go as they please. And this group has thousands of members and big fan fallowing across the globe. . As an Internet meme it represents the concept of many on-line community users, or the on-line community itself, acting anonymously in a coordinated manner, usually toward a goal. They are also labeled as hacktivists who undertake protests and other actions under the notional title "Anonymous," which derives from the same meme. It is generally considered to be a blanket term for members of certain Internet subcultures.

Although not necessarily tied to a single on-line entity, many websites are strongly associated with Anonymous. This includes notable imageboards such as 4chan and Futaba, their associated wikis, Encyclopædia Dramatica, and a number of forums. Anonymous broadly represents the concept of any and all people as an unnamed collective. Definitions tend to emphasize the fact that the term cannot be readily encompassed by a simple definition, and instead it is often defined by aphorisms describing perceived qualities. Anonymous is the first internet-based super consciousness.

When it comes to big statements then this group is termed as a group of "hacktivists" who crippled websites in revenge for cutting off services to whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks are warned they will continue their "digital sit-in" in a campaign for total internet freedom. But this is a group of individuals who get together to decide they want to do something. One of the main goals of Anonymous is keep the internet free and open for everyone to use and not to censor data or anything that goes through the internet. It probably has angered some of the public but that it's a necessary evil.

At last I can get only one thing they are none other than a computer hacker, a tech savvy personas. Anonymous is made up from people everywhere. They have got people from all walks of life who are participating in it. But that does not mean it's going to turn into an all out cyber war. It's maybe one battle in a very, very long uphill struggle. Anonymous works on a day by day basis. People throw idea out there, and they like it enough and it sticks, the idea becomes reality.

Long live Anonymous

Move over Marx, Twitter is here

Revolution is no longer the long-drawn process it once was. If the events that took place in what is the most backward region on Earth last month are any indicator, we have just seen the birth of a new hero in the fight for justice: Social Networking. Opposition supporters talk near graffiti referring to the social networking site "Twitter" in Tahrir Square in Cairo Consider this: One slap to one vendor in some forgotten alley in Tunisia, his resulting suicide, a Tweet, and one page on Facebook, sparked off a movement on a scale never seen in modern times. Some call it the 'Butterfly Effect' - about how the fluttering wings of a butterfly can set off a tsunami half a world away - but for the Africans, cause and effect were very much in the same country, city and square. Egypt, Jordan and Yemen are on the verge of collapse, indeed, civil war. The agent of change: Social networking.

There are reports that spending too much time on Facebook, Twitter and the likes lead to people getting prone to eating disorders and often ruin their social life: How Hosni Mubarak, Samir Rafai and Ali Abdullah Saleh would wish this were true of the Arab world. In the UK, the Britain Police inspection body is only too aware of the efficiency of social networking sites in organising protests. Authorities will have to move faster to help contain the increasing number of protests, an Inspectorate of the Constabulary report said. "Large numbers of protesters can be organised in hours and change their focus in minutes through the use of social media and mobile phones," the report said. "Those responsible for commanding events must plan with this adaptability in mind." An opposition supporter lifts a placard at the front line near Tahrir Square in Cairo.

The report singled out UK Uncut, a protest group organised literally overnight by Twitter users upset at the government's plans to slash public spending and perceived tax avoidance by major British companies. The group has used social networking sites to help coordinate their actions, including a live mapping service intended to help protesters dodge police cordons.
The report said that police forces -- many of whom have long been working to expand their online presence -- would have to consider how best to communicate with tech-savvy protesters.
All said, police forces the world over have been reduced to playing the catch up game with a people determined to not remain quiet anymore. Voices, hitherto lacking confidence and hence considered unimportant, have begun to be heard, and the internet is the loudspeaker.
How? Social networking sites, if nothing else, are accessible, and, above all, affordable. There is no cost of printing pamphlets, no problems about 'reaching the people' and thousands can be mobilised with one click of the mouse. They are a far cry from the European and Marxist traditions of organising demonstrations that are prevalent in the subcontinent.

A Trinamul Congress rally at Esplanade in Kolkata. In India, protests take days to organise: First, posters sprout up all over the city; next, an autorickshaw/handcart/Maruti 800 passes by in the narrow lanes blaring propaganda through rustic loudspeakers, making sure to mention the date and venue of said protest. And sure enough, on D-day, thousands turn up by the truckloads; rallies and flags would throng the streets; and by 6pm, after much sloganeering, everyone one dusts off, packs up, goes home and ponders over a day well spent.
In Egypt, it was Google executive Wael Ghonim's Twitter post, the day before he was whisked away by Cairo's police, that launched the Egypt uprising. One hundred and forty characters summed up three decades of angst: Pray for #Egypt. Very worried as it seems that government is planning a war crime tomorrow against people. We are all ready to die #Jan25. January 25, 2011. The day the internet ceased to be just a cache of information, and became the platform for the oppressed. A sign of better times. And for India, such a movement might just be waiting in the wings.

Source: India Syndicate