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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2010)
il'c JJorf land (Dbseruer__________________ August is, 2010 Page 8 Bans Reflect Unease with Encryption Technology a hurdle for law enforcement The foreign governments are essentially a decade behind in com ing to terms with encryption, a tech nology that's fundamental to the Internet as a medium of commerce. Encrypted communications are (AP) — Threats by the govern scrambled in a complex process to ments o f India, the United Arab ensure that only the intended re Emirates and Saudi Arabia to shut cipient can read them, using the down BlackBerry's corporate e-mail proper digital key. This often takes services reflect unease about a tech place behind the scenes, without nology that the U.S. government the user needing to do anything. also took a while to accept. When you submit your credit card Governments in India and the Middle East have considered shutting down Blackberry’s corporate e-mail services because of . Encrpytion, a technoglogy that keeps correspondence private, but poses problems for law enforcement. Ulicious Smokehouse & Grill 1505 N.E. KillingsworthSt. 503-477-3958 House Hours Mon-Thurs 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m .- 10 p.m. Sunday 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. All dinners with two sides o f your choice for $9.95 potato salad BBQ beans Cole slaw or beans and rice. number on a shopping site, the com munication is encrypted. When you log in to your bank's site, that con nection is encrypted as well. Most companies use encrypted connections for their corporate e- mails, at least if employees need to access e-mail outside the office through virtual private networks and other secure systems. One o f the reasons Research In Motion Ltd. has been so successful with its BlackBerry phones is that it brought that level o f security to e-mail-ca- pable phones. Encryption, however, poses a problem for law enforcement offi cials. They can intercept encrypted messages, but can't read them, un less the encryption is poor and agents have vast com puter re sources to use in unscrambling them. Traditional investigative tools such as wiretaps don't work. Canada's RIM and other technology compa nies stress that they agree to legal requests from law enforcement, but in RIM's case, it can't decrypt the messages on its corporate e-mail service. BlackBerrys seem to have been singled out by foreign governments because the devices provide an easy and convenient way to communi cate securely. But there are many other ways to communicate in an encrypted fashion, and any gov e rn m e n t th a t's se rio u s ab o u t squelching encrypted communica tions would need to go after them as well. According to a representative o f Indian Internet service providers, the Indian government plans to go after Google Inc., presumably for its Gmail service, and Skype SA for its voice and video conferencing soft ware. The U.S. State Department has waded into the issue, saying it hopes to broker a compromise that ad dresses the legitimate security con cerns o f some governments while ensuring that the free flow o f infor mation is not compromised. That's somewhat ironic, consid ering the U.S. restricts exports o f encryption technology. The restric tions are light, but were quite com prehensive before 1999. The U.S. was concerned that it couldn't eas ily spy on foreign countries that used encryption for military and government communications. Smart Phone Apps Keep the Faith Chiropractic Auto Injury Clinic, PC Zchon R. Jones, DC 333 NE Russell St., #200, Portland, OR. 97212 (503) 284-7838 Truly making a difference in the lives of Auto Accident victims and Injured Workers for nearly 20 years. If you or someone you know has been in an accident, call us so we can help you with your needs. (503) 284-7838 We are located on the corner o f MLK and Russell Street, on the second floor above the coffee shop. Parkins Aiea JU N E Russell *200 Russell St. Technologies merge with beliefs (AP) — The most ancient tradi tions o f Islam are going high-tech, with a slew o f modem offerings for those observing the holy month o f Ramadan, which began this week. Cell phone ap plications such as "iP ra y " or "iQuran" offer a beeping reminder o f requisite prayer times, while the "F ind M ecca" and "m o sq u e finder" programs help the Muslim traveler in an unfamiliar city find the nearest place to pray. The applications aren't just for Ramadan; there are Islamic-themed programs that help users find the nearest Costco offering foods pre pared according to Islamic dietary rules, learn the correct Arabic pro nunciations in a daily prayer, or count how many pages o f the Quran they've read that day — all on a mobile phone. There also are applications, or apps, for the holy books o f several other religions, from the Catholic Holy Bible to the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture. T h e f ir s t tim e S u m e y y e K alyoncu heard the Adhan — or call to p ray er— through surround- sound speakers on her iPhone dock, she was overcom e with nos talgia for her native Turkey. Such applications are especially popu lar in the U.S., Kalyoncu said, as U.S. m osques do not broadcast daily calls to prayer from external loudspeakers, as they do in M us lim countries.
