Russia’s Top Cyber Sleuth Foils US Spies, Helps Kremlin Pals:
"What is mentioned is Kaspersky’s vision for the future of Internet security—which
by Western standards can seem extreme. It includes requiring strictly monitored
digital passports for some online activities and enabling government regulation of
social networks to thwart protest movements. “It’s too much freedom there,”
Kaspersky says, referring to sites like Facebook. “Freedom is good. But the bad
guys—they can abuse this freedom to manipulate public opinion.”
These are not exactly comforting words from a man who is responsible for the
security of so many of our PCs, tablets, and smartphones. But that is the paradox
of Eugene Kaspersky: a close associate of the autocratic Putin regime who is
charged with safeguarding the data of millions of Americans; a supposedly-retired
intelligence officer who is busy today revealing the covert activities of other
nations; a vital presence in the open and free Internet who doesn’t want us to be
too free. It’s an enigmatic profile that’s on the rise as Kaspersky’s influence
grows."
"In one hotel ballroom after another, Kaspersky insists that malware like Stuxnet
and Flame should be banned by international treaty, like sarin gas or weaponized
anthrax. He argues that the Internet should be partitioned and certain regions of
it made accessible only to users who present an “Internet passport.” That way,
anonymous hackers wouldn’t be able to get at sensitive sites—like, say, nuclear
plants. Sure, it might seem like we’d be sacrificing some privacy online. But with all
the advertisers, search engines, and governments tracking us today, Kaspersky
argues, we don’t really have any privacy left anyway. "
See:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012...kaspersky/all/