8-15-07 General Wesley Clark says Distributed Computing is a National Security Threat

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
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www.alienbabeltech.com
A lot of words being fired back at this retired General.

He certainly has stirred a hornet's nest.

I was wondering why there was a jump in hits to the site from my case.

8-15-2007 General Wesley Clark says P2P and Distributed Computing is a National Security Threat

Last month, Congress started targeting p2p as a national security threat because government employees weren't bright enough to avoid sharing folders with confidential material. The result of that brainstorming session is apparently a plan by General Wesley Clark to regulate p2p software and distributed computing:
"If you saw the scope of the risk, I think you'd agree that it's just totally unacceptable. The American people would be outraged if they were aware of what's inadvertently shared by government agencies on P2P networks. They would demand solutions."
Such as forcing government employees not to be stupid? P2P Weblog notes that Clark is a board member for Tiversa, a company that sells "file sharing risk assessment and monitoring services," which explains his enthusiasm.

8-15-2007 Clark wants P2P regulated

This post is part of a series on the US House of Representatives hearing on P2P.
1. U.S. Witch Hunt
2. Who Stole My P2P Cheese
3. What the Feds Say
4. The Industry Talks
5. Clark Wants Gov. Regulation

The star power for the hearing was retired General Wesley Clark. Clark is an advisor to Tiversa, a security company focused on protecting businesses and consumer from disclosing confidential data.

Clark testified "If you saw the scope of the risk, I think you'd agree that it's just totally unacceptable. The American people would be outraged if they were aware of what's inadvertently shared by government agencies on P2P networks. They would demand solutions."

Clark and Tiversa's solution? He said that industry self-regulation would not be effective and called on the House to regulate P2P and distributed computing.

am outraged too. At the suggested solution of a heavy-handed Draconian approach to regulate an entire industry because of isolated negligence. Clearly the blame and responsibility for inadvertent disclosure falls to government agencies and companies that don't fully secure their data and individuals that use computers for unauthorized purposes.

Such regulation doesn't happen with other Internet technologies like web sites, email, and instant messaging. And it shouldn't with P2P. Unless you happen to be an entertainment executive or Tiversa stockholder.
 

BlackMountainCow

Diamond Member
May 28, 2003
5,759
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Well, they can try, but all it'll do is put the US behind in any distributed computing project in the world. European based projects for example won't accept such a regulatory attempt at all.

But thx for the info dmcowen674! :beer:
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
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Wow. Insanity reaches the highest levels in gov't. Or is it inanity.

Edit: Ok, I can see his angle on the risks of inadvertent P2P sharing. Surely the true solution is to simply be more responsible with that technology. Just like kitchen knives - they could prove to be a useful weapon for a home intruder, but that doesn't mean that society bans them.

But what threat does he see in distributed computing? For the scientific community, I expect that it is a godsend. As far as risks, is he simply lumping them in with P2P apps, because they connect to the network and work together? I just don't get that angle.
 

petrusbroder

Elite Member
Nov 28, 2004
13,348
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Well in matters, DC he just shows his ignorance. And that is well enough for me.
Unfortunately, ignorance sometimes rules.
If someone did an analysis of the consequences of shutting down DC, nobody would favour that idea.

There is of course a much simpler solution to the leakage of confidential material: do not allow p2p-software on those computers.
Or encrypt the files ... which probably is much better anyway, because then even those who have access to the computer can not read those files.
 

Hurricane Andrew

Golden Member
Nov 28, 2004
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Dude has never been able to think for himself. Why do politicians insist on getting involved in areas where they have NO clue? I'm embarrassed for my country that he ever attained the rank of General.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
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Originally posted by: petrusbroder
There is of course a much simpler solution to the leakage of confidential material: do not allow p2p-software on those computers.
There exists software that will white-list applications that will run. Therefore, P2P or unauthorized apps will NOT run.