PRISM: Backtracking, justifications, and the shitty shoe shuffle, but how will the world respond?

So the furore about PRISM is beginning to subside. What we know is that there is a programme; America does snoop, spy and hack in a large way and American Tech firms are complicit, but what next?

First the revelations are not over. We have seen around 4 slides from 25 and Snowden and the Newspapers are claiming there is a lot more to come. We have seen all of those involved going into denial first, nothing to see here, all legal blah blah blah. Then watering down (it isn't really as bad as you think…) and now they are into justification mode – it could have stopped this, that and the other. Regardless of your personal views the USA will never roll back their snoopers, spying and hacking clock – they have set out their stall and this is the way they intend to operate. The truth is American Technology companies have agreed to do this and have been an integral part of PRISM. Without them there is no PRISM – lots of other programmes, but not PRISM.

We should all ignore the fancy words, and the measured tone, as it was once put to me by a PR guru, "they are doing the shitty shoe shuffle". They have trodden in something unpleasant and are frantically scrapping and shuffling their shoes to get it off. However the stench of guilt is up their nose and everyone else's.

Europe has been aggressive in their tone that European citizens have been "targeted", one country at least has banned Google Apps – this is interesting as I assume that all the content of anything you store within Google apps are also available to the NSA – and many are still dissecting the language of the NSA and politicians. Remember I have said words matter and a word that you think you understand the meaning of is not necessarily the same definition of the USA hackers, snoopers and spies.

The global ramifications of this initial revelation have not really started yet. I have already seen questions about if this is what Google, Yahoo and, Microsoft do, what does Cisco and Juniper do? Do they spy on China and every other country for the NSA and USA Gov? They run much of China's telecommunications infrastructure; it is therefore right for people to assume that they have followed the American model that American Technology companies are an extension of the American state and are using their technology to send everything back to America.

As I know many of you know Huawei were investigated by the American Congress and we were given a "clean bill of health". Well as journalists and analysts said "lots of ifs buts and maybe's but no evidence of wrongdoing", or my favourite "a report for vegetarians, no meat", so in my definition no evidence of wrongdoing is a clean bill of health. Based on this lack of evidence of any wrongdoing, the American Congress said that Huawei should not be allowed into America, so based on all of these revelations, and there will be many more on America, should all other Governments ban American technology companies, especially Cisco and Juniper given their position in critical infrastructures?

We believe that the world is a better place for open and free trade. We believe that no country wins if it introduces arbitrary trade barriers under the banner of national security. Trade and competition drives innovation and innovation creates value for everyone – America should open up its telecommunications market to Chinese companies as China does for American technology companies – there really are no excuses.

Comments

[John Suffolk]

Dear John thank you very much for the time and trouble you have taken to post a comment. My first response was “how would John know the truth? Would he be told the reality?”

In terms of your statement how interesting I have heard similar statements from other vendors, which was duly ignored. Forgive me for being a little sceptical. You cannot deny that CISCO has been incredibly outspoken about blocking Chinese Tech vendors not just in America but globally; you cannot deny that CISCO gains the most, from business with the American Government and from the Chinese Government - you are deeply imbedded in both. You cannot deny that PRISM has indicated a close relationship between some American Tech vendors and the American Government. Logically one can reason that given CISCO and Juniper’s position in America, their spread of implementations in sensitive Government and enterprise infrastructures around the world questions should be asked about their relationship, If any, with the NSA (or other security agencies) and any other spying programmes that might exist.

Quotes such as "The Post (http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/cisco-us-tech-firms-reportedly-urged-congress-to-investigate-huawei-zte-1103864)even found a seven-page sales presentation called "Huawei's & National Security," which is meant to give ammo to Cisco representatives on why clients should avoid Chinese competitors and go with American companies" and your Piranha strategy implies a culture of - we will do anything to stop competition – does anything mean working for the NSA for example in a "you scratch my back, I will scratch yours" kind of way? I accept that you might have a different view on the perception and implications of this pervasive culture and indeed what I, and others, write is far from reality.

So just as CISCO and Juniper have been active in questioning political links of non-American tech vendors and raising security fears, you should not be surprised if customers and Governments around the world, in the light of PRISM, now pose questions about American Tech vendors who hold a position where they have the means of contributing to NSA’s strategic arsenal of tools and techniques to exfiltrate data on their targets. CISCO and Juniper have both the means and the motive, however it does not, mean that you have taken the equivalent of the Kings shilling, but it is right for Governments to assess their risks based on this new information and ask is the risk worth it.

Let me reiterate my personal view, I believe in open markets, innovations and competition. I do not believe companies or Governments should use cyber security as a trade barrier – we have a global challenge we must collectively address.

I look forward to CISCO and Juniper positively promoting and welcoming free trade, innovation and competition in America. I look forward to America opening up its markets as China has done to CISCO and Juniper. There are no winners if other Governments adopt the “American Closed for Competition” model and limit access to their markets. All Governments can copy this and they have more reason to given the recent PRISM revelations.

[Urnhart]

I am a spokesperson for Cisco and you can attribute the following to me:

“Cisco does not in any way participate in the monitoring of information by governments including the U.S. government’s PRISM program. Further, Cisco does not monitor communications of private citizens or government organizations in China or anywhere in the world. We sell the same equipment globally, including both in China and the United States, with no customization for purposes of such programs.

John Earnhardt
Director, Communications
Cisco
San Jose, CA, USA
@urnhart on Twitter

[Ian Grant]

Schadenfreude, eh, John?