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radiorahim
Free Software Fanatic
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 1557
Location: on the other end of a keyboard
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 Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 1:41 am Post subject: Census discriminates against open source software users |
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| Quote: | In 2006, Canadians can fill out their census forms online for the first time -- but not if they use GNU/Linux, or are free software advocates who prefer not to install a proprietary version of Java.
The situation raises questions of open access to government that are familiar to most of the free and open source software (FOSS) communities, all the more so because other government services are implementing systems with the same limitations. Yet none of those whom we contacted at the Census Help Line, Statistics Canada, or Bell Canada, the contractor that oversees the development of security for the site, seemed concerned about the issues. Nor were they willing to say much when the issues were raised.
The online census site is supported by Secure Channel, a new set of unified backend services developed by Public Works and Government Services Canada. Security for the services is contracted to a consortium of companies led by Bell Security Solutions, a division of Bell Canada. Members of the consortium include Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, and Entrust. According to one page, by using Secure Channel the census page offers bi-directional encryption using SSL and 1,024-bit Public Key Infrastructure, and logs the IP addresses from which the system is used. The page also assures Canadians that the system is housed on an isolated network, although it doesn't mention that the fact the system is a Web server negates this advantage. |
http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=06/05/04/233250
I've e-mailed my MP (Jack Layton) already on this!
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Last edited by radiorahim on Tue May 09, 2006 2:36 am; edited 2 times in total |
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radiorahim
Free Software Fanatic
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 1557
Location: on the other end of a keyboard
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 12:30 am Post subject: Count Me Out! |
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Looks like a storm is brewing over this year's census from a number of angles!
Was listening to "As It Happens" on CBC Radio tonight and heard about this website:
http://www.countmeout.ca/
Apparently the contractor that is doing the data processing for Statistics Canada is a subsidiary of U.S. weapons manufacturer Lockhead-Martin.
The site is recommending what they call "minimum cooperation" with the census i.e. doing the absolute minimum required by law (and being creative!)
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gunnar gunnarson
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 549
Location: The Arena of the Unwell
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 12:49 am Post subject: |
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Not only that -- in the past two years there's been ZERO about it in the Bloge and Fail. Canada's National Newspaper? Yeah, right.  |
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radiorahim
Free Software Fanatic
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 1557
Location: on the other end of a keyboard
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 1:06 am Post subject: |
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Changed the thread title as it looks like this is becoming a bigger issue!
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gunnar gunnarson
Fulltime enMasse Member
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Posts: 549
Location: The Arena of the Unwell
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 1:07 am Post subject: |
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Careful with that coffee, rr.  |
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VanLuke
Critical Observer
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 1075
Location: Vancouver
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radiorahim
Free Software Fanatic
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 2:35 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the link to the other threads Van Luke...didn't notice it...hang out here in the "S&T" forum most of the time.
Maybe I'll change the thread title back because I think the issue of requiring the use of certain proprietary software...and therefore the purchase of software licenses to access government websites is still an important issue to discuss.
It's kind of like requiring you to have a General Motors car to get a driver's license.
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VanLuke
Critical Observer
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 1075
Location: Vancouver
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 3:21 am Post subject: |
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| radiorahim wrote: | hang out here in the "S&T" forum most of the time.
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You ought to give yourself a break and go out and get some fresh air ever once in a while.
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baba yaga
grouchy old radical pagan dyke
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 65
Location: cycling as far as i can go
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| Posted: Sat May 13, 2006 2:06 am Post subject: |
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thanks radiorahim & VanLuke for all this info - Ouch, oh this hot pizza is dripping olive oil & tomato sauce everywhere!
that article by Bruce Byfield over at NewsForge is amazing, and frightening!
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radiorahim
Free Software Fanatic
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 1557
Location: on the other end of a keyboard
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| Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 8:38 pm Post subject: Canada census developers add Linux support |
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Looks like the pressure on StatsCan has worked. There is now some limited online support for Gnu/Linux operating systems and web browsers.
http://trends.newsforge.com/trends/06/05/15/0415235.shtml
| Quote: | Statistics Canada has responded to concerned free software users by adding GNU/Linux support to the online census. While other free operating systems remain unsupported and issues about security and policy remain, this response is an important first step in ensuring open access to Canadian government online services.
As often happens in high tech, the response was left to developers, who have been working overtime for much of the past week to add and test support for GNU/Linux. On May 12, I had a conference call with Anil Aror, Director General and 2006 Census Manager; Graeme Gilmour, Manager, 2006 Census Internet Response Task; George Kriger, Chief, Infrastructure, IT Security Services; and Lise Duquet, Assistant Director, Systems Development Division, who is also the liaison with Secure Channel, the back end system for all government online services. In a cordial conversation, they discussed their efforts to supply GNU/Linux support and invited me to log in to their test bed to assist their efforts. Although I was unable to log in successfully from Debian 3.1 or Fedora Core 5 using Firefox 1.5 and Sun Java 1.5.0_06 on May 12, I was able to do so on May 13. |
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baba yaga
grouchy old radical pagan dyke
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 65
Location: cycling as far as i can go
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| Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 1:23 am Post subject: |
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well, well, well... that's somethin, eh? a bit of last minute catch up though.
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"If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy centuries ago": Sir George Porter, quoted in The Observer, 26 August 1973 |
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