-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Thomas C. Greene wrote: > > It's likely were legally prevented from issuing a clear warning, > which is why I say they should have taken the service down in > protest. I don't know German law, but I'd be surprised if the > courts can force you to provide a communications service just so > the Feds can use it. IANAL, but can say the following: German law makes a distinction between a provider of communications services and teleservices. Privacy protection for Teleservices is regulated in the very strict Teleservices Data Protection Act (TDDSG, Teledienstedatenschutzgesetz), while privacy protection for general communcations services is regulated in the TKG (Telecommunications Act). Only for services regulated by the TKG the law enforcement agencies have a quite impressiv set of rights to request interception of communication and data about the communication. This includes installation of real time capabale backdoors at service providers cost and other cruelties. (Secret service agencies have further rights, not of interest here). The main problem in nearly any case is the distinction between a service that is governed by the Teleservices Act and a service that is goverend by the Telecommunications Act. The Telecommunications Act defines its area of responsibility like this: §3 TKG 16. ist "Telekommunikation" der technische Vorgang des Aussendens, Übermittelns und Empfangens von Nachrichten jeglicher Art in der Form von Zeichen, Sprache, Bildern oder Tönen mittels Telekommunikationsanlagen, 17. sind "Telekommunikationsanlagen" technische Einrichtungen oder Systeme, die als Nachrichten identifizierbare elektromagnetische oder optische Signale senden, übertragen, vermitteln, empfangen, steuern oder kontrollieren können, 16. "Telecommunication" is the technical event of sending, transmitting and receiving of messages of any type in the form of characters, speech, pictures or sounds via "Telecommunication systems". 17. "Telecommunications systems" are technical systems capabale of sending, transmitting, arbitrating, receiving or controlling electromagnetic or optical which are identifiable as messages. While the Teleservices Act defines its responsibility like this: § 2 TDG (2) 3. Angebote zur Nutzung des Internets oder weiterer Netze, 3. Services for usage of the Internet or other networks but in contrast: §2 TDG (4) (4) Dieses Gesetz gilt nicht für 1. Telekommunikationsdienstleistungen und das geschäftsmäßige Erbringen von Telekommunikationsdiensten nach § 3 des Telekommunikationsgesetzes vom 25. Juli 1996 (BGBl. I S. 1120), (4) This act does not regulate 1. Telecommunication services and the buisnesslike providing of telecommunication services according to § 3 of the Telecommunications Act ... Anyone with a barely awake mind sees that the wording of the law is outright stupid. Now decide for yourself if an anonymizing HTTP Proxy is a telecommunications service or a teleservice and take a wild guess what a court thinks a telecommunications service is. By the wording of german law nearly anything is Telecommunication, so the TDG has not a single case in which it would be applicable... ;-) (not even an implementation of RFC 1149 would be exempted ;-)) In the reality of german law practice the distinction between the two service types is drawn somewhat analogous to the OSI network layer model, the only discussion is on what level the line should be drawn. Law enforcement agencies naturally want the line drawn above the HTTP protocol, or even above that, so they can lawfully intercept email etc and don't have to reassamble single ATM frames or TCP/IP packages to get their information. Michael Schlenker -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPfreeware 6.5.8 for non-commercial use <http://www.pgp.com> iQA/AwUBP0XLLd2FxreVbySNEQITuQCg/jh86mDd71+FRNRCm2oD7SesKL8AnRPG rB0Ya2KdPWwFydG3BX7EIVk1 =WfEY -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html
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