Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Snowden: Microsoft Opens Back Door. Ellison Data Exhaust: "Fat Chance!"

Five days ago, the U.K. Register reported Snowden's revelation that Microsoft opened a back door to Outlook.com for NSA (see story here). So how about the number-one database company, Oracle? My prediction, based upon data exhaust from multiple sources over multiple years, is that Larry Ellison would have no part of giving the NSA back-door access to anything in Oracle, anywhere. On January 8, 2011, I reported that FBI director Mueller went to Silicon Valley to ask all the tech companies to build "back doors" into their products (see story here). I wish I could have been a fly on the wall of any meeting between Larry Ellison and the FBI director.But since I wasn't, I'll take a stab at creating Larry's reaction to such a request:
"Bob! Can I call you Bob? No, then let's settle on Dip Stick, you intellectual pigmy! Not only is it going to hit the press that you came out here asking the U.S. software industry to cut our own competitive throats around the world, but just one whistle blower is all it would take to absolutely cripple us in China and Russia. The answer is not only no, it's Hell No! What…You're going to bring legal action against us under the Patriot Act? Fine, Dip Stick, bring it on! I've got a litigation department; let'em litigate. (Pause) Yeah, I pressed the button asking my security team to come in here. They're going to escort you out of the building. And guys (to the security team), it wouldn't break my heart if you accidently tasered this guy in the nuts."
Okay, this is fairly uncharacteristic of Larry who, at least when I worked with him, was remarkably adverse to face-to-face conflict. But I'll bet this was what Larry was thinking during any meeting with then-director Mueller.

Is my prediction accurate. Only time, or possibly Snowden, will tell. That second option may never come about, especially if Snowden is granted asylum in Russia. Putin seems to want to keep the lid on the PRISM gold mine (see yesterday's Computerworld story here).  As I wrote on June 14th (see it here), the only audience who DOES NOT know what PRISM is up to is the American Public. China and Russia were darn well aware what we were up to. And Putin's publicly stated reason for shutting up Snowden has nothing to do with Russian-American relations. Putin simply wants the fruits of PRISM's data gathering and is probably willing to grant Snowden asylum in exchange for a data dump.

Stay tuned, sports fans. We'll see if my assessment of Larry Ellison is spot on. After all, I drafted him as the leader of my Cyber Privateering Fantasy League for a reason.

7 comments:

  1. + Making a defective product is a crime.

    + If I want to buy a cheese with holes I buy Swiss Gruyere cheese.

    + Now I remember the words of that guy who tried to go to Marais temps Clair c.a. (mo) and fled the scene of the search. Maybe he was right and someone from the government was rummaging through his personal computer or e mail.

    "Twice in the last three days, my email account has been either compromised or deactivated. No idea what's up with that, and my passwords are extremely difficult and change often. I am very secure (or so I thought) but apparently someone was able to both shut mine off and get in somehow, twice in the last three days. I've made the Spaniard aware of the situation and he told me to try and keep records of everything. Does anyone have those threads archived? I asked people to, and some claimed they were. I would have done it, except you know, I was on the fucking train escaping what I thought to surely be only bad things."

    + Then it was extraordinary, not now.

    + My country has had to apologize to Bolivia for the history of president's plane.

    + Snowden's flight has created a series of absurd and potentially dangerous situations. The flight to China was not an accident..... and all this has happened in the name of national security.

    This is a botched job.

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  2. I should explain the quoted paragraph. On April 1, 2011, I asked for anyone who might do some legwork for JOSEPH from SPAIN who deciphered the personal code of murder victim Ricky McCormick (much to the embarrassment of the FBI's "best & brightest" cybergeeks). We had a "taker" who subsequently reported some preposterous events that, in my opinion, did not reflect reality. The quoted paragraph is from that individual. And while JOSEPH from SPAIN tends to be a conspiracy theorist--and English is not his first language--I always cut him some slack. I guess his paranoia was at least somewhat justified as we look into the rearview mirror at PRISM.

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  3. Hello Mr Bennet

    Not all Swiss cheese has holes but....

    + The Swiss Gruyére Cheese:
    This cheese's namesake is the valley of the same name in Fribourg, Switzerland. It differs from Emmental in that it uses a cow's milk with more fat, which naturally sweetens the nutty, buttery flavor. Gruyére is also aged anywhere from 10 to 12 months, giving it a brownish-gold rind. The center is pale yellow and the holes are much smaller and more evenly spaced than those of Emmental. Indeed, during the aging process, the holes may shrink down to a nearly indiscernable size.

    MORE http://homecooking.about.com/od/cheeseinformation/a/swisscheesehist.htm

    Enjoy your meal. Bon appétit.

    Goodbye from Spain.

    ReplyDelete
  4. By the way.....

    + I'm not a conspiracy theorist's because they believe in something.
    I do not believe in anything.

    Well, I do believe in one thing: DEUTERONOMY chapter 18, verse 21-22.

    My life is boring and take care of my mother. while I try to solve puzzles, interpret dreams, verify prophecies and other similar hobbies.

    My favorite song is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ehHOwmQRxU

    + A woman from Texas has been very kind and allowed me to write about the future:
    http://austinstar.hubpages.com/hub/Dreams-live-psychic-readings#lastcomment

    I have an exaggerated imagination. The problem is when reality and imagination coincide in space and time, as in the email that I have sent. It can not be a coincidence. Check your mail:
    "Snowden & a steganographic Chinese Gift"

    + And if you want we can play with or without the friends of "the company".

    Goodbye from Spain.

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  5. Apologies to JOSEPH from SPAIN for characterizing him as a "conspiracy theorist." That's the trouble with labels. People are much more complicated. And obviously, JOSEPH from SPAIN is smarter than anybody in the FBI.

    And JOSEPH, I will respond to your backchannel communication privately. Very interesting, the people who have been contacting you. Don't go to them. Make them come to you. And meet in an open, safe place.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello Mr Bennett

    + Finally, I'm not going to masked ball despite the invitation.

    + Two lessons can be drawn from the case Snowden:

    - The Chinese not only copied, they have learned from their mistakes and have the initiative.

    - America does not know how to react. An issue between China and the United States has become an issue between the United States, Russia, Bolivia and its allies, and The freedom of expression (one of the ideological basis on which is built United States).


    A famous writer wrote:

    "Empires do not suffer from lack of purpose at the time of its creation.'s Then when it is produced, when they are already established and its original goals are forgotten and replaced by vague ritual." - Words of Muad'Dib by the Princess Irulan

    "Bureaucracy destroys initiative. Few things that bureaucrats hate more than innovation, especially innovation that produces better results than the old routines. Improvements always make those who are on the cusp appear as inept. How who likes to appear as inept? "

    Does the United States government will learn the lesson before it's too late?

    Goodbye from Spain.

    ReplyDelete
  7. JOSEPH, thanks for the Frank Herbert (Muad'Dib) quote. Frank was a good friend and a seminal influence in my life.

    ReplyDelete

Implementation suggestions for THE MORGAN DOCTRINE are most welcome. What are the "Got'chas!"? What questions would some future Cyber Privateering Czar have to answer about this in a Senate confirmation hearing?