C I A non-profit venture capital company

[Donald ramsbottom]

Below is from a law ezine I receive (see after text for copyright details),
I could not resist posting the extract below. Now call me an old cynic but
who in the world would rely on anonymizing software, funded by the CIA,
even if the code is "open source", especially when millions if not billions
are spent by them trying to make sure they CAN track everybody down.

I'm not having a premature "senior moment" am I? Its not April Fools day is
it? Have I slept a whole month.........................................

"CIA BACKS ANONYMITY SOFTWARE


The Central Intelligence Agency's non-profit venture capital 
company, In-Q-Tel has zeroed in on software called Triangle 
Boy, which promises user anonymity on the Internet. Triangle 
Boy was developed by SafeWeb, a start up company in which In-
Q-Tel has invested about $1 million of its $30 million current 
fiscal year budget. SafeWeb's web site currently provides free 
access to an "anonymizer" that lets anyone surf anonymously 
and securely by typing in a Web address. It replaces the URL 
bar with a JavaScript implementation and establishes an 
encrypted connection from the user's desktop using 128-bit SSL 
with cookies automatically disabled. Triangle Boy, which has not
yet been deployed, will go still further, using SafeWeb's 
Privacy Matrix technology (patent pending) to allow users to 
get to SafeWeb's anonymizer through a third party. The code 
will be open source, allowing anyone to set up third-party 
access to the anonymizer. The CIA plans to use the technology 
primarily to protect the anonymity of its own employees as 
they do their work, but it would undoubtedly be used to gather 
information without leaving a trail as well. Further 
information may be found at 
https://fugu.safeweb.com/webpage/press_room/in_q_tel.html"

copyright stuff: BYTES IN BRIEF is a joint publication of Sensei Enterprises, 
Inc., an information technology consulting firm and Nelson & 
Wolfe, a business and technology law firm. The "designer" 
version of "Bytes" may be found at http://www.senseient.com


Donald Ramsbottom BA LLb (Hons) PGdip
Ramsbottom & Co Solicitors
Internet and Global Encryption Law Specialists & General UK  Law Matters
5 Seagrove Avenue Hayling Island Hampshire UK
Tel (44) 023 9246 5931 Fax (44) 023 9246 8349
Regulated by the Law Society in the conduct of Investment business
Service by Fax or Email NOT accepted