Kim Dotcom Points Out Cisco "Backdoor" For Law Enforcement

It would appear that Kim Dotcom does not trust United States-made electronics. He suggests this week that the world should "never trust US tech", using #NSA to point out a Cisco listing of lawful intercept architecture. He calls these systems "interception backdoors", suggesting that Cisco is amongst the companies that willingly allow the NSA to take hold of their data at any given time – but that's just not true.

Of course inside the Cisco document itself, you'll find note that the provider network equipment "can function as an intercept access point (IAP)", not absolutely will, inside the service provider network. Cisco's document also notes that their network does not facilitate directly the handover interface required by law enforcement to turn up any data.

To do this, Cisco's third-party partners must work to provide lawful intercept authorizations. These partners must also provision the intercept within the network, also working with Cisco to make certain intercepted information is provided to law enforcement "in the appropriate format."

Just like any other technology acting within the law, Cisco's services allow the user – the service provider – to choose the mediation device with which they'll provide law enforcement with information. This "Lawful Intercept FAQ" is no more than a description of the means with which companies using Cisco technologies are able to work with law enforcement to provide data from their network.

This system is not a "backdoor." Instead is similar to a mirror port, a means for the system administrator to monitor any problem points in the system and fix them so their website stays online. This Cisco software is the kind of technology that allows groups like Google and Facebook to send information to government organizations only after they've provided ample reason for the data to have been collected.

VIA: Kim Dotcom