Illegal to use a firewall?

[Eric Legge]

Hi all,

I've heard that many states in the US are seeking to make having a firewall installed illegal because interests involved in preventing piracy want to be able to access systems without hinderance to check for pirated material.

If it's true, are there any interesting developments in this story?

Because if this lunacy becomes law in the US, it won't be long before the same happens in the UK.

Eric,
http://www.legge40.freeserve.co.uk/BuyerBeware.htm

 

[Rick]

Yes, it has already been passed in many states I believe. :\

 

[DigitAlex]

Does that mean than companies like banks or insurance companies cannot have firewalls ??? that's unbelievable

 

[acidosmosis]

That would be dangerous. Firewalls are used for a reason. If a law like that is passed, then obviously the person(s) doing it know nothing about computers. The next thing they know they will be complaining about the large number of new hackers, hacked websites, hacked servers etc and wonder why it is happening.

 

[dani_17]

Well... we all know that the ones that discuss the law have no interests in technology, they move and do the things by interests, same as the media, same as everything in this world.
I'm afraid that in the near future privacy will be something just non existent. I just doubt how private my pc is right now

There is no excuse about privacy, to check for piracy in a computer you must check all the files, and I don't even want to start thinking what sums of money the companies would pay to know every single thing you do in your pc...

I can just see a window poping up from the nowhere:

"Microsoft has detected illegal software in your pc, please wait untill we send in the cops and arrest you..."

 

[acidosmosis]

If it comes to that, I can guarantee you there will be all out hacker war on Microsoft or whatever coorperations helped the loss of piracy become so bad, if not a REAL war. I watched this movie once where it was about 400 years in the future from now and they said something about how there was the "Microsoft War" that was the bloodiest war in history. I think one of the guys in the movie said he lost a leg from it. hehe I thought was pretty funny.

 

[tkteo]

If I am not mistaken, the legislation is not specifically against firewalls themselves, but rather, outlaws certain technologies that are happen to be used by firewalls to protect the system. Thus, firewalls have become illegal as a consequence, in states like Illinois.

 

[Rick]

The focus of laws against firewalls is geared more towards hackers than piracy.

Firewalls are not being made illegal directly, but indirectly through the premise that anything a hacker can use to hide their tracks should be blacklisted. Firewalls, of course, can be used in such a way.

 

[SNGX1275]

Firewalls to be made illegal?
That was posted by Phantasm66 almost a month ago on the front page.

Yeh its a bad idea, once again a display of lawmakers making laws which effect things they don't have much knowledge in. Kinda funny this was brought up again cause just yesterday I was discussing some stupid law I had heard about with my mom and then the conversation turned to this - making firewalls illegal.

 

[DigitAlex]

I really would like to see what they will do for big companies andI hardly imagine them to ask a bank to have access to all the stuff just to check for licences.

If it's just a law for people, not companies, so what's the freakin purpose ? Aren'we annoyed enough ?

 

[poertner_1274]

And what would make someone go into a small home business allowing them to keep their firewall running to protect their "assets" in the business?

Something to think about. If that becomes the case I will start my own webserver and advertise something to sell, so I can have my firewall enabled to protect my data.