Single data ledger - undercover surveillance

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

On May 21, the State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted in the third and final reading a law on the creation of a unified federal information register containing data on the population of Russia.

This is an information resource that will store the data of Russians (full name, date and place of birth, gender, citizenship, SNILS, TIN, marital status, information about issued passports, education, registration of an individual entrepreneur, military service, etc.).), as well as foreigners and stateless persons working in the country.

The idea belongs to the Federal Tax Service, which will become the administrator of this giant database.

We asked the general, who at various times was directly related to analytics and information bases, to express his opinion. Major General of the FSB Alexander MIKHAILOVfinished service in the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation as First Deputy Head of the Information and Analytical Directorate. And since 2003, while serving in the Federal Service for the Control of Drug Trafficking, he was in charge of the Information Technology Department, where a single data bank was created.

A conversation with General Mikhailov is almost always a shock. Shock from the truth, the facts that he voices. Therefore, we present a conversation with Alexander Georgievich without cuts.

The phantasmagoria of total surveillance is coming true in Russia

Anyone who has read WikiLeaks and Snowden's revelations involuntarily ponders what kind of world we live in. The NSA's system of controlling people and their minds goes far beyond Orwell's 1984 novel.

Today this phantasmagoria is becoming a reality with us. Some time ago, my colleague asked for a scientific collection to prepare an article on artificial intelligence in the implementation of law and law enforcement. Note that it is precisely the rights of citizens guaranteed by the Constitution! What is really happening in our life today? Digital and new technologies have entered our life so much that we often think - how did we live before? Cards, databases of public services and so on have made our life much easier. And everything seems to be moving towards a civilized future.

But is it so? What is the current balance of alignment of universal digitalization with global data accumulation and human rights? Where is the line when the place of the state ends and the personal space of the citizen begins?

Almost everyone is monitoring Russian citizens

I started serving when the concept of a computer and digitalization was only in science fiction novels. And all measures to invade the private life of a citizen demanded a serious justification. Wiretapping of telephone conversations, premises and even conducting outdoor surveillance of the object was considered the most acute event. What's going on today?

As citizens of Russia who have the right to privacy and correspondence, we are being watched (I am leaving the law enforcement agencies outside the brackets) by almost everyone. Private security companies, private companies engaged in the development of various software, mobile operators, banks, Aeroflot cash desks, railway stations, even grocery stores where we buy goods. A huge array of information about a particular citizen is accumulating, affecting secrets specially protected by law - banking, medical, secrecy of correspondence, our movements, telephone conversations. And how this is used (I again parenthetical law enforcement agencies limited by law) - no one knows.

In conditions of total corruption, we are not guaranteed against the fact, and it is a reality, that our data is not in someone’s not very honest hands. No sooner had the person rest in the Bose than on the doorstep of his apartment hucksters from private funeral agencies did not manage to register the company, as dozens of calls from banks that would instantly learn about the fact of registration. Dozens of calls from some unknown companies to their personal phones, which know not only the name and surname, but also the property that you own …

Recently, a face recognition system was demonstrated at one seminar. She recognizes not only our faces, but also recognizes our bank cards in our pocket, as well as transactions on them. Most modern technological devices, I mean smartphones and tablet computers, allow you to determine not only your location via GPS, WiFi, or geolocation by IP address, but also transfer navigation data to private companies. What is it? In fact, this is an unauthorized violation of personal space, the protection of which is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. I have already said that this is the reality of life. But where are the instruments that would guarantee the protection of our rights and freedoms? At what frontier in digitalization should we stop while maintaining the balance of new technologies and individual rights?

Single ledger is a real threat

The Federal Tax Service has put its ideas through the law - this is already a fait accompli. Only do our chosen ones understand that such an initiative poses a real threat. I doubt. Experts from among the "lured" are always involved in the implementation of such wishes. They are ready to explain anything. In addition, it is often these experts who receive money from our pockets for such developments. It is important for them to master the money. They do not care about human rights, and even state secrets … In fact, they are protecting their business. What is it like?

Recently, amendments to the terrorism legislation were adopted, which caused a violent reaction not only in society, but among providers and telecom operators. I strongly opposed these amendments in terms of the accumulation of content from individuals (an empty idea, expensive and meaningless). And my position has not changed. Moreover, it has been confirmed by practice.

We do not know a single fact that this rule would prevent a terrorist attack or other crime. For the search - yes. But for prevention - it is out of the question … But what is curious about this story: one of the participants in the promotion of this law received 22 years for high treason as a CIA agent. Why did I pay attention to this? Because any accumulation of information in common databases is a time bomb. When developing a new Soviet passport in 1974, there were many proposals to include additional data in it … Including the place of work … But everything was limited to only a small package of information. Really necessary. And the developers motivated this by the fact that it was not necessary to make a dossier on a person out of it.

Today, a complete dossier on a person can be bought on the black market with databases from almost all state registration authorities. From the traffic police to the customs base, the database of the location of cellular network subscribers, databases of video recording of cars at private gas stations. In the context of digital technology, the fight against this phenomenon is doomed to failure.

Moreover, we do not know of any real cases of criminal prosecution of persons who "merge" these bases, creating a threat to the individual. The efforts of our legislators are aimed at further spreading the practice of such digitalization. At the same time, they carefully guard their own persons, classifying data on income and property and introducing responsibility for insulting officials.

It is not clear who will carry out such examinations. Moreover, an unwise official can consider it an insult if he is called an authority. At the same time, everything is explained by the care of us orphans. Like, for the sake of human salvation, we are ready to sacrifice our rights. A demagogic statement based on ignorance of the laws on the armed forces, the fight against terrorism, the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Human rights are everywhere. And people need to be saved within the framework of their own competence, operational skill and skills.

I would like to note that even today there is a big problem for operational workers in access to this or that information, but for banks, private security companies and other companies, not to mention fraudsters from collection agencies, there is no problem. Moreover, gangs with the name of collectors have everything! All the data that the operas cannot dream of.

Artificial intelligence steals like officials

Our artificial intelligence copies the work of an official remarkably accurately. They never go wrong in favor of the client. He steals in the same way as those who introduced him. It adopts the worst of our lives! I myself have more than once come across the fact that my accounts were blocked. And each time, without apologizing, the tax authorities referred to system errors! And if a person is blocked by an account when he is out of the zone of opportunity to sort it out, let's say abroad …

Of particular concern is the talk about the use of artificial intelligence in the implementation of law and law enforcement”, in my opinion, it is very doubtful, since the law, in addition to coherent and harsh formulations, justice is in many ways a psycho-emotional phenomenon. In fact, we are trying to find the truth, and it often lies in a dead zone, it seems like it exists (given the reality), but is not perceived …

So what can we understand by the transformation of the legal system in the context of the digitalization of the economy, state and law? As a person who has been involved in information support for operational-search activities and the creation of interdepartmental databases for many years, I can see that the first task of this is to create models to facilitate the activities of law enforcement officers, to provide them with complete and comprehensive information for solving operational problems. Possibility of technical audiovisual documentation of criminal activity, acceleration of examination and research. And in fact - the creation of such a database that would facilitate an objective and complete study of the circumstances and conditions of the crime.

In principle, this theme has been implemented for a long time. Systems are being developed to record what is happening on the streets of cities, in transport, and official institutions. Digital technologies are being improved in forensic science. All this certainly corresponds to the essence of our time. One gets the impression that soon it will be possible to solve crimes without leaving the office, but to judge people in the virtual space.

Demonstration of such opportunities goes far beyond the scope of our laws, the Constitution of Russia, and, frankly speaking, beyond the scope of human decency.

So what, then, is the declared right to privacy, privacy of correspondence, bank secrecy? By improving machines, we are not improving humans.

Today we are witnessing the development of the so-called digital addiction. We, as a sick person, strive for a greater dose of information. We are sinking deeper and deeper into the immoral contemplation of someone else's life, other people's secrets and secrets.

Digitalization will work to destroy the state

Where is the threshold of morality in digitalization at which a person, an individual should stop? This is a very big problem, it is obvious. When we finally realize all the consequences for the individual and society and try to introduce the digitalization process into the legal channel, it will be too late. A significant part of the programs will work not for the benefit of the state, but for its destruction.

It is important that all these programs are developed on imported and, therefore, vulnerable hardware. Programmers are already sounding the alarm that today the danger does not come from malicious programs (we have learned to deal with them), but from the possibility of influencing low-level programs stored on the chip of the motherboard of a computer or smartphone of any user. That is, the heart of any smartphone or tablet computer.

Imagine a situation where all (!) Smartphones and tablet computers will be stupidly blocked when updating or just going online. This is a threatening reality. Likewise with android….

Without creating our own hardware and software base, all our multimedia and virtual "Wishlist" are dangerous fun.

Sovereign internet is nonsense

Today, some officials have begun talking about creating their own product and a sovereign Internet. And, which is typical, those who have a very low level of intelligence speak about a high-tech product, and those who saw real money for the implementation of a stupid idea. Independent from the West. Rave.

We are trying to create this product on an imported element base! So what's original? I would like to remind you about the project of JSC Rostec for the development and production of the Russian smartphone YotaPhone. In 2010, the management of Rostec assured the Russian government that the assembly of smartphones would soon be moved from Taiwan to Russia. Nine years have passed and Rostec's statement looks populist, because even if Yota has developed a high-quality smartphone, assembly in Russia will make it uncompetitive in price with the proposals of foreign manufacturers, which produce all "hardware" in Southeast Asia. And where is our domestic "Yotafon" today?

One hundred poods: FTS systems will not be protected

You have to understand that the digital world is extremely transparent. And no matter how we try to "password" the databases and data, the degree of penetration to them is very real. And the more we combine the streams of information, there are always those channels through which you can get to the greatest state secrets. Suffice it to recall that homebrew hackers showed how they get to the information of the Pentagon and the State Department. You don't have to go to Washington or New York … From Morshansk through the networks … How high is the penetration rate to bases in Russia? And how many of them are sold on the black market? Isn't this a global threat? In a competitive struggle, the financial sector? Moreover, one hundred poods, these systems of the Federal Tax Service will not be protected by anything!

Today we discussed the adoption of the law on a single register with my friend, a major data protection specialist. And the conclusions we come to are extremely disappointing. Russian lawmakers made a great gift to the National Security Agency and the US CIA, now it will not be difficult to buy data on family members of officers of the GRU, SVR, FSB and FSO. It makes no sense to talk about the protection of personal data in our country: the human factor has not been canceled, which is why buying data from Russians will not pose any problems.

The LDPR deputy Igor Lebedev tried to dispel the illusions of some deputies, but no one heard him, but in vain!

Huge damage to national security

The consequences of the damage to the national security of Russia will be enormous, since the mathematical models embedded in the modern software and hardware complexes of the US NSA have enormous potential. The Federal Tax Service of Russia will not be able to protect the computer data, and there is no need to hide your head in the sand: go and see what is there today.

The story of the inability to fight the Telegram messenger has confirmed that the digital world has gone beyond the human mind. Digitization is just a tool. And only on condition of reliable data storage. It's funny to say that someone guarantees storage! Without human erudition and experience, it is lifeless. It's easy to talk about her in big cities. Where there is a reliable Internet, and a lot of programmers, and the streets are flooded with hundreds of thousands of cameras, scanners and other things.

What kind of digitalization can we talk about today? Working in the digital space is easy for qualified and trained people. And most importantly - reliable !!!! Who prepares them? Reliable something! It is impossible not to say a friend.

FTS of Russia will not be able to protect computer data

We so often rejoice at reports on the blocking of certain sites (there are tens of thousands of such "blockings") that we do not even think that all these sites are restored in 30 minutes.

I would like to say separately about such a possibility of bypassing blocking sites, such as the Virtual Private Network, the so-called. virtual private network. VPN services will allow you to access inaccessible sites from any smartphone or computer without spending a penny on it. Go to the social network Facebook and you will receive highly qualified assistance in installing a VPN service on your smartphone or computer. So what are they reporting to us?

So what kind of digital justice can we talk about? In this case, we can only talk about the administration and digitalization of information. There can be no artificial intelligence in a sphere where usually what is not visible …

However, I would like to note something else, as they say: do not be dashing while it is quiet…. It is not difficult for small private enterprises engaged in software development to develop special software with elements of artificial intelligence today, there is nothing surprising here. For example, such private Russian companies today are developing special software with artificial intelligence in the interests of diagnosing warships of the Russian Navy, nuclear submarines and UAVs.

And if, God forbid, there is an offended developer who was offended by an official, then believe me, he will be able to develop a program that will live its own life and "lead" the official, his children and grandchildren to the grave and no prohibitive measures in in this case, they will not help.

What is the "message" of an official? This is to collect automatically all photos in social networks, search engines and numerous video recorders of gas stations and hotels, Avtodor and airports, publications and statements, build connections between the official by phone conversations and calls sent by SMS, turn on and listen to the official's conversations via smartphones and smartphones. TV set. These are still flowers….

And the Federal Tax Service offers us berries, not to remember it by nightfall …

So is the US National Security Agency.