I've been thinking about the FCC's insane new ban on foreign-made routers.

[bms48@mastodon.social]

@SteveBellovin Like I've said elsewhere, the current USA-nian administration is playing "Fantasy Supply Chain". TAANSTAFL as Robert Heinlein said

[tock@corteximplant.com]

@SteveBellovin Guessing foreign made computers and phones are next.

Take care of your hardware, everybody. USA is about to embargo itself.

[charlvdwalt@infosec.exchange]

@SteveBellovin maybe they should ban security perimeter products if they really want to secure the supply chain.

[ricci@discuss.systems]

@SteveBellovin I'm also sure they will use this approval power to extract bribes and political concessions like they have with tiktok, CBS, etc.

[rootwyrm@weird.autos]

@SteveBellovin @fsinn correct.

The way the order is written, they have effectively banned home Internet. There is no such thing as a DOCSIS modem that is not also capable of routing; every fiber ONT is foreign and capable of routing.

[stevebellovin@infosec.exchange]

@rootwyrm @fsinn Yes. I expect that the big consumer ISPs will get waivers, which has its own implications. (Also note that currently approved models can continue to be manufactured and imported; it's merely that new ones won't get FCC approval, and hence will be banned.)

[fsinn@mas.to]

@rootwyrm @SteveBellovin

All the better for controlling media and impeding organized dissent. Iran has been dark, without internet, for how many weeks now?

[astrashe@mas.to]

@SteveBellovin @rootwyrm @fsinn Wouldn't the need for waivers give the government a huge amount of leverage over ISPs? If you don't cut off people we don't like, we'll withhold your wavier, etc.

[stevebellovin@infosec.exchange]

@astrashe @rootwyrm @fsinn Precisely. I think there are other implications as well.

[stevebellovin@infosec.exchange]

@astrashe @rootwyrm @fsinn Here are two slides from a course I taught a few years ago.

[mobidic@mastodon.social]

@SteveBellovin
Got it! Starlink will be the modern "Volksempfaenger" device for all US citizens. May the rule of proxy guide you - to your next ICE service point️

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksempf%C3%A4nger

#musk #starlink #fcc #router #nazi #opensource #fascism #bigtech

[rootwyrm@weird.autos]

@SteveBellovin @astrashe @fsinn gimme a sec to catch up here; I was talking exactly this with some press folks and it goes MUCH deeper.

[rootwyrm@weird.autos]

@SteveBellovin @astrashe @fsinn basically, any company can apply for a 'conditional approval' from the DoD + DHS - it requires BOTH to approve. This is a bright red flag and a clear signal of intent.

That conditional approval is going to be dependent on one, a bribe. And two, doing whatever the government says. That could be censorship lists. But it could also be mandatory 'age verification' with ID to use the Internet, back doors, wire taps, etc.

[rootwyrm@weird.autos]

@SteveBellovin @astrashe @fsinn there is no upper bound to the kind of fuckery possible, nor is it possible to overstate the risks. Especially as government-mandated backdoors, stripping anonymity, and breaking encryption has been on the wishlist of every fucking president since Reagan. ESPECIALLY the supposed 'opposition' ones.

[stevebellovin@infosec.exchange]

@rootwyrm @astrashe @fsinn Up to a point. It is clearly unconstitutional for the government to require private companies to censor speech—but the trick will be proving it in court. Similarly, the Supreme Court has held that there is a constitutional right to anonymous speech—even Justice Thomas has said so. Again, though, you'd have to prove in court that the restrictions were at government request; private companies can do what they want.