FITUG e.V.
Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft
FITUG e.V.Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft |
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http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000322/wr/technology_internet_2.html
Wednesday March 22 4:27 PM ET
No-Name Internet Use Poses Security Threat-Report
LONDON (Reuters) - An Internet system designed to guarantee anonymous free speech on the Web could be used by child pornographers and terrorists, according to New Scientist magazine.
Freenet was created by Edinburgh University graduate Ian Clarke and other programmers to make tracing the originators of a file impossible, thereby giving dissidents in countries without free speech a voice.
But the Internet Watch Foundation, an independent body that monitors Web sites in Britain, fears the decentralized system could be used for more sinister purposes.
``There is clear potential for misuse by criminals, terrorists and pedophiles,'' Roger Darlington, the chairman of the foundation, told the weekly magazine in its latest issue.
British police also warned that it could make policing the Internet and tracking down computer crimes even more difficult.
Freenet's authors are difficult to track down because files do not have a unique Internet address and are distributed on computers belonging to Freenet members.
``When a file is stored, it is given a key, Freenet's equivalent of a Web address. The software then forwards the data to other servers, but the creator of the file doesn't know to which. To retrieve a file, users enter the key,'' New Scientist said.
According to Clarke a single computer user cannot be held responsible for Freenet files because the originator cannot be traced.
``It's perfect machine anarchy,'' said Clarke. ``No single computer is in control.''