This morning, my buddy M posted an item about Skype and ICQ Face Ban in Russia:

When the Russian state initiates an executive order to inspect citizens' mail (EDM, July 21), it is the regime's idea of business as usual. However, when big business initiates harsh legislation to ban foreign competition and invokes national security as the rationale, it might seem rather an unusual business practice elsewhere, except in Russia. On July 21, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), the country's main big business lobbyist, colloquially known as the "Oligarchs' Trade Union," proposed a crack down on internet service providers (ISP's). More specifically, the RSPP made a strong case for the Russian state to crackdown on telephone calls made through ISP's such as Skype and Zebra Telecom, or ban them altogether, since they cannot be wiretapped (www.rspp.ru, July 21).

this news about Skype and ICQ in Russia is in its own way typical (of much news today) in that it may be quite difficult to establish what it means.

Russian telecom companies fight their competitions? But is that news? Competitors and the state join forces to restrict free speech? Maybe, but to what extent are Skype and/or ICQ free? Are they free because they cannot be wiretapped?

Can Skype and/or ICQ not be wiretapped? ''Skype, the Internet calling service recently acquired by eBay Inc., provides free voice calls and instant messaging between users. Unlike other Internet voice services, Skype calls are encrypted - encoded using complex mathematical operations. That apparently makes them impossible to snoop on, though the company leaves the issue somewhat open to question'', the Associated Press reported back in 2006. But how about the owners of Skype, do they not have access to the encryption algorithms? The one who encrypts is also the one who decrypts, and does not function in a political vacuum, either. ''Surveillance is a practice often shrouded in secrecy. Although many people may be vaguely aware that governments and corporations regularly engage in surveillance (indeed, often in collusion) it is a practice that is difficult to identify and document directly. Not surprisingly, therefore, surveillance practices are often the subject of speculation and conspiracy theories. Our lives today are surrounded by mediated communications, serviced by third parties and private entities, sent through channels that pass through multiple political jurisdictions, each step of which offers an opportunity for surveillance. Can we rely on the assurances of the service providers and technology companies who tell us they are secure and private? Should we trust the assurances of a well-known global brand?'' (Quoted from the Foreword to Warfare Monitor/ONI Asia joint report,__ Breaching Trust: An analysis of surveillance and security practices on China's TOM-Skype platform__, by Nart Villeneuve, the Citizen Lab, Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto).

I, who write this message, am in no way an expert. I am actually only very briefly and rapidly looking into the nature of this news between my first and second cup of coffee on a beautiful morning in August, probably because the news is about Russia. Russia's border is only ca 100 km away from my home. Yet, after my second cup, I may already forget about the whole thing. Have a nice day, - M