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The Telecom Digest for January 25, 2012
Volume 31 : Issue 25 : "text" Format
====== 30 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
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we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime. - Geoffrey Welsh
See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer, and other stuff of interest.
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Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:54:28 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Reactions to Jones v. United States
Message-ID: <0ilqZD.A.slB.NOsHPB@telecom>
Reactions to Jones v. United States: The government fared much better
than everyone realizes
Tom Goldstein
SCOTUSblog
January 23, 2012
Below, Lyle recaps and analyzes the Court's opinion. Given the
significance of the decision and the uncertainty about its precise
holding, I thought I would add a few thoughts.
I think that the correct way to understand the case is to read it as
having two separate majority opinions. This odd alignment occurs
because Justice Sotomayor agrees with both theories: she agrees with
the majority "at a minimum" (Sotomayor op. at 1) and also seemingly
agrees with the concurrence's "incisive" conclusions (id. at 3).
Justice Sotomayor does not formally join the Alito opinion, but her
sympathy for its finding of a Fourth Amendment "search" in GPS
monitoring is fairly obvious, as she expresses a broader view of
privacy than any other member of the Court.
...
http://goo.gl/1s99k
United States v. Jones
http://goo.gl/k32uI
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:18:51 -0800
From: dplatt@radagast.org (Dave Platt)
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Cloud-based PBX service
Message-ID: <b1h1v8-lmk.ln1@radagast.org>
In article <4F1DF1E2.30104@horne.net>, <tmetro+telecomdigest@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>I've been hoping that we'd see more open source apps in hosted form, and
>we have seen some, but not really wide spread. Take for example virtual
>PBXs. It's entirely feasible that we could have seen an "Asterisk
>hosting" market develop much like web hosting, but it didn't happen.
>There is maybe one vendor that I know of that provides Asterisk hosting.
>The rest stick a proprietary GUI on top, or use an entirely proprietary
>solution. If things don't work out with your PBX provider, there is no
>way to download your config and prompts and upload them to another
>provider.
I suspect that this may because, at the moment, Asterisk configuration
file editing and development is rather like sendmail.cf editing back a
couple of decades ago.
These config files do not define a high-level language with clarity of
intention. Writing and debugging them is basically a process of
writing and debugging machine code or (at best) assembly language, on
a machine with a highly non-orthogonal instruction set, in a small
boat on a storm-tossed ocean, while consuming large amounts of
hallucinogenic drugs. A fun challenge for some of us... not so much
for others... and difficult to support in an "easy start" hosting
environment.
The fact that the "virtual machine" can change significantly from one
major Asterisk release to the next doesn't simplify matters, either.
A lot of fairly low-level hacking and pain is required, if you don't
use one of the "value-added" configuration GUIs. These seem to be at
mostly proprietary... perhaps because they're a good deal of work to
develop, may need somewhat different characteristics based on the
specific market being served, and not enough people have had the time
and energy to come together to develop a really outstanding
open-source version.
--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page:
http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do not wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:21:59 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Cameras May Open Up the Board Room to Hackers
Message-ID: <C0ApED.A.SlB.NOsHPB@telecom>
Cameras May Open Up the Board Room to Hackers
By NICOLE PERLROTH
January 22, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO - One afternoon this month, a hacker took a tour of a
dozen conference rooms around the globe via equipment that most every
company has in those rooms; videoconferencing equipment.
With the move of a mouse, he steered a camera around each room,
occasionally zooming in with such precision that he could discern
grooves in the wood and paint flecks on the wall. In one room, he
zoomed out through a window, across a parking lot and into shrubbery
some 50 yards away where a small animal could be seen burrowing
underneath a bush. With such equipment, the hacker could have easily
eavesdropped on privileged attorney-client conversations or read trade
secrets on a report lying on the conference room table.
In this case, the hacker was HD Moore, a chief security officer at
Rapid7, a Boston based company that looks for security holes in
computer systems that are used in devices like toaster ovens and Mars
landing equipment. His latest find: videoconferencing equipment is
often left vulnerable to hackers.
Businesses collectively spend billions of dollars each year beefing up
security on their computer systems and employee laptops. They agonize
over the confidential information that employees send to their Gmail
and Dropbox accounts and store on their iPads and smartphones. But
rarely do they give much thought to the ease with which anyone can
penetrate a videoconference room where their most guarded trade
secrets are openly discussed.
Mr. Moore has found it easy to get into several top venture capital
and law firms, pharmaceutical and oil companies and courtrooms across
the country. He even found a path into the Goldman Sachs boardroom.
"The entry bar has fallen to the floor," said Mike Tuchen, chief
executive of Rapid7. "These are literally some of the world's most
important boardrooms - this is where their most critical meetings take
place - and there could be silent attendees in all of them."
...
http://goo.gl/6Quak
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:43:56 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: How Apple is sabotaging an open standard for digital books
Message-ID: <SbcaaD.A.eFG.kh3HPB@telecom>
How Apple is sabotaging an open standard for digital books
By Ed Bott | January 22, 2012
Summary: For nearly two years, Apple has wooed digital book
publishers and authors with its unconditional support of the open
EPUB standard. With last week's introduction of iBooks 2.0, Apple has
deliberately locked out that standard. Here's why you should care.
...
http://goo.gl/HU0pw
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:48:11 -0500
From: danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Judge: Americans can be forced to decrypt their laptops
Message-ID: <Pine.NEB.4.64.1201241147470.1689@panix5.panix.com>
[CNET]
Judge: Americans can be forced to decrypt their laptops
American citizens can be ordered to decrypt their PGP-scrambled hard drives for
police to peruse for incriminating files, a federal judge in Colorado ruled
today in what could become a precedent-setting case.
Judge Robert Blackburn ordered a Peyton, Colo., woman to decrypt the hard drive
of a Toshiba laptop computer no later than February 21--or face the
consequences including contempt of court.
Blackburn, a George W. Bush appointee, ruled that the Fifth Amendment posed no
barrier to his decryption order. The Fifth Amendment says that nobody may be
"compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself," which has
become known as the right to avoid self-incrimination.
"I find and conclude that the Fifth Amendment is not implicated by requiring
production of the unencrypted contents of the Toshiba Satellite M305 laptop
computer," Blackburn wrote in a 10-page opinion today. He said the All Writs
Act, which dates back to 1789 and has been used to require telephone companies
to aid in surveillance, could be invoked in forcing decryption of hard drives
as well.
----
http://goo.gl/PYkbt
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:43:56 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Apple's mind-bogglingly greedy and evil license agreement
Message-ID: <0r13fD.A.EFG.kh3HPB@telecom>
Apple's mind-bogglingly greedy and evil license agreement
By Ed Bott | January 19, 2012
Summary: Over the years, I have read hundreds of license agreements,
looking for little gotchas and clear descriptions of rights. But I
have never, ever seen a legal document like the one Apple has
attached to its new iBooks Author program.
...
http://goo.gl/QqxK5
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:43:53 +0000 (UTC)
From: Koos van den Hout <koos+newsposting@kzdoos.xs4all.nl>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: A stake in the ground for IPv6
Message-ID: <jfmu59$jpq$6@kzdoos.xs4all.nl>
Doug McIntyre <merlyn@geeks.org> wrote in <4f1cf2d8$0$79803$8046368a@newsreader.iphouse.net>:
> If your ISP supports PPPoE (Qwest/Centurylink does), you most likely
> can put your integrated DSL modem/router into a bridge mode, and
> do the layer-3 termination on any device you choose beyond the bridge..
That's what I do (well, with pptp, because that is what my older ADSL2
modem supports).
> The biggest problem with DSL is that almost nothing in the consumer
> grade market supports IPv6 native for the DSL Modem/combo router.
> Even the latest boxes, let alone anything in the past. There are a few
> lesser brands mostly in Europe that do.
In particular:
AVM - all the latest Fritz! boxes support IPv6. As tunnels (like hurricane
electric) or as DHCP-PD or 6RD.
Technicolor - seems to have a new model supporting a form of IPv6, probably
DHCP-PD, but all I know is hearsay.
6RD is a method of configuring IPv6 by 'piggybacking' on IPv4 dhcp
requests.
DHCP-PD (prefix delegation) is a method of configuring IPv6 independently
of the IPv4 network.
Koos
--
Koos van den Hout, PGP keyid DSS/1024 0xF0D7C263 via keyservers
koos@kzdoos.xs4all.nl
Weather maps from free sources at
http://idefix.net/
http://weather.idefix.net/
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:41:50 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Google announces privacy changes across products; users can't opt out
Message-ID: <kEJDxB.A.qEG.kh3HPB@telecom>
Google announces privacy changes across products; users can't opt out
By Cecilia Kang, Tuesday, January 24, 4:33 PM
Google said Tuesday it will require users to allow the company to
follow their activities across e-mail, search, YouTube and other
services, a radical shift in strategy that is expected to invite
greater scrutiny of its privacy and competitive practices.
The information will enable Google to develop a fuller picture of how
people use its growing empire of Web sites. Consumers will have no
choice but to accept the changes.
The policy will take effect March 1 and will also impact Android
mobile phone users, who are required to log in to Google accounts
when they activate their phones.
...
http://goo.gl/heDNX
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:15:53 -0500
From: tlvp <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: GOP Presidential Hopefuls Experiment With Mobile Ads
Message-ID: <1o62eridku58g.erbcu47oxnyb$.dlg@40tude.net>
On Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:32:17 -0500, Monty Solomon wrote:
> Spending on mobile ads by political campaigns this election cycle
> will take up only a fraction of candidates' war chests, but the
> digital teams of GOP presidential hopefuls are busily experimenting ...
Please, no unsolicited SMS or MMS, at the carriers' current per message
charges, unless they can be delivered as "sender-prepaid".
Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:32:38 -0500
From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Iowa Senator cries "Foul" to LightSquared
Message-ID: <20120125023238.GA22601@telecom.csail.mit.edu>
Falcone fiasco
Billionaire tried to buy LightSquared OK: Sen.
By KAJA WHITEHOUSE
New York Post
New York billionaire hedge fund titan Phil Falcone's LightSquared 4G
venture, in danger of not getting the nod from Uncle Sam, tried to buy
the approval of a key lawmaker, according to a shocking letter the
senator released yesterday.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who is leading a Capitol Hill inquiry
into how the government came to give the project a partial approval,
said a representative of LightSquared earlier this month promised a
staffer that the lawmaker's support for the wireless program could
cement a Midwest call center, "possibly in Iowa."
Rest is at:
http://goo.gl/lX5we
--
Bill Horne
(Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:09:37 -0500
From: Fred Goldstein <fgoldstein.SeeSigSpambait@wn2.wn.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Some unanswered questions from January 2011
Message-ID: <qS9cPC.A.DMG.Qx3HPB@telecom>
On Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:08:57, Garrett Wollman wrote,
...
>In article <iCp5p.A.-iB.0BaHPB@telecom>,
>Fred Goldstein <fgoldstein.SeeSigSpambait@wn2.wn.net> wrote:
> >The correct answer, of course, is to phase out TCP/IP and move to
> >RINA
>
>What's your non-fantasy solution?
Longer term, RINA. It will become available (sorry, no date yet) and
will be simpler to use than TCP/IP, and adopting it will be simpler
than the misbegotten transition to IPv6.
Short term, learn from the basic research that John Day did, that went
into RINA. See his book "Patterns in Network Architecture". It helps
you deal with TCP/IP too. The basic lesson is that multiple layers do
the same thing (the pattern that recurses). But the original 1970s
designers of TCP/IP and the OSIRM (Day was its Rapporteur some years
after it was first designed) had the idea, in error, that the purpose
of the protocol stack was to do everything only once. So the TCP/IP
layers were groups of functions, not true layers, which are black
boxes.
So treat TCP and IP together (they started out as one protocol and
should be seen as one layer, with no boundary between them) as a sort
of DIF. Treat the IP address as a private matter to it. Then you
can converge another instance of TCP+IP atop it (or use UDP; it only
exists because the port number was erroneously put in TCP, when it
belonged in IP) if you need to -- hmmm, that's sort of what IPSec
does. Now view NAT as a simple function of the TCP+IP layer. Now
make the application use only names, no IP addresses inside the
application protocol. Because DNS is done by the application,
servers need non-NAT addresses for now, since their IP address forms
part of the actual name, but bear in mind that it's an error in the
stack design, a huge layering violation. And try to use applications
that pass along actual names, as HTTP does.
When you embrace or accept NAT as a local matter to one layer, you
become liberated from the need to use IPv6. That's worth the price
of admission, to carry you over until RINA (which passes the actual
name down the stack via its API, and has no other global addresses
since they're always local to a layer) is ready.
This is quite realistic. That IPv6 will actually replace IPv4 is the
fantasy. They've been trying for close to 20 years.
--
Fred Goldstein k1io fgoldstein "at" ionary.com
ionary Consulting
http://www.ionary.com/
+1 617 795 2701
***** Moderator's Note *****
I allowed Mr. Wollman's criticism of Fred's OP, so Fred has a right to
respond.
But, this has gotten beyond telecom (i.e., the impact of NAT on SIP),
so I'm closing the thread and setting followups to
comp.protocols.tcp-ip.
Bill Horne
Moderator
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecom-
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