Vast Spy System Loots Computers in 103 Countries

A vast electronic spying operation has infiltrated computers and has stolen documents from hundreds of government and private offices around the world, including those of the Dalai Lama, Canadian researchers have concluded.

In a report to be issued this weekend, the researchers said that the system was being controlled from computers based almost exclusively in China, but that they could not say conclusively that the Chinese government was involved.
The researchers, who are based at the Munk Center for International Studies at the University of Toronto, had been asked by the office of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader whom China regularly denounces, to examine its computers for signs of malicious software, or malware.

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The malware is remarkable both for its sweep — in computer jargon, it has not been merely “phishing” for random consumers’ information, but “whaling” for particular important targets — and for its Big Brother-style capacities. It can, for example, turn on the camera and audio-recording functions of an infected computer, enabling monitors to see and hear what goes on in a room. The investigators say they do not know if this facet has been employed.

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DeeJayH said:

my my my
never felt comfortable with giving people 'backdoor access' to my computer for repairs, but it is not like i got anything of value on it

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The main conflict in this story was man vs. society. The man, a frail person in his late 30's to early 40's named Winston, v. society's totalitarian government that controls every aspect of it's peoples' lives.
In this book, 1984, the government eliminates privacy with an instrument called a telescreen, a tv with an intercom and a camera in every room, which is always on.

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Arch Enemy said:

I wonder if people seriously thought that this whole concept of "progress" being able to do things simpler, less amount of time, would not affect Government's wish to keep a watchful eye on it's citizens.

I was not surprised by this.

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