RE: [dvd-discuss] RIAA Subpoena Process-Flaws

["Hiddink, Gerrit (Gerrit)" <ghiddink(at)agere.com>]

Hi,

in principle your thinking is right, but in practice it is not
that simple. Why?

- computers do not just maintain "time" but also log the time zone
  they're in. So computers around the world have a common sense
  of "time", which consists of local time plus timezone info.
- you can set up a bogus DNS server, but that doesn't make it the
  ISP's DNS that RIAA will demand logs from. Besides, a DNS does
  the IP number - to - hostname conversion, so changing the DNS
  won't give you a different IP number.
- IP numbers, when given back by the user, are not immediately
  handed out to someone else because IP will also get confused.
  It is rested for a while to 'cool off' and have all connections
  that may still be associated with it time out.


Regards, Gerrit

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Glendon Gross [mailto:gross@xinetd.com]
> Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 6:52 PM
> To: dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu
> Subject: Re: [dvd-discuss] RIAA Subpoena Process-Flaws
> 
> 
> It almost seems as though the RIAA method presumes an incorrect (i.e.
> Euclidean) view of space-time... so that one could defeat the 
> system by
> merely setting up Network Address Translation, or by setting one's
> computer clock to a different year. What is to prevent a user from
> putting bogus information into their DNS in order to defeat 
> the system? 
> It's fairly easy for someone to set up a bogus DNS server.
> 
> What concerns me more is the danger of false positives. 
> If the subpoenas are based on a flawed system, then information
> regarding the limitations of the method  might be useful in defending
> against the subpoenas.
> 
> microlenz@earthlink.net wrote:
> > 
> > The thought occurred to me that if the RIAA is basing their 
> subpoena process on
> > the time stamped DNS IP addresses, there might be a problem 
> with that....whose
> > time?
> > 
> > The RIAA has their time. The ISP has theirs. The user has 
> theirs. In a DNS
> > environment RIAA can say to the ISP give me the name of 
> this user who had IP
> > address WWWW.XXXX.YYYY.ZZZZ at time 123456.67543 (THEIR 
> clock) the ISP gives it
> > at THEIR clock. IF the RIAA got the time from the user 
> that's the USER'S CLOCK.
> > They can be off quite a bit of established time....but wait 
> their's more.
> > 
> > If RIAA get's the IP address just before an IP address is 
> given up and that is
> > reallocated immediately then if RIAAs and the ISP's clocks 
> do not agree then
> > will get the wrong name for the user.
> > 
> > So the issue becomes how does RIAA get their subpoena info? 
> That might be worth
> > investigating.
>