Skype Makes Chats and User Data More Available to Police: Good or Bad?

by Heisenberg Posted 2012/07/26 20:00:00

Related Topics: Skype, Police, Law Enforcement, Criminals

311 votes
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	Good	101 votes	32%
	Bad	210 votes	68%

WASHINGTONPOST.COM reports:
The changes have drawn quiet applause in law enforcement circles but hostility from many activists and analysts.

exclusive drawn quiet applause law enforcement circles hostility activists analysts

+12

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Kevin1111 2012/07/26 19:33:15

Bad

+11
The police do not care about justice or about right and wrong, they don't care about what kind of damage they do to you and your family. They only care if they can gather enough evidence to make it look like you've committed a crime. They think this is what they are supposed to do, so they use any means they are allowed to use, then they twist what they find around to make you look as guilty as possible.
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More polls by Heisenberg

*~Amelie~* to JonDeniro 2012/08/21 23:59:00

well then why would you have something to hide?

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Marek to *~Amelie~* 2012/08/15 19:50:44

+1
This kind of attitude from people enables the police state. You may be a saint and never do anything wrong in your own opinion. The state powers may have a different opinion and even if they don't, it is none of their business. If the police has reasonable cause they can get warrant from a judge. Obtaining personal information without restrictions is one of the pillars of the police state.

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*~Amelie~* to Marek 2012/08/22 00:10:13

I never said I was a saint, I've made mistakes and have misjudged things in the past, but nothing criminal, nothing so much as a speeding ticket.

I do believe the American police force work on the motto 'protect and serve' or something to that liking (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not American so not 100% on your culture etc).

Are you seriously telling me that if making a Skype chat log available to the police (notice AVAILABLE, not 'every single one is printed out and handed to the police just for funsies'), that if they suspected, for example, that a paedophile was grooming your child or grandchild, that you would be against the police using it to arrest the perpetrator? or if they suspected that skype was being used by a terrorist group as a means of communication to plot an attack on your country, you'd be against them having access to said chat logs?

The question only states that 'chats and user data more available to the police' - it DOES NOT say that the police will go rooting around for the fun of it or on a whim, it DOES NOT say that it will make all chat logs etc available to the police. it DOES NOT say that there will be no restrictions or that the police will not need reasonable cause.

It simply says that it is 'more available'.

It could mean that certain red tap...

I never said I was a saint, I've made mistakes and have misjudged things in the past, but nothing criminal, nothing so much as a speeding ticket.

I do believe the American police force work on the motto 'protect and serve' or something to that liking (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not American so not 100% on your culture etc).

Are you seriously telling me that if making a Skype chat log available to the police (notice AVAILABLE, not 'every single one is printed out and handed to the police just for funsies'), that if they suspected, for example, that a paedophile was grooming your child or grandchild, that you would be against the police using it to arrest the perpetrator? or if they suspected that skype was being used by a terrorist group as a means of communication to plot an attack on your country, you'd be against them having access to said chat logs?

The question only states that 'chats and user data more available to the police' - it DOES NOT say that the police will go rooting around for the fun of it or on a whim, it DOES NOT say that it will make all chat logs etc available to the police. it DOES NOT say that there will be no restrictions or that the police will not need reasonable cause.

It simply says that it is 'more available'.

It could mean that certain red tape has been removed to make it quicker for the police to access it. But my point still stands, if you don't want other people seeing it, don't put it on the internet. Simple.
(more)

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Marek to *~Amelie~* 2012/08/22 04:25:59

I note your arguments for having Skype spy on and record all communications for possible use to prosecute criminals. Don't you think that such power to monitor people can be misused to track opposition to the current regime and use it against political opponents? In UK it is now illegal to say that islam is the cult of death and it promotes violence and murder against non-muslims. If I lived there, this sentence alone could be used to lack me up for years in prison.
You are right though, given that the government may and does track all communications then it is best to avoid things like internet, cell phones, land line phones and anything else. Revert to secret courier system and code words.

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*~Amelie~* to Marek 2012/08/25 01:21:01

not 'spy' as such, but a log is automatically kept anyway - it's how the internet works. it just happens that said logs can be helpful in capturing criminals and the likes.

saying that wouldn't get you locked up over here, you wouldn't be popular but simply saying it wouldn't cause you to be locked up.

and i'm not saying avoid such things, i'm just pointing out that if people are living a good life then they have nothing to fear and the police are probably no where near your records because they have no need to be. they wouldn't just pick a random person in the hopes they found something, they'd have a reason to look.

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Marek to *~Amelie~* 2012/08/25 09:33:46

The said logs can also be used to track political opposition.

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*~Amelie~* to Marek 2012/08/29 14:58:22

why does everything have to come back to politics? the police aren't interested in your skype anyway, never mind for tracking your political stance. it's not as big a deal as people make it out to be, and US politics isn't the world be all end all.

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Marek to *~Amelie~* 2012/08/29 15:58:04

US politics affects the world regardless if you like it or not. The once great Great Britain abdicated her greatness and is being overrun by aliens from Africa and Pakistan and controlled partly by Sharia.

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*~Amelie~* to Marek 2012/09/09 16:00:11

i didn't say it doesn't affect it, i said it's not the be all and end all - which it isn't. the problem most of the world have with america is that you (the country, not necessarily you personally) think you own the place. and now you have strayed waaay off topic so I shall leave you to your rantings

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Marek to *~Amelie~* 2012/09/09 18:41:25

Ah, but it is "be all end all" and it matters if sharia is replacing common law. Mine, and yours comments are related to the topic in a sense that sharia is part of the big totalitarian muslim style intrusive government spying on the people. Thanks for graciously allowing me to rant, as you put it. I'll continue to do it every time I feel like as will you, I am sure.

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*~Amelie~* to Marek 2012/09/16 14:35:38

of course, that is what this place is all about. i just feel the original topic is now too far from where we have ended up.

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Wanderer 2012/07/26 23:25:22

Good

+4
I got nothing to hide...it doesn't bother me what the Police know.

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Kingart... to Wanderer 2012/07/27 12:45:12

+1
because we have a right to privacy in this country... it is called the 5th amendment. Odumba voter hey?.

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Wanderer to Kingart... 2012/07/28 02:10:50

+3
It really really surprises me how uninformed you Americans can be...
...I have been nothing but supportive in my efforts to help things improve in your country and have a great many Conservative and Patriot friends.
I was answering this question with reguard to my own personal circumstances.
Your comment was nothing but insultng and I have now left the Patriots group and as far as I'm concerned you can all burn in hell....
....which as I understand it is almost upon you because of Obama anyway....
Thought costs NOTHING.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Marianne™ to Wanderer 2012/08/15 21:40:09
Wanderer to Marianne™ 2012/08/15 21:52:33

+2
Thank you Marianne it helps to know that :)

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Marianne™ to Wanderer 2012/08/15 22:35:09
Oaces_b... to Marianne™ 2012/08/17 23:33:20
Marianne™ to Oaces_b... 2012/08/18 01:51:51
Oaces_b... to Marianne™ 2012/08/18 22:38:12
Oaces_b... to Marianne™ 2012/08/18 22:43:07
Red Branch to Kingart... 2012/08/15 19:14:18

+4
Who are you? or What are you?

While Americans have privacy rights, they are not found in the 5th Amendment.

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Oaces_b... to Red Branch 2012/08/17 23:30:13
Red Branch to Oaces_b... 2012/08/18 01:54:49

+1
I doubt it, her character and her knowledge are both quite shallow.

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Oaces_b... to Red Branch 2012/08/18 22:42:18
Red Branch to Oaces_b... 2012/08/18 23:22:25

+1
You are most welcome.

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Oaces_b... to Red Branch 2012/08/18 23:24:11
Red Branch to Oaces_b... 2012/08/18 23:27:32

+1
You just made my day and probably next week as well.

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Oaces_b... to Red Branch 2012/08/18 23:32:09
zeldamaster17 2012/07/26 23:17:10

Bad

+5
And thus, the downfall of America has started.

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Russian 2012/07/26 23:13:09

Bad

+4
This is just another way for government control and soon everything will be servile for our "safety" and to "protect" children. Has anyone notice that every reason for servalance online is to "protect" children? They always use that excuse.

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Adam Jensen of Sarif Indust... 2012/07/26 23:07:39 (edited)

Bad

+2
Crazy Idea: STOP USING SKYPE! There are plenty of alternatives out there that don't have backdoors and won't give your info to the law.

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Kaycee Mosely 2012/07/26 22:54:14

Bad

+1
Great -_- And I just started using skype.

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Michael S. 2012/07/26 22:41:44

Bad

+2
This is why we need open-source video chat clients running an open source - and encrypted - protocol. Private and secure communications are absolutely vital to the long-term health of a free society.

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Golden Panther 2012/07/26 22:40:59

Bad

Skype causes computers to crash and should not be used under any circumstances unless you are a computer repair person.

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Wyveryx 2012/07/26 22:23:29

Bad

+3
No warrant = No good.

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Janoy D... to Wyveryx 2012/07/27 09:20:53

The internet is free game, there is little to no regulations on it (this varies per country) Plus no where does it say in the American 4th amendment of the constitution that a warrent is needed to "spy" on the internet. Anyway the Patriot Act overhides any warrants needed for such things.

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Wyveryx to Janoy D... 2012/07/28 17:48:53

last time I checked Skype is client to client chatting. It's not in an online chat room. So the information exchanged is between two computers.

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Ol'Dave 2012/07/26 22:17:40

Bad

+1
People say DUMB THINGS

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Sopinum 2012/07/26 22:15:41

Bad

Switching to Ventrilo.

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