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France Considers Banning Tor, Locking Down Public Wi-Fi

Despite the fact that the Paris attackers coordinated completed in the open via unencrypted devices, French politicians are considering locking down public Wi-Fi during public emergencies. According to the French newspaper Le Monde (via Motherboard), French law enforcement not only wants the ability to lock down free Wi-Fi during times of crisis, it is pushing for a complete ban on the anonymous (usually, anyway) Tor network.

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It's a fairly heavy-handed response that may prove impossible to enforce. Especially the blocking of Tor, which would require firewalls and filter technology on scale with the type used by governments like China.

The attackers themselves used traditional, unencrypted SMS to communicate, though the law enforcement and surveillance community was quick to try and demonize encryption in the wake of the attacks. Surveillance proponents were quick to use the tragedy to try and push an ongoing agenda to minimize encryption and mandate the use of backdoors in both mobile devices and network gear.

Banning public Wi-Fi (helpful for traditional civilians trying to communicate during an emergency) and Tor (helpful for journalists, whistleblowers, and anybody desiring privacy) might do more harm than good, and overshadows the fact that the exiting, traditional surveillance and law enforcement system failed to detect the Paris attacks. Neither public Wi-Fi nor the Tor network had much to do with that fact.

Most recommended from 37 comments



karlmarx
join:2006-09-18
Moscow, ID

20 recommendations

karlmarx

Member

Just more fear mongering

France is no different than the US in this respect. Something bad happens, and the knee jerk reaction is to blame technology for the problem. "Oh noooes, we had a terrist attack, we need to ban encryption". Guess what, encryption had NOTHING TO DO with the attack. The attackers used OPEN SMS texting and FACEBOOK to co-ordinate the attacks. That had NOTHING TO DO with Wi-Fi OR Tor OR encryption at ALL. Yet still, they use a culture of fear to try and get those things banned.
I've read the US government is concerned that the 'terrist' are using the Playstation Network and X-Box Live to co-ordinate their attacks. What now, you going to ban those? I'm 90% sure they already tap into those networks to monitor it.
Encryption exists simply because WE DON'T TRUST THE WATCHERS. Period. As Snowden so courageously showed us, the US government has it's tentacles in FAR MORE of our personal lives than anyone ever knew.
Well, if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide (what the neocons love to say). Guess what, I may not have done anything wrong TODAY, but what happens when the law changes tomorrow, and now they have a record of me 'breaking the law', before the law was even written. There was a quote about 30 years ago, that Russia would become more like the US, and the US would become more like Russia. Ever since 9/11, we have ALL been subjected to the heavy handed tactics of the american gestapho (homeland security). Why the HELL do I have to take off my SHOES to get on a damn airplane. I have ZERO problem going through a metal detector to catch a gun. I have a HELL of a problem being strip searched with technology just to get in the terminal. I for one, have NEVER gone though the scanners, I fly quite a bit, and I ALWAYS do a patdown instead of the scanners

Economist
The economy, stupid
Premium Member
join:2015-07-10
united state

10 recommendations

Economist

Premium Member

Just like piracy or anything else

All it will do is interfere with law abiding citizens. Ban tor and terrorists will just use something else. Ban guns and they will get guns some other way, use knives or worse, resort to more bombs. Criminals will always find ways of being criminals.
smk11
join:2014-11-12

9 recommendations

smk11

Member

Terrorism sure is great for authoritarian necons

France must "win the war on terror" and sacrifice liberty to achieve it.

Flyonthewall
@teksavvy.com

6 recommendations

Flyonthewall

Anon

I remember

After 9/11, when Americans were still too spooked to leave their homes, I think it was the prez who went on the record saying people could still be good consumers if they used the internet to make purchases. That's about the only thing missing from Frances over-reaction.

Locking down public wifi won't do anything, the terrorists are already there. Knee jerk responses designed to get people to give the government control over aspects of your life they have no business being in control of.

r81984
Fair and Balanced
Premium Member
join:2001-11-14
Katy, TX

3 recommendations

r81984

Premium Member

Insane

To block the internet is absolutely insane.
There is zero reason to block tor. Tor is more like the public service.

If you block tor, then people will just use pay services that will accomplish the same thing.

Why are people so stupid?
etaadmin
join:2002-01-17
united state

2 recommendations

etaadmin

Member

Tor is or seems to be already compromised

so why ban it? »www.techradar.com/us/new ··· -1300922 and many other sources.

It has been proved that if you run a high number of nodes you can 'deanonymise' its users and who could afford a high number of nodes? I can think of a few countries.

Banning TOR is probably a stunt to make people (terrorists in this case) believe that they are 'safe' using TOR hidden services or the TOR network, they are not.

I used to run TOR nodes and all I got is that my real IP addresses got blocked by a number of sites mainly Akamai and others »trac.torproject.org/proj ··· ckingTor