Interesting People mailing list archives
Dynamic IP address confusion results in wrong family raided
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 19:41:22 -0400
Begin forwarded message: From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com> Date: October 25, 2006 6:48:18 PM EDT To: dave () farber net Cc: lauren () vortex com Subject: Dynamic IP address confusion results in wrong family raided Dave, This story should raise the red flag for virtually all Internet users, since everyone is at risk for this sort of potentially serious misadventure: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061024-8062.html When an armed porn raid took place *at the wrong physical address* apparently based solely on ISP information derived from an IP address, the results could have been deadly. It appears that a dynamic IP address was incorrectly mapped to a subscriber. We've seen cases before where apparently nonsensical raids have been conducted for the MPAA based on IP addresses that may well have been incorrect. This isn't funny anymore, if it ever was. ISPs, search engines, and other sources of retained Internet user activity data are being treated as adjuncts of law enforcement, with the incredibly dangerous and faulty presumption that such data will always be accurate and reliable. In these kinds of situations, such errors involving retained data could get people killed. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein lauren () vortex com or lauren () pfir org Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 http://www.pfir.org/lauren Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org Co-Founder, IOIC - International Open Internet Coalition - http://www.ioic.net Co-Founder, CIFIP - California Initiative For Internet Privacy - http://www.cifip.org Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com DayThink: http://daythink.vortex.com ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
Current thread:
- Dynamic IP address confusion results in wrong family raided David Farber (Oct 25)