Richard Stallman Accosted For Tinfoil Hat

ndansmith writes "Bruce Perens posts in his blog about an amusing encounter between Richard Stallman and United Nations security at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. It seems that RFID technology, which Stallman opposes for privacy reasons, was used in the identification badges for the conference. From the blog: 'You can't give Richard a visible RF ID strip without expecting him to protest. Richard acquired an entire roll of aluminum foil and wore his foil-shielded pass prominently.' During a keynote speech, Stallman also passed around the tinfoil for other to use as well. It seems that UN security was not amused, however, as they would not let him leave the room for some time." What makes this even funnier, of course, is that tin foil hats won't stop them.

Those poor security people ...

[ScrewMaster]

They really had no idea who they were dealing with.

Re:Those poor security people ...

[hey!]

No, I expect they studied his dossier very carefully.

Then assigned the new kid to the detail. You know the one: shoes are a bit too shiny ;uniform pants crease is a bit toocrisp. The one who never lets you forget he's ready for anything.

Anyhow, that's what I would have done.

Re:Those poor security people ...

[imlepid]

Security people rarely have any idea what they are dealing with. The main reason why is they are simply given orders to "check an RFID badge" or "wave a wand around those people who set a metal detector off". They aren't paid to think critically or anything. This is often the charge levied by Schneier [schneier.com]. If we hired smart security people, overall we'd be more secure.

Re:Those poor security people ...

[IdleTime]

But we all know that "security" is not really about security. It's about giving people a "feel-good" product that earns some people vast amounts of money.

Most security is at best pathetic. Why? Because good security is expensive and sometimes invasive hence not acceptable by Joe Sixpack.

Example of such feel-good "security" is what's going on at airports around USA. Best illustrated in Soul Plane [imdb.com]

Re:Those poor security people ...

[satch89450]

If we hired smart security people, overall we'd be more secure.

I have my Washoe County, Nevada, work card for security guard work in my wallet. When are you going to step up to the plate and be one of those smarter security guards?

Fill the void!

Re:Those poor security people ...

[bs_02_06_02]

"Smart" people are easy vicitims of social engineering. People who follow orders often are not. I think a good mix of both is necessary to have good security.

Re:Those poor security people ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually the whole security paranoia and labelling people with chips, putting camera's everywhere etc. is a direct consequence of the dissolving of normal social relationships. Trust is then defined by external attributes and the authority to despense those attributes comes to lie within the hands of only a few. It's a threat to any free society. Ofcourse most people will rather go along with the herd and make themselves look good by parotting the cheap "haha look at that badly adjusted bearded idiot" stuff.

dissolving of normal social relationships

[r00t]

Well, yeah.

The human mind is meant to handle a tribe. We can keep track of a small group of people, knowing who can be trusted and who to be wary of.

Now we have cities with millions of people and transportation that takes us everywhere. Every day, we are faced with people we don't know.

We're struggling. Our tribal brains can't keep track of all the people we meet.

Re:Those poor security people ...

[mw13068]

Calling someone an especially undersocialized nerd is Insightful?

Last time I checked, RMS spoke several languages, and has visited heads of state and thousands of people in many countries across the globe. Also, he seems to be the unwaivering center of a worldwide socio-political movement to protect your freedom and mine, sometimes at the cost of looking foolish to people who don't understand what he's doing.
 

Re:Those poor security people ...

[stefgosselin]

I second you on that, Mr Stallman is sort of a hero, to me and being a bit eccentric goes with his personnality, me thinks. Thank god there are people like him to confront major 'decision-makers' on issues that the VAST majority of human beings take for granted.

Issued that will have an impact maybe decades from now, Mr Stallman for sure has made history with an A+. He HAS made this world a better place. I strongly believe Mr Stallman's crusades DO make a difference, and we need more people like him, in this world to balance things out.

Freedom of speech. Identity protection. Not even mentioning his unbelievable track record as a programmer.

My own 2 cents. Sorry for grammar mistakes no english spellchecker on this box *yet
   

Re:Those poor security people ...

[Omnifarious]

You remind me of a finicky hairdresser who complains bitterly about how awful Einstein's hair looks and wondering how anybody could possibly take him seriously when he hasn't even bothered to look at the latest fashion magazine.

Re:Those poor security people ...

[civilizedINTENSITY]

When all you having going for you is fashion sense and group herd rituals, then fashion sense and group herd rituals is everything (to you).

Re:Those poor security people ...

[Rimbo]

Asking people to call it "GNU/Linux" is not a distinction. It's marketing. He wants his organization to receive credit for the contributions they made that made Linux development possible.

The Linux kernel couldn't have been developed without GNU tools, but you don't call something developed under Windows with Microsoft tools "MS-whatever" do you?

Although the GNU tools are still a healthy part of this complete Operating System, it's just rude to assume that everything that isn't part of the Linux kernel is GNU. KDE isn't GNU. The YUM package maintainer is not GNU. Most of the GUI system management tools are not GNU. Apache is not GNU. The drivers and kernel are not GNU. It's not the case that the bulk of your typical distribution is Linus' kernel wrapped around nothing but GNU software.

What does this have to do with wrapping foil around his RFID tag? Well, it's all about drawing attention to him and his organization. The things he does are not about being "right" (aluminum foil isn't necessarily going to have an effect on RFID) as they are to get exposure for GNU and the FSF.

Why does he want to amplify the signal?

[odweaver]

Wasn't the whole point of the MIT article that aluminum amplifies and tin degrades signals?

Re:Why does he want to amplify the signal?

[external400kdiskette]

Tin Foil is more symbolic and his intention was to make a visible stand against the technology in general as opposed to protect him personally. I guess this sybolic gesture he figured would resonate and give him more publicity for his crusade.

Subskin aluminum foil

[RAMMS+EIN]

``aluminum amplifies''

So now I know what they were doing with me in that incubator. They were installing an aluminum hat under my skin. Clever. I'll cut it out, though!

It's not about stopping the signal

[ndogg]

Stallman wanted to make a point, not actually stop the signal.

To him, the message was more important than what it actually did.

People more immediately understood the significance of wrapping it in tin foil than anything else.

Re:Why does he want to amplify the signal?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry, I thought it was obvious that the MIT article was a joke. Now people are quoting it as fact.

As smart as those MIT students may be they failed to explain why it amplified the signal.

Simply put, the 'tin foil' or aluminum hat they constructed was a parabolic antenna with the test subjects brain as its focal point. Go back and look at those pictures in the MIT article and see for yourself.

You can in fact shield an object if you *completly* enclose said object with aluminum foil (it's conductive). However, copper foil and screen is the standard for shielding used by professionals.

The enclosure doesn't have to be air tight. But the gaps or holes in the foil need to be smaller then the wavelength your trying to attenuate. This is why RF "screen rooms" can use copper screen instead of solid copper and still be effective to up around 3 GHz.

The more you know...

Re:Why does he want to amplify the signal?

[Anonymous Coward]

Tin isn't an alloy, it's an element.

Hmm

[Army of 1 in 10]

I'm confused... who am I supposed to root for? Stallman or the UN?

Excuse me while I go curl into the fetal position in a corner until I resolve this dilemma. ;)

Re:Hmm

[Anonymous Coward]

No matter what your ideological position is, after seeing the UN in action you'll never really support them again other than in idea. It's a terribly broken and inefficient institution.

Re:Hmm

[ceejayoz]

after seeing the UN in action you'll never really support them again

Isn't that true for just about any governmental body? Why single out the UN?

Re:Hmm

[Scrameustache]

No matter what your ideological position is, after seeing the UN in action you'll never really support them again other than in idea.

I see what they do [msn.com], and what I see is hungry people being fed.

So I guess your ideological position on starving folks is "let them eat cake"?

Re:Hmm

[Scrameustache]

They may feed starving people, but when those people are being massacred [rwanda], they look the other way.

The U.N. general from Canada motioned to intervene. The U.S. refused. From your link:

UNAMIR's Force Commander General Dallaire became aware of plans for the genocide in January of 1994. He sent a cable to U.N. headquarters in N.Y. asking for permission to confiscate weapons. Throughout January, Februrary and March, he pleaded for reinforcements and logistical support. The UN Security Council refused. The United States refused to provide requested material aid

The U.N. itself cannot do anything: It's a place for the member nations to talk. If the biggest member decides that a genocide is not worth the risk of potential military casualties, then the fault for inaction is not with the U.N. for trying, but for the member nation for refusing to act.

Re:Oh Please...

[Anonymous Coward]

Or how they are trying to get the US to renovate the UN building in NYC and expecting to spend about a billion extra to do so (American Tax Dollars)

The USA is 1.3 billion dollars in arrears. [wikipedia.org] How about you start paying what you owe before whining about it?

If the UN was so great, why the hell didn't they send in troops, kick the crap out of the warlords in Zimbabwe and Somalia (no official government to speak of) and then rebuild the crumbled societies?

Yeah, that's it. An organisation whose primar

Re:Oh Please...

[Scrameustache]

they are trying to get the US to renovate the UN building in NYC and expecting to spend about a billion extra to do so (American Tax Dollars)

For more than a decade the United States has been seriously delinquent in paying its 25 percent share of dues to the United Nations. It currently owes more than $1 billion [pbs.org]. While most of the world body's 185 member states are current, Congress has held up U.S. dues

That was in 1997. STFU until you pay your debts, deadbeat.

mentioning the child rapes

Seriously, STFU [google.com].

Since the United States has given up official control of Okinawa, U.S. military personnel have committed 22 murders, 354 robberies and 110 rapes [sfsu.edu] on the island

Most infamous of which is the gang rape of a japanese schoolgirl in the 90's, which so outraged the population that the base is being relocated.

Re:Oh Please...

[boskone]

Why exactly should we be carrying 25% of the total cost of the UN?

I'll bet that there is no reason we should pay 25%. We are one of 185 countries. We are one of I believe 7 on the permanent security council. The US I doubt has 25% of world economic output either, so I can't determine any other reason other than "the US should pay". Nice logic.

I don't get the sense of entitlement people have. What's your country paying?

Re:Oh Please...

[a_n_d_e_r_s]

Countries pay according to their BNP and since US has a large BNP compared to many other countries US pay more than any other nation. Second largest are Japan with 19 % compared with US 24%.

BTW Germany UK France and Italy together pays more then the US so EU totally pays more than than the US.

Re:Bad payers daring to complain

[sl956]

Why exactly should we be carrying 25% of the total cost of the UN?

It is not 25% anymore, it is 24%: the U.S. asked for a rebate a few years ago.

We are one of 185 countries.

This is a stupid metric: do you really think that East Timor (2004 GDP: $370,000,000) should pay the same amount as the U.S. (2004 GDP: $11,750,000,000,000)?

The US I doubt has 25% of world economic output

The US GDP was 21.17% of the world GDP in 2004.
Every other rich country pays a little bit more than its fair share to compensate for countries in civil war or deep economic crisis. Japan for instance is paying 19% of the budget for less than 10% of the global GDP, Gernany 8% of the budget for less than 5% of the global GDP and so on. So with 24% of the budget for 21.17% of the global GDP, the U.S. contribution seen as a share of its GDP is already the lowest of all developped countries: in raw dollars, the U.S. assessments of $440,000,000 is 0.0037% of its GDP when Japan for instance pays $346,000,000 i.e. 0.0092% of its GDP. So you personally are contributing almost 3 time less of your annual incomes to the U.N. than a japanese or me in Europe.

so I can't determine any other reason other than "the US should pay".

What about "everyone except the US has already paid its (proportionaly larger) share"?
If the U.S. was at least paying 21.17% of the budget instead of 24%, the complaints would not be so loud. The problem is that the U.S. has not even paid half its commitments for 2004, and not even 15% of its due for 2005 (that is less than 4% of the U.N. budget). In contrast, every other major contributor has already fully paid 2004 and 2005.
If you aggregate the effective payements made on the last 12 months, the U.S. is only the 6th contributor to the U.N. budget, behind Italy (2.89% of the world GDP)!
Here are the hard and daunting data (remember you asked for it):
http://www.globalpolicy.org/finance/tables/reg-bud get/large05.htm [globalpolicy.org]

Why do you think U.S. officials always speak of the assessments (never the payments)?

Re:Oh Please...

[nahdude812]

Money owed by U.S. to U.N.: $1bn
Money owed by U.N. to U.S.: $4.7bn

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa103199 p3.htm [about.com]

Re:Oh Please...

[rblum]

Little good the League of Nations did to prevent WWII

Of course, one might want to make the argument that it didn't have the leverage to prevent it because the US never joined.. But let's not have facts get in the way of a good UN bash, right?

Donald Trump testified for over a half hour on just how screwed up the UN was when it came to construction costs and project planning.

How often did Trump go bankrupt? That makes him an expert on projection cost and project planning how?

Afghanistan was more interest

Re:Oh Please...

[Scrameustache]

they are trying to get the US to renovate the UN building in NYC and expecting to spend about a billion extra to do so (American Tax Dollars).

I hadn't read any details about the renovation project, so I checked it out. That billion "American Tax Dollars" you talked about? It's a loan [globalpolicy.org], with 5.54 per cent interest!

the United States Congress had approved the loan offer of $1.2 billion to finance the costs of the project.

Re:Hmm

[Bogtha]

The UN has a huge positive effect on the world. Examples: [democracyarsenal.org]

• They feed 104 million people a year in 80 countries. They feed people in war zones, natural disaster situations, health emergencies, and just plain poor countries.
• There were 17 million asylum-seekers, refugees and the like in 2004 who got help from UNHCR. They both help refugees directly and work to ensure that governments meet their responsibilities to these displacees.
• UNICEF. The UN protects children, everything from immunisation, education, protection against exploitation, AIDS prevention, etc.
• The UN has 16 active peacekeeping missions right now, in places like Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia and Burundi. Make no mistake: in most of those places if the UN weren't there, no one else but the marauders would be and the peace or relative peace being kept would have disintegrated long ago.
• The UN is the leader when it comes to the global battle against HIV/AIDS. Between the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria the UN is at the heart of every aspect of dealing with the epidemic, from heightening awareness to raising funds to making sure appropriate programs for prevention and treatment are implemented.
• Were it not for the UN, an awful lot of suffering around the world would go even less noticed and addressed than it does today. Landmine victims, Marburg fever and cholera sufferers, child soldiers, modern-day slaves, lepers and thousands of other populations beleagured by one or another either visible or obscure plight have a place to turn at the UN.

It strikes me that, of the people who are wholly negative of the UN, the vasty majority are from the USA. It's not surprising, given that the UN are criticising the USA for blocking their torture investigations [un.org] at the moment.

I don't think you'll find anybody claiming that the UN is a perfect organisation. But only trolls and ignorant people could claim that the UN is not worth supporting.

Re:Hmm

[abigor]

Alberta Report is a well-known lunatic fringe magazine, and an embarrassment to Canada. It is run by a family of ultra-conservative Catholics. I think it has a circulation of around 6 copies. I know they were forced to scale back dramatically due to poor sales.

Re:Hmm

[killjoe]

Pssst. Hey you want to know a secret? Come here, let me whisper it in your ear.

there are starving people in the US too.

Then what

[weierstrass]

Then Richard Stallman can run the world, of course.

I may be going out on a limb

[mr_da3m0n]

But I think this was just a message he was trying to get accross. Now what I wonder is why the security didn't let him leave? OH NOES HE HAS TIN FOIL OVER BADGES!!1 Unless they had something to hide...?

Chickenwire the new tinfoil!

[dj245]

If the holeys in a mesh are half the size of the average wavelength of the radiation, practically none will get through, assuming it is made of the right material. The proper size mesh for RFID technology is left as an excerise for the reader.

Re:Chickenwire the new tinfoil!

[RAMMS+EIN]

Isn't it supposed to work to just surround the whole thing with anything that conducts electricity, creating a Faraday cage?

Re:Chickenwire the new tinfoil!

[arose]

You just have to turn the foil around. Or get the cheap stuff instead of the new expensive One Way Foil(TM).

Re:Chickenwire the new tinfoil!

[hankwang]

If the holeys in a mesh are half the size of the average wavelength of the radiation, practically none will get through,

Try wrapping a mobile phone (1800 MHz = 17 cm wavelength) in aluminum foil and just leave a small hole that allows you to look at the signal strength indicator. You will be surprised.

Your argument is only valid (and then only to a certain extent) if both of the following conditions are met:

• The incident radiation is (approximately) a plane wave (i.e. the source is many wavelengths away and there are no antennas and such in the neighborhood).
• The receiver is at least a few times the wavelength away from the aperture.

Close to the aperture you will still have a significant electric field (it's called the near field). In addition, in the near field of a radiation sources you have a magnetic field component that may penetrate thin layers of aluminum. With a fully enclosing piece of aluminum foil, without any holes, you would do a better job.

What are you talking about?

[gcnaddict]

"What makes this even funnier, of course, is that tin foil hats won't stop them [slashdot.org]."

what are you talking about? Tin foil hats stop everything :P

Paranoia isn't cheap

[CosmeticLobotamy]

You deserve what you get if you use aluminum foil. Any conspiracy theorist worth his salary won't accept anything less than genuine tin.

tin, pfft

[DrSkwid]

lead is the only way to go

I used to use a anti-xray film bag for shoplifting, works a treat

Re:tin, pfft

[arose]

No, sue the manufacturer of the film!

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Re:Credit where Credit is due.

[Blakey Rat]

End of story? Because your opinion obviously supersedes everybody else's. In fact, I don't know why I'm even posting this, seeing as how you've stated what you think, which is undoubtedly without question, and there's no point in discussing it further.

Sarcasm aside... the UN could have been more polite on this issue. RMS could have been more polite on this issue. For instance, why didn't RMS protest the badge when handed it in the first place? Why did he, instead, go out and buy a roll of foil and star

Is this the first time you've seen this?

[Belial6]

It is extreamly common for people in authority to use other who have no say to deliver their messages. This is often done with the express purpose of pushing unreasonable requests on people, and creating exactly your feelings on anyone who complains. This is not just in government, but in jobs, and even in families.

How many people have had a review, that included a "wage review", at work where they are told that someone not involved in the meeting, and unaccessable to the employee, is the final decicion on their raise. This was the same thing.

So basically you are wrong. In most situations, being a jerk to the innocent guys just trying to do their job is the only way to get things changed. If your job is Henchman, expect to be treated like it.

Re:Credit where Credit is due.

[joak]

How is wearing tinfoil around a badge, and removing it when asked, being "a jerk to innocent guys?" Sounds to me like the confrontation is being caused by typical, officious guard behavior. Nor is it clear to me that he didn't protest the badge when it was handed to him--I don't know where you got that from.

If you read Perens' account, you doubtless saw the UN (according to Perens, anyway) broke a promise not to use RFID cards at this year's protest--presumably in response to complaints last year to the "head of security" or some such. The options are presumably complain again, boycott the conference, or do some sort of symbolic protest. Boycotting in a hissy fit would be acting like a jack ass; complaining has proven to be useless; he chose the last option.

I'm definitely not a Stallman fan (my impression of him is summed up by joking about killing an anti-Free Software spokesmen, then needing to explain to Perens that "he wouldn't really kill anyone.") But this two-bit protest became an issue because guards felt their manhood was being challenged.

Movie Guy Comment

[griffjon]

Richard Stallman Accosted For Tinfoil Hat

Best. Slashdot Heading. Ever.

For all the "what does it matter" folks

[Catbeller]

For months as this RFID contraversy has progressed, people on the 'dot have said, "well, you can always block it with a piece of foil if you don't want to be tracked".

Well, guess what? As predicted by a quick examination of human nature, they WON'T let you block your tracking devices. You will not have a choice as to when and where you will be tracked. This is just the very beginning, the closing of the gate, of our World Prison.

Tell me why again we have to have tracking devices embedded on our persons? I seem to have missed the reasoning. Terrorism?

Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks

[Blakey Rat]

It's a goddamned NAME BADGE! It's not the Illuminadi, it's not the "Pentaveret" or whatever the hell secret society you think is covering up UFO's. It's to identify which doors he should be able to unlock and which he shouldn't have access to. Millions of people were RFID name badges every day. Thousands of businesses require them. Why is everyone on Slashdot, a Linux-oriented website, so technophobic and paranoid? And half of the people posting here probably wear a RFID name badge to work, also.

Look, there are legitimate reasons to oppose *some* RFID tags. For instance, RFID tags put on clothing which are not removed at purchase. But clowning like this only serves to distract from the real issue.

Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks

[Catbeller]

Exactly. It was just an identity badge. And they went bonkers. Totally disproportionate response.

Yell at the authority-maddened idiots who thought they could harrass Stallman, not Stallman. He made the point beautifully. It's about the POWER, not about security.

What do you think the guvmint or the cops will do when you block THEIR tracking, even symbolically? Arrest, jail, prison, inevitably.

Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks

[qeveren]

You're missing the point entirely. He wrapped the badge in aluminum foil precisely to cause this reaction, because he wanted to get his point across to a wide audience of people.

Complaining quietly and politely about certain kinds of issues just gets you swept under the rug and ignored.

And since when should security be 'easier'? If security is easy then you're probably doing something wrong.

Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks

[killjoe]

He educated you. He is expecting you to educate the masses.

Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks

[killjoe]

He is educating you by showing you exactly how far the authorities are willing to go. This was just a name badge for god's sake and he removed the foil when going through checkpoints and they still detained him. I knew about RFID but I didn't realize how serious people were going to be about it.

He also educated me by showing an easy and effective way to make the point. He showed how it was possible to make them look stupid while obeying their orders.

Of course the mass media are going to call him a crackpot. Do you really expect anything else? The same mass media that called John Kerry a coward and accused him of shooting himself, the same mass media that called martin Luther king a communist, the same mass media that called the beatles communists, that same mass media that called kiss satanists for gods sake. The mass media will try to destory anybody who is popular and will try to demean anybody who is fighting for change.

The powers that be use the media to try and lable people who oppose them as communists, crackpots, terrorists, haters of america and freedom, cowards and whatever other phrase is pushing the buttons of the ignorant masses that week. If you want to make a difference you can't let the press calling you a crackpot stop you.

So what are you going to do other then calling him a crackpot that's what I want to know. You certainly seem to be content with joining the chorus of the chattering masses in calling him names rather then discussing the points he is trying to make with your parents or neighbors.

Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks

[Zarel]

"Authority-maddened?" They went "bonkers?" They just held him until he removed the foil so they could scan his badge. That's "bonkers" now?

Please, RTFA before you reply in such a... well, offensive manner.

From TFA:

You can't give Richard a visible RF ID strip without expecting him to protest. Richard acquired an entire roll of aluminum foil and wore his foil-shielded pass prominently. He willingly unwrapped it to go through any of the visible check-points, he simply objected to the potential that people might be reading the RF ID without his knowledge and tracking him around the grounds. This, again, is a legitimate gripe, handled with Richard's usual highly-visible, guile-less and absolutely un-subtle style of non-violent protest.

(Emphasis mine)

Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks

[Scrameustache]

It's a goddamned NAME BADGE! It's not the Illuminadi, it's not the "Pentaveret" or whatever the hell secret society you think is covering up UFO's. It's to identify which doors he should be able to unlock and which he shouldn't have access to.

And they wouldn't let him leave the room!
RTFA, he showed his badge whenever he had to get access to anything, he covered it up when he wasn't doing that, and they freaked.

Tell me again why you don't think there's something more to their insistance on invisible, easily tracked mandatory ID? Remind me how it will be impossible for anyone with bad intentions to get access to the traces?

Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks

[roman_mir]

Tell me why again we have to have tracking devices embedded on our persons? - because you are a slave. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage, born inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind.

Ok, now that I did the obligatory Matrix quote, here is why I think tracking every single individual's movements, purchases, and even thoughts is an inevitable future: the technological advances allow government bodies to have the most control over the population (look what is happenning in the most developped countries: UK, USA, Canada, Australia, etc.) The government has the will to control the population. Ironically it is the population that gives the government that power. Apparently the small number of people who are able to innovate and come up with technological progress are mostly the ones who understand how this new tech can be abused to give the government more power and to take away freedoms of the people. Unfortunately the majority of the people are not the ones responsible for the innovation, they are just 'consumers', they have no clue. But they are the majority and they are always ready to trade their freedoms for some illusion of security and/or convenience. The innovation suggests new technical possibilities, the government needs a stable system to make its only income: the taxes. Thus the government protects and maximizes its source of income: a stable regime with powerful system of controls that absolutely prohibit any dissident behaviour that leads to decreases in government income. The population in majority agrees to anything that creates illusion of security/safety/convenience etc., and basically gives up the idea that individuals should be responsible for their own behaviour and actions to themselves first. It looks more and more like an ant colony or a bee hive, doesn't it?

It looks like it is the inherit property of a system - to maximize government control and power and minimize individual freedoms in order to maximize government's income. The problem is a system based on taxes.

Thus, see my previous [slashdot.org] posts [slashdot.org].

Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks

[jafac]

IMNSHO - he should have just microwaved the damn thing.

1. Go to McDonalds for lunch.
2. ask the cashier to speak with the manager.
3. Ask manager if he'll kindly nuke the rfid badge for 30 seconds - offer $5 if necessary.
4. Return to conference with smelly, but broken rfid badge, and faux indignant suprise when the goons at the gate freak.

Re:For all the "what does it matter" folks

[golgotha007]

You might want to RTFA again and pay attention this time.

He joked about killing another participant *After* being detained and released and allowed to attend another panel. Not only that, but he joked about it personally to Bruce Perens only after Bruce assured Richard of their diplomat status.

so, RTFAMC

You have to hand it to Richard

[Mel]

The guy has balls and he'll make a stand against what he believes in no matter how it looks. Sure, the tinfoil hat doesn't actually work, but it's a visible symbol that cannot be ignored. Without people like him making a visible protest on a forum that so many high-level people will notice, protests against tracking technologies are just pissing into the wind.

Rock on Richard.

Re:You have to hand it to Richard

[gkuz]

The guy has balls and he'll make a stand against what he believes in

I thought he was making a stand for what he believes in.

Their rules

[secolactico]

I think he would have made a better statement if he simply refused to attend the summit upon finding out that the tags had RFID.

Having a covered up badge could be a breach of security, since not only did he cover the RFID (and not even that) but he covered the "visual part" of the badge.

Of course, being a famous personality, that wouldn't be much of an issue, but what about the "crashers" that got a wad of aluminum and simply say that they were following RMS' advice?

I admire RMS in this aspect. I wish I could do more to preserve our right to privacy. Nowadays, all I do is refuse the services of people who insist in gathering all kind of information in exchange of unrelated good/services (I just want to rent a movie, you don't need to know my yearly income of wether I have life insurance). But it's a losing battle.

It's called "Civil Disobedience"

[mrchaotica]

By definition, it doesn't work if you play by their rules. If he'd just chosen not to show up, nobody would care. Doing this, however, caused enough of a commotion that we're now reading about it on Slashdot. This is exactly what RMS WANTED to happen!

Great image for the FOSS movement

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm going to be flamed for this so I'll post AC.

I respect RMS. He's contributed a lot to the FOSS movement (but no, sorry, what I run is Linux). Several of his writings are thought-provoking. But on the other hand, we all want to see Linux become mainstream. Is this the image we want corporations to have about FOSS? One of its leaders childishly and purposefully gets in trouble with UN security for shielding his pass in aluminium foil. A movement led by immature pranksters. Is that the image we want?

Re:Great image for the FOSS movement

[mw13068]

You don't seem to understand that the Free Software movement is a sociopolitical movement that cares more about freedom than about mainstream popularity. Strange concept in this day and age right?

I respect RMS because he has never waivered from his ideals, even though people running "Linux", think he's a crazy person. He doesn't let fear of perception goad him into giving over his integrity. He and the FSF are not just trying to become popular, they're trying to protect your freedom and mine.

IMO idealistic integrity is in too short supply in the world these days.

So, it's great that you like "Linux", but remember that without RMS and the FSF and their allies, your "Linux" would not exist.

Re:Great image for the FOSS movement

[ultranova]

I respect RMS. He's contributed a lot to the FOSS movement (but no, sorry, what I run is Linux). Several of his writings are thought-provoking. But on the other hand, we all want to see Linux become mainstream.

Linux is mainstream. Mainstream does not mean number-one; mainstream means widely-used.

Is this the image we want corporations to have about FOSS?

The ideals of FOSS are far more important than the perceptions of any corporation about it. To quote a saying: "If you are willing to become evil in order to fight evil, why are you fighting it ?"

If you are willing to give up everything that FOSS stands for in order to get it accepted as "mainstream", why do you even bother - it won't be Free or Open anymore then, so you can just use the proprietary products and save yourself the bother.

One of its leaders childishly and purposefully gets in trouble with UN security for shielding his pass in aluminium foil. A movement led by immature pranksters. Is that the image we want?

There is nothing childish or immature in demonstrating your viewpoint. No matter how much powers-that-be try to make you think so, playing by their rules and silently accepting defeat instead of using your brains to make a scene that gets everyones attention is not a sign of maturity; it is a sign of weakness and/or stupidity.

Had Stallman played by their rules and simply refused to attend, or perhaps been given a special no-RFID ID card, they would have won; there would be no article here, no fuss risen over the use of RFID. Instead, Stallman played his own game, and drew attention to this issue. Stallman used his brains, and put up an effective fight; nothing immature in that.

real reason?

[Bethor]

Are you sure it was the tinfoil?
I mean, if I was a security guy and got confronted by this [indymedia.org]this, I would be pretty nervous too!

Transparent tinfoil hats and badge holders

[digitaldc]

Richard will surely be using transparent aluminum in many creative ways. It is the best of both worlds, you can see the RFID tag, you just can't scan for it.

Ironic having the summit in Tunis

[Twid]

The real story for this conference is the sad irony of having an information summit in Tunis, which violently suppresses freedom of expression [indexonline.org].

You can read lots more stories here. [google.com] I'm pretty surprised the freedom-loving editors at slashdot didn't pick this up as a separate story, it's much more important than Stallman's RFID-tinfoil stunt.

Tinfoil

[PrimeNumber]

Although Stallman probably knew that tinfoil doesnt work, he was more likely trying to make a political point about RFID, which was a good thing IMHO.
 
Personally I would have suggested that people go to the snack room and throw it in a microwave oven, that way it makes it a pain in the ass and costs those who want to implement this crap. Money is the only thing people like this understand anyway.

Al Foil would work fine

[StarsAreAlsoFire]

Ladies and gents: Aluminum foil may not work for head-gear, but it will work just dandy for covering an RFID tag.

Tag == 100% wrapped.

Head != 100% wrapped (one would hope)

Aluminum foil is conductive. That and complete coverage is all you need for a faraday cage.

There are like 30 posts already that act like it won't work: it will. Want to test it? Wrap your walkman in foil and try to listen to FM. Freqs are different for RFID (probably), but it doesn't matter.

Take care not to touch the ant. of the radio to the foil though, or you may actually improve reception ;~)

Hammer time?

[ka9dgx]

Why not just set the thing down, and bash the RFID chip with a hammer, or crush it with your leatherman? Claim not to know why it doesn't work, and let them deal with you in the conventional manner, instead of all this big brother shit.

--Mike--

Re:Hammer time?

[Linker3000]

Like that would make headlines? RMS is going for max publicity.

sooo.. let me get this straight...

[tomcres]

RMS doesn't like the UN being able to track where he is using RFID technology.. but he doesn't think it's pretty easy for them to track his location by looking out for the one idiot in the tin-man costume among a bunch of suits?

Way to go, RMS! :P

Tin foil

[hkb]

I reckon RMS didn't actually care if the tin foil worked or not, it, to me, was an obviously symbolic thing.

Isn't the whole poimt if a security badge ID?

[frdmfghtr]

(All quotes from Bruce Perens' blog, http://perens.sourcelabs.com/ [sourcelabs.com])

You can't give Richard a visible RF ID strip without expecting him to protest. Richard acquired an entire roll of aluminum foil and wore his foil-shielded pass prominently. He willingly unwrapped it to go through any of the visible check-points, he simply objected to the potential that people might be reading the RF ID without his knowledge and tracking him around the grounds. This, again, is a legitimate gripe, handled with Richard's usual highly-visible, guile-less and absolutely un-subtle style of non-violent protest.

I'm not quite sure I understand why RMS felt that the RFID was a violation of his privacy. It's a SECURITY BADGE. It's whole PURPOSE is to identify the wearer. If he didn't want to wear it, then he shouldn't have attended the event.

I disagree that it's a "legitimate gripe." Remember, he wasn't out on a public road somewhere, but in a "what I suspect is) a secure facility. Furthermore, if somebody really DID want to track him, they would just have somebody watch him the entire time. Believing that somebody wants to track your every motion is either a sign of paranoia or an overinflated sense of self-importance.

All of this completely disrupted the panel that was supposed to follow ours in that room, and the folks operating that panel were rightly furious... ..So, this was no doubt an interesting problem for the security folks, who had no real idea who Richard was except that he was someone reasonably distinguished who was visibly violating their security measure.

So he makes his point and disrupts the schedule of other panels. Great--this leaves the impression that "Others be damned, I'll make my point however I damn well please." That will earn you a lot of respect. And before you point out that it was the UNU security personnel who caused the ruckus and not Stallman, re-read the account. He was VIOLATING A SECURITY MEASURE. What do you expect them to do? He's violating a security measure that they are there to enforce.

I didn't see anyone further molesting Richard, but I'd imagine he was followed around by plainclothes agents for the rest of the day. This, however, may not be unusual. Perhaps Kramer even got his own protective detail.

See above.

I could just be ignorant of RFID, or misinterpreting Stallman's point of view, but he does seem to be a bit "over the top" in terms of making his opinion known to the public at large. He's 100% entitled to his opinion, but there is a point where making one's point and the cacophony that comes with it washes over the actual issue at hand. What will be remembered more, the RFID issue or that Stallman caused a commotion at a UN event?

Re:Isn't the whole poimt if a security badge ID?

[2nd Post!]

I think you don't understand rfid.

Imagine if your next credit card used rfid, or your passport, or your driver's license.

I'm not quite sure I understand why RMS felt that the RFID was a violation of his privacy. It's a SECURITY BADGE. It's whole PURPOSE is to identify the wearer. If he didn't want to wear it, then he shouldn't have attended the event.

RFID's purpose is not to identify the wearer; like Windows RPC, it's purpose is to be usable in a remote, rather than immediate, manner.

Imagine then bombs that

I applaud both Stallman and U.N. security

[dpbsmith]

Stallman did something completely appropriate. It made a point. It made a valid point. It made the point effectively by attracting attention and publicity. It did not hurt anybody. It caused the barest minimum of disruption and inconvenience.

It has probably brought the matter to the attention of U.N. officials who honestly didn't know or understand the problems with RFID, and regardless of their visible behavior I am sure that it educated the security people as well. I don't know whether this in itself will change policy, but I'd bet a nickel that behind the scenes there have been some discussions and briefings.

Now, the U.N. security people did as close to the right thing as you can imagine them doing. You can't expect them to make an instant technical analysis of the situation. The facts they were presented with were: a) the badges are being used for security, to make sure that only authorized people attend; b) Stallman was conspiciously doing something or other with the badges; c) they had no way of knowing whether it was any kind of security threat, but at least the possibility existed. Screwing around with a security pass is suspicious, even if you don't know what exactly to suspect, and even if in this case it was innocent.

They didn't arrest him. They didn't beat him up. They created the barest minimum of disruption and inconvenience to Stallman and to the meeting.

I say Stallman was effective, on a matter that has some real society importance. And I say the security guards' response was measured and sensible.

This could be a good thing....

[jjh37997]

People.... this can be a good thing. The rich, powerful or corrupt have always had the power to invade our privacy because it's just an illusion and will alway be so. Privacy laws just protect the powerful from being watched by the masses.

Instead of fighting a lossing battle to stop this technology we need to ensure that it will be available to everyone and that the information will be open to the public. Put cameras on the streets, in the police stations and in government buildings. Build cheap RFID readers that everyone can own. I don't mind being watched as long as I can watch everyone else. Imagine a world where everyone is equipped with their own personal cameras and recording devices... with so many eyes spreading their light everywhere the world might become a more peaceful and happy place.

It's Sad.....

[schlick]

It saddens me that so many here don't seem to understand a simple but very important concept behind Stallmans protest. It was a catch-phrase in the '60s. I was born in the '70s, but I guess I'm lucky that it was effectively taught to me.

I wish I could make this huge:

QUESTION AUTHORITY!

That is all RMS was doing. And when he did put the question to them we saw their reaction. It scares me, the number of people who think the UN's reaction was appropriate.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:I want people ID tagged

[shish]

What if you're doing something morally right, but illegal, or socially unpopular?

The Slashdot title is wrong.

[Futurepower(R)]

Exactly. The story does NOT say "Richard Stallman Accosted For Tinfoil Hat". It says he wrapped his RFID card in aluminum foil, which is 100% effective in preventing reading the card without the card carrier's knowledge. The story also says that Mr. Stallman willingly took off the foil at checkpoints.

I Read The Funny Article

[ndansmith]

It's funny. Laugh.

I oringally picked this up from Technocrat [tecnocrat.net], a slash site where Perens is an editor/author (I added that fact in the post but it was scrubbed by CowboyNeal). His headline was as follows:

Richard Stallman gets in trouble with UN Security for wearing a tinfoil hat.

I wanted to preserve his concept while still getting the story out to the greater Slashdot community. Perens wrote the headline knowing full well it was aluminum over his name badge. Here is how I interpert his intention, and why I did it how I did it.
1. The difference between aluminum and tin foil is irrelevant. RMS was trying to make a point, and aluminum foil was all that was available.
2. "Tinfoil" hat was was indicative of its function, not position. Or perhaps this will help: he put a tinfoil hat on his badge. Anyway, the location of the foil is not the point of RMS's action nor Perens' post.
3. It's funny. Laugh.

Re:The Hypocrisy

[iamacat]

Yes, because BitTorrent can not be used for human trafficking or for keeping track of citizens' movements in a totalitarian state, such as one that considers copyright infringement to be more important than these things.

Re:The Hypocrisy

[ScrewMaster]

Not at all. The "major purpose" of Bit Torrent is to transfer large files efficiently. Bram Cohen intended that to be used for entirely legal purposes such as Linux distributions. The fact that, like most tools, it had wider application is completely irrelevant. You can break into someone's home with a screwdriver ... that doesn't make a screwdriver inherently evil.

Bit Torrent and similar technologies simply give individuals more power. Yes, more power to do things that some organizations would rather they didn't do, but also more power to make their lives better as well. A trade-off, in other words, and one that (for once) is on the side of the many, rather than the few.

Valid complaints about RFID are generally not "RFID rechnology is just inherently evil", but are oriented against governments and/or criminal organizations that would use it to hurt people. Yes, there are many legitimate benefits conferred by RFID tech, but those must be balanced against the potential for people to get hurt by them. Thoughtless dissemination of RFID technology (such as the U.S. State Department was all set to do with passports) will cause a lot more damage than it is worth.

Losing privacy is wrong, (C) infringment isn't.

[mrchaotica]

What's so hard to understand about that?

Re:The Hypocrisy

[Scrameustache]

think RFID rechnology is just inherently evil without regard to whose using it and what purpose it is for, and yet say that P2P technologies like Bittorrent are great
[...]
It's just another example of hypocrisy.

1 : a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not;

No, Alanis, it's not.

This is what it takes!

[mrchaotica]

The price of Freedom is eternal vigilance. -- Thomas Jefferson

Hell yes, we worry about this, because it takes this level of concern to remain Free! Maybe the fact that you apparently don't care enough to complain is why your country is fucked up so bad! Have you ever considered that?!!

Re:You Westerners are funny

[penguinoid]

I always wonder what youin the West would do in the face of true evil. Soil your panties and faint, I imagine.

Perhaps you'll find that "true evil" can turn wusses into heroes. We sit on our fat asses, because we can.

Re:Tin/Aluminium?

[anethema]

Actually, beeing an electrical engineer, I can tell you that aluminum or tin would be an equally effective shield for RFID or any other frequency in which it is relativly large enough. (Relative to the wavelength used by the transmitting device..in the case of RFID it can use anything from 52 mm to 2398 m. No matter the frequency, encasing an entire object in metal foil will block its RF output as explained loosely below.)

If you wrap any RF transmitting device in tin OR aluminum foil, you are going to completely shield the device and no RF will get in or out because the foil would act as a farady cage.

This is because aluminum conducts electricity just fine, and as RF is composed of electro-magnetet waves, a solid conducting surface will act as a ground (short) and bounce the signal. If there is no way for the signal to escape, it wont.

Any electrically conductive material would have this property. You could (and it has been done many times) make a faraday cage out of aluminum just as easily as steel or tin. Aluminum of course only has about 60 percent of the electrical conductivity of copper so copper (actually silver but obviously too expensive) would be the ideal material, but for weak signals like RFID it is irrelivant and both would work fine.

Re:Tin/Aluminium?

[swillden]

Actually, beeing an electrical engineer,

Okay, maybe you can explain something I've been trying to figure out for a while.

If you wrap any RF transmitting device in tin OR aluminum foil, you are going to completely shield the device and no RF will get in or out because the foil would act as a farady cage.

This doesn't fit with what I learned in college physics, yet I hear it all the time. From what I learned, a Faraday cage should prevent RF energy from entering the cage, but not from leaving it.

As

Re:Tin/Aluminium?

[anethema]

I am not sure how it works relative to Gauss's law, it has been a long while since school and working in RF is sometimes a lot of guesswork to go with the theory, but I will try to explain it this way...

In the RF world if you have a perfect short circuit between the transmitting element and ground, or a perfect open circuit, you will have a perfect 100% reflection. Free space has a certain resistance to RF, and to avoid reflections, antennas match resistances between your system and free space (and back aga

Re:brilliant...

[Waffle Iron]

nice, he makes a big ostentatious show of covering up his RFID strip with foil so "they" can't get at him, and of course all that happens is "they" make a big show of harassing him.

This is exactly what he intended. If they hadn't harassed him, then the story wouldn't be in the news, and nobody would know about it. However, he knew that this would most likely cause some kind of stink, which would generated a news story that gets people talking about the issue. Now we're all here thinking about RFD, just as RMS wanted.

RMS played the UN security like puppets on strings just the same way as terrorists play the administration and congress: they know what the knee-jerk reaction will be and they use it to their advantage.

Re:brilliant...

[sploxx]

RMS played the UN security like puppets on strings just the same way as terrorists play the administration and congress: they know what the knee-jerk reaction will be and they use it to their advantage.

With the small but important difference that RMS did not harm or kill anyone. Makes it easy to sympathize with him and his cause, which is not possible with terrorists.

Re:if (Al == Sn)

[spauldo]

It's similar to people calling refrigerators "iceboxes". Back in the day, before aluminum was cheap, people used tinfoil. Aluminum foil became the standard, but people kept calling it tinfoil because that's what they'd called it all their life.

Kind of like how some people call any tissue "Kleenex" no matter who manufactured it. Or sheetrock, for that matter.

Re:Just a question..

[EiZei]

Hmh, quite odd considering that all RFID-type ID badges I have used require usually going real near the reader. You can just require to keep photo IDs visible at all times and have them "scanned" without your knowledge too.