The EFF has an article today about ComputerCOP, a poorly written software package purchased and distributed by police agencies throughout the US to help you spy on your kids. Some of the finer features include a braindead image search and unsecured transmission of keylogs across the Internet.
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Dubious 'Internet Safety Software' that Hundreds of Police Agencies have Distributed to Families
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 02 2014, @03:10PM
One sheriff’s department even bought a copy for every family in its county
That is a good use of public money...
That assumes everyone would install it. Which I doubt happened.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Virindi on Thursday October 02 2014, @03:13PM
Won't somebody please think of the children.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Thexalon on Thursday October 02 2014, @03:18PM
Hey, pedophiles around the country are thinking of the children!
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 02 2014, @03:34PM
That assumes everyone would install it. Which I doubt happened.
Now who in their right mind would refuse to install proprietary malware?
These guys should get to enjoy some jail time for CFAA violations!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by monster on Thursday October 02 2014, @04:17PM
Probably better spent than buying an armored vehicle and other military grade equipment, still.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Bob The Cowboy on Thursday October 02 2014, @04:53PM
Which San Diego Unified School District did as well. Thankfully there was a bit of a public outcry and they were returned.
(Score: 2) by monster on Thursday October 02 2014, @05:05PM
It's the same department? Man, that's not funding, that's a cashstorm!
(Score: 5, Informative) by Lagg on Thursday October 02 2014, @04:00PM
I'd do a choice quotes bit like I usually do but the EFF are good guys and there's nothing there that I can't quote without including an entire paragraph, so instead here are the numbers given for the amount of tax money spent:
I'm generally not the type to whine about "the gubbermint is spending our tax monies!" but this is one of those cases where it's so obviously fraud levels of misuse because let's be honest this is state sponsored spyware.
http://lagg.me [lagg.me] 🗿
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Thursday October 02 2014, @05:17PM
245 agencies times 1000 licenses times $1 is at least $245,000 spent on this trash? More likely it's $3 per copy for $735,000 total?
Could've paid any number of libre software communities that and gotten better software. Run a Kickstarter campaign. Much of the functionality might already be available, might not have to do much.
So what the heck is going on here? It could be fraud, but I think not. Rather, there probably is some fraud, but mostly it's a combination of stupidity, narrow minded thinking, and herd instinct. Police forces seem to be bastions of conservative thinking, and I should not be surprised that a job in law enforcement is more attractive to people of a conservative mindset. Unfortunately as part of this mindset, and their propensity to see crime everywhere (interestingly, cops are not ever wanted for jury duty), shooting down unarmed people who look dangerous, they totally fall for industry propaganda about how copying is stealing, or they would never have raided teenage hackers' homes. Probably believe that libre software is Communist, think the Cold War is still on. They're like those legendary Japanese submarine crews who were still fighting WWII 10 years after it had ended, because they never got word it was over. These people need a lot of minding to stop them from committing such stupid acts, however understandable it may be.
One thing I have often noticed in failing projects is a swerve into security. Management repurposes the product for security uses. That way, they can hide problems behind claims of security concerns. And it seems management understands that people in the enforcement biz are more gullible about security, easier to sell to. Stoke enforcers' paranoia just right, look like you're patriotic, honest, competent, and God fearing (authority loves higher authority of that sort, just loves the idea that the universe is under control and is an orderly place), and they'll come running to you, begging for the solution they think and wish you have.
(Score: 2) by Lagg on Thursday October 02 2014, @05:27PM
Actually, both of us are being conservative (heh, pun) with those estimates. I was rounding down when I said closer to $3, going by the chart from the promotional poster 1000 has a bulk price of $4.60 for the standard edition and $5.60 for the premium. So going by their given price and the most lenient possible amount we're talking $1,127,000. That's assuming that it was always at least 1K per agency even in the same state but that's reasonable since we know that the average was 5K for a given agency on average.
http://lagg.me [lagg.me] 🗿
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 02 2014, @04:39PM
Good job EFF! (supporter for many, many years)
What alternative do they suggest?
They mention HTTPS Everywhere, but it doesn't do much of what ComputerCOP claims to do. If someone was looking for something that did what ComputerCOP claims, what software should they buy?
(Score: 4, Informative) by Lagg on Thursday October 02 2014, @05:29PM
Well there's any number of keyloggers that you could get, open source or proprietary. Any given desktop search tool probably has a better image search than it does.
http://lagg.me [lagg.me] 🗿
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Friday October 03 2014, @05:05PM
> If someone was looking for something that did what ComputerCOP claims, what software should they buy?
I don't think software can make you a better parent. All you are doing is treating the symptom, not the cause.
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