[Gllug] email logging

[SteveC]

Envelope information (to, from, time..) is often good enough but in many
ways this is a lost war, RIPA was passed some time ago. I think some of
the data retention instruments still have to be enacted. Oh and there
are EU things on this going through.

* @ 11/07/05 01:57:35 PM addw at phcomp.co.uk wrote:
> Below is a letter that I wrote to the BBC PM radio programme. Anyone got
> any comments just in case they do 'phone me:
> 
> 
> 
> Subject: Keeping email records
> 
> Hi,
> 
> this is completely misguided as it will not do much to stop savvy criminals/terrorists
> but will impose a cost on the 'innocent' rest of society.
> 
> Why ?
> 
> There is an assumption that *all* email passes through the ISP email servers.
> Although most people do, not everyone does. It is easy to arrange for email
> to be send direct to your home PC bypassing the ISP's email servers - I do
> this because I want to experience the day to day issues of working like this
> (I am an IT consultant). Corporations (eg the BBC) do this as a matter of
> course and I know many individuals who do this because it is fun.
> 
> OK: get the ISP to log all TCP connections to port 25 (technobabble meaning
> detect & record direct email transfers). The work/cost to the ISP to do this
> will be great. Once it is known that this sort of 'sniffing' is done, then
> the criminals will start using non standard port numbers for instance port 80
> (eg disguise email traffic as web traffic) or something else.
> 
> None of this is technically difficult to do, but hugely increases the cost
> to the ISP and the cost to the police of analysing this data.
> 
> Yes: this logging will catch naive criminals, but it would be a mistake to
> think al-Qaeda naive.
> 
> If you want to further explore what I have written - phone me on the number
> below.
> 
> -- 
> Alain Williams
> Parliament Hill Computers Ltd.
> Linux Consultant - Mail systems, Web sites, Networking, Programmer, IT Lecturer.
> +44 (0) 787 668 0256  http://www.phcomp.co.uk/
> 
> #include <std_disclaimer.h>



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have fun,

SteveC steve at fractalus.com http://www.fractalus.com/steve/
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