Big Brother -- Ħuna l-kbir

 

Probably some of you are familiar with the 1984 book by George Orwell (real name Eric Arthur Blair), which was an important book in English literature courses at secondary school in my time.  This was about a fictitious environment, in a future imagined when written (in 1948), where the inhabitants are under the continuous surveillance of cameras spread out almost everywhere.

 

Today we can say that imagined environment was anything but fictitions, as it has come into being with the huge advances in information and telecommunication technology, not too distant from the date which names the book.

 

The use of security cameras in many road corners, initially as a deterrent in commercial shops, then in road and now in houses, is well known.  Today almost everyone carries a means of telecommunication, which has at least one camera, more probably two, which in fact is a computer more sophisticated than the biggest computer of some decades ago, which does far more than to allow you to call your mother-in-law.  One can easily install on his/her mobile phone a surveillance app, or it can be installed by a nefarious developer without your knowledge when you install something else that is merely a smokescreen.  The same can occur on a computer at home.

 

I also have to mention the facility by which commercial and state organisations can, if they wish, maintain information about users of their services, and build a detailed profile of just about anybody, with high precision.

 

Where can this lead?  Perhaps the country which has taken the surveillance of its citizens to its most advanced stage is China, which has a system with which persons are recognised through their physical characteristics while walking in the street, be immediately classified with a number which indicates their 'trustworthiness', based on which decisions are taken automatically, for example whether they are allowed to buy a train ticket or be given a service.1

 

In no way is China the only country undertaking this type of surveillance.  The Snowden revelations have shown that even a country that boasts of freedom like the United States tries to conduct surveillance on every type of communication around the world, and conceal the fact that it is doing so.2

 

All of this is being said due to a new app that has been launced in Australia with the aim of helping in the fight against the deadly virus COVID-19.  This app, called COVIDSafe, which is software that is insalled on a smartphone, takes note of other smartphones that are closeby, estimates their distance away, and keeps a log of them if this distance is shorter than 1.5 metres (there is still some confusion whether the recommendation for social distancing is for one and a half or two metres).

 

It is interesting that this log is made if the distance is less than the prescribed amount for fifteen minites, and not just for a moment, or at least this is what is written on the Health Department's website.

 

There has been some criticism and fear that this is another step in the nibbling away of personal freedoms, especially after the Australian parliament had passed a law just before the federal election of 2019 requiring telecommunications and information technology companies to provide means by which messages made secret through cryptography could be opened.

 

To mitigate this fear, the Australian government has promised that the app has been developed for information to be primarily held on the smartphone of participants who would have the right to accept or otherwise to pass this on to the Health Department if they are found to be infected with the virus.  In this case, the information would consist of a list of mobile numbers that were too close to the infected person, and these would then receive a message that they (rather their owners) had been exposed to the disease, to take recommended steps for their own health.

 

The government also said that the information would be protected by cryptography, be only used for purposes of fighting the virus, and those caught accessing information for other purpose would be criminally sanctioned.3  These intentions are all positive although by themselves are no guarantee no abuse will occur.

 

One example is the app being given an identity that changes ever two hours and be encrypted, however one still needs to enter the phone's number, which by itself is an identity.  Also with powers the government has to break cryptography, now that the app is being developed by an agency of government itself, the value of the cryptography is reduced.

 

I have to add I wasn't much impressed on learning that when information departs from the mobile phone to the government, this will be held on servers of Amazon's data centres in Sydney.  Amazon is a giant US company, and so is subject to US law which has wide powers to compel companies like Amazon to provide access to this data to US authorities.

 

Although the Amazon cloud is certified for securely hosting information for government, it seems that the original contract also foresaw the cryptographic keys being held in the same cloud, something not recommended for recurity reasons.4  It seems that after this choice was criticised, the government is looking to remedy this.

 

In other words, there is a not unfounded level of concern for the situation with this app, from many who are au courant with the subject, and mine too.  Nevertheless, I have to say I have decided to participate in the scheme, notwithstanding the fear of some abuse.  If participation helps to identify at an early stage who might have been exposed to this deadly virus, and leads to safeguard someone's health or life, I think the benefit outweighs the risk.

 

I've installed it, have you?

 

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Aktarx uħud minnkom huma familjari mal-kbieb 1984 ta' George Orwell (jew ismu proprja Eric Arthur Blair), li kien ktieb importanti fil-korsijiet tal-letteratura Ingliża tal-iskola sekondarja ta' żmieni.  Dan kien jittratta ambjent fittizju, fil-futur immaġinat ta' meta nkiteb (fl-1948), fejn l-abitanti jkunu dejjem taħt sorveljanza ta' kameras mifruxa kważi kullimkien.

 

Illum nistgħu ngħidu li dan l-ambjent immaġinat ma kien fittizju xejn, għax ġie fis-seħħ bl-avvanzi enormi tat-teknoloġija tal-informatika u tat-telekomunikazzjoni, mhux 'il bogħod wisq mid-data li hija l-isem tal-ktieb.

 

L-użu ta' kameras tas-sigurtà f'ħafna rkejjen tat-toroq, fil-bidu bħala deterrent f'ħwienet kummerċjali, imbagħad fit-toroq u issa fid-djar, huwa magħruf sew.  Illum kważi kulħadd iġorr miegħu mezz tat-telekomunikazzjoni, li għandu mill-inqas kamera waħda, u iktar probabbli tnejn, li fil-fatt huwa kompjuter sofistikat iktar mill-ikbar kompjuter ta' xi għexieren ta' snin ilu, li altru milli jħallik biss iċċempel lill-kunjata.  Wieħed faċilment jista' jistalla fuq il-mowbajl tiegħu applikazzjoni (app) ta' sorvelja, jew jiġi stallat bil-moħbi fuq dak tas-sieħeb/sieħba jew xi wild, jew jekk niġu għal dan, jiġi stallat minn żviluppatur bla skrupli mingħajr ma' tkun taf meta tistalla xi ħaġa oħra li tkun biss maskra.  L-istess jista' jsir fuq kompjuter tad-dar.

 

Ikolli nsemmi wkoll il-faċilità li biha organizzazzjonijiet kummerċjali u statali jistgħu, jekk iridu, iżommu informazzjoni fuq l-utenti tas-servizzi tagħhom, u jibnu profil dettaljat ta' kulħadd, bi preċiżjoni kbira.

 

Fejn tista' twassal din?  Forsi l-iktar pajjiż li ħa s-sorvelja taċ-ċittadini tiegħu għal stadju avvanzat huwa ċ-Ċina, li għandu sistema li biha l-persuni jiġu magħrufa minn persunithom waqt li mexjin fit-triq, jiġu dlonk ikklassifikati b'numru li jindika kemm huma 'ta' min jafdahom' u abbażi ta' hekk jittieħdu deċiżjonijiet awtomatiċi fuq jekk per eżempju jistgħux jixtru biljett tal-ferrovija jew jingħataw servizz.1

 

Bl-ebda mod mhi ċ-Ċina l-uniku pajjiż li qed jagħmel dan it-tip ta' sorvelja.  Ir-rivelazzjonijiet ta' Snowden urew li anke pajjiż li jiftaħar bil-libertà bħall-Istati Uniti jipprova jissorvelja kull tip ta' komunikazzjoni madwar id-dinja u jaħbi l-fatt li qed jagħmel dan.1

 

Dan kollu qed jingħad minħabba app ġdida li għadha kif ġiet varata fl-Awstralja bl-għan li tgħin fil-ġlieda kontra l-virus qerried COVID-19.  Din l-app, imsemmija COVIDSafe, li hija softwer li jiġi stallat fuq mowbajl, xogħolha hu li jieħu nota ta' mowbajls oħra li jkunu fil-qrib, jagħmel stima ta' kemm ikunu 'l bogħod, u jżomm nota tagħhom jekk id-distanza tkun iktar qrib minn 1.5 metru (hawn daqsxejn ta' konfużjoni jekk ir-rakkomandazzjoni ta' tbegħid soċjali hux ta' metru u nofs jew żewġ metri).  Interessanti huwa li din in-nota ssir jekk id-distanza tkun inqas minn hekk għal ħmistax-il minuta, u mhux għal mument biss, jew talinqas hekk hemm miktub fuq il-websajt tad-Dipartiment tas-Saħħa.

 

Kien hemm kritika u biża' li dan huwa pass ieħor fit-tnaqqir pass wara pass tal-libertajiet personali, speċjalment wara li l-parlament Awstraljan kien għadda l-liġi ftit qabel l-elezzjoni federali tal-2019 li teżiġi li l-kumpanniji tat-telekomunikazzjoni u tat-teknoloġija tal-informazzjoni biex jipprovdu mezzi li bihom ikunu jistgħu jiftħu messaġġi magħmulin sigrieti bil-kriptografija.

 

Biex inaqqas din il-biża', il-gvern Awstraljan wiegħed li l-app hija żviluppata sabiex l-informazzjoni tkun miżmuma primarjament fuq il-mowbajl tal-parteċipanti li jkollhom il-jedd li jaċċettaw jew le li  jgħadduha lid-Dipartiment tas-Saħħa jekk jinstabu li jkunu infettati bil-virus.  F'dak il-każ, din l-informazzjoni tikkonsisti f'lista ta' numri tal-mowbajls li kienu viċin wisq tal-persuna infettata, u għalhekk jirċievu messaġġ li ġew esposti għal din il-marda, biex jittieħdu passi rakkomandati fuq is-saħħa tagħhom.

 

Il-gvern qal ukoll li l-informazzjoni tiġi protetta bil-kriptografija, li tintuża biss għall-iskopijiet ta' ġlieda kontra l-virus, u min jinqabad jaċċessa l-informazzjoni għal skopijiet oħra ikollu sanzjonijiet kriminali.2  Dawn l-intenzjonijiet huma kollha pożittivi għalkemm minnhom infushom mhuma l-ebda garanzija li abbuż ma jsirx.

Eżempju wieħed huwa li l-app jingħata identità li tinbidel kull sagħtejn u tingħadda mill-kriptografija, imma xorta wieħed irid idaħħal in-numru tal-mowbajl, li minnu nnifsu huwa identità.  Ukoll bil-poteri li diġà għandu biex jikser il-kriptografija, u issa li l-app qed jiġi żviluppat minn aġenzija tal-gvern innifsu, il-valur tal-kriptografija huwa mnaqqas.

 

Inżid li ma kontx impressjonat meta sibt li meta l-informazzjoni titlaq minn fuq il-mowbajl għal għand il-gvern, tinżamm fuq servers fiċ-ċentri tad-data tal-Amazon fl-Awstralja.  L-Amazon hija kumpannija ġganteska Amerikana, li għalhekk hija suġġetta għal-liġi Amerikana li għandha wkoll poteri wiesgħa li ġġiegħel lil kumpanniji bħall-Amazon tagħti aċċess għal din id-data lill-awtoritajiet Amerikani.

 

Għalkemm il-klawd tal-Amazon għandha ċertifikat fis-sigurtà għall-informazzjoni tal-gvern, jidher li l-kuntratt oriġinali kellu wkoll iż-żamma taċ-ċwievet kriptografiċi fuq l-istess klawd, ħaġa li mhix rakkomandata għal raġunijiet ta' siġurtà.3  Jidher li wara li saret kritika ta' dan l-aspett, il-gvern qed jara biex jirrimedja għal dan.

 

Fi kliem ieħor, tħassib għas-sitwazzjoni hemm u mhux infundat ukoll, mingħand hafna li huma midħla tas-suġġett, u tiegħi ukoll.  Madankollu, ikolli ngħid li jien iddeċidejt li nipparteċipa fl-iskema, minkejja l-biża' ta' xi abbuż.  Jekk il-parteċipazzjoni tgħin sabiex jiġi identifikat b'mod bikri min seta' kien espost għal dan il-virus qerried, u jwassal biex jissalvagwardja s-saħħa jew anke l-ħajja ta' xi ħadd, naħseb li l-benefiċċju jirbaħ fuq il-riskju.

 

Jien stallajtu, u int?

 

 

1https://time.com/5735411/china-surveillance-privacy-issues/, retrieved 29/4/2020

2https://www.lawfareblog.com/snowden-revelations, retrieved 29/4/2020

3https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covidsafe-app, retrieved 29/4/2020

4https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-28/covidsafe-tracing-app-data-may-not-be-protected-from-usa/12189372, retrieved 29/4/2020

1https://time.com/5735411/china-surveillance-privacy-issues/, retrieved 29/4/2020

2https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covidsafe-app, retrieved 29/4/2020

3https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-28/covidsafe-tracing-app-data-may-not-be-protected-from-usa/12189372, retrieved 29/4/2020