NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] More on "phone app terrorist threat" (ADS-B encryption issues)
Greetings. The reference I sent out yesterday to "A phone app that threatens airline security?" ( http://bit.ly/9jOsvl [NNSquad] ) -- in which I asked why ADS-B transmissions are not encrypted -- triggered a number of retorts, mostly suggesting that encryption was either too difficult, unreliable, unnecessary, or some combination of these. I should have noted the following originally, but interested parties would be well served by doing the simple Google Search: ads-b encryption to see the vast numbers of discussions, arguments, papers, proposals, and assorted other documents related to this issue from both military and non-military sources. Concerns about military aircraft (and planes carrying heads of state and other "VIPs") along with detailed ADS-B encryption proposals for such situations at least, have been around for quite a while. While it's easy to suggest that ADS-B doesn't present a threat since "you can see planes in the sky anyway" -- military planners in general do not agree. You may or may not accept their reasoning, but the controversies are very real. Also, keep in mind that concerns regarding ADS-B security involve not only theoretical targeting risks but also concerns regarding jamming and falsification of ADS-B data. Fundamentally, the existence of a phone app that can access Internet servers with shared ADS-B data isn't the heart of this issue. Rather, the very mechanisms of ADS-B -- which keep in mind are designed to significantly supplant conventional radar-based navigation systems over time -- are themselves in dispute in various contexts. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com) http://www.vortex.com/lauren Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 Co-Founder, PFIR (People For Internet Responsibility): http://www.pfir.org Co-Founder, NNSquad (Network Neutrality Squad): http://www.nnsquad.org Founder, GCTIP (Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance): http://www.gctip.org Founder, PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Google Buzz: http://bit.ly/lauren-buzz