[AxisOfEasy] easyDNS Threatened With Criminal Complaint If Client Data Not Disclosed

• Edward Snowden tell-all book out today
• RCMP cybersecurity intelligence expert arrested…by RCMP
• Google faces new anti-trust probes from all 50 AGs
• HP printers try to phone home with data about how and what you print
• easyDNS threatened with criminal complaint if client data not disclosed

Edward Snowden tell-all book out today

Today Edward Snowden’s book Permanent Record comes out today. Snowden was the whistleblower who revealed that ubiquitous government surveillance was not some ridiculous conspiracy theory, but the norm, in place, setup and functioning. It still is. He described the 18 years since the fateful 9/11 terror attacks as “a litany of American destruction by way of American self-destruction, with the promulgation of secret policies, secret laws, secret courts and secret wars”.

In a Moscow interview with The Guardian and Germany’s Der Spiegel he also went on record to state categorically that he is not suicidal, has never been suicidal, has a philosophical/moral objection to suicide, and so if he suddenly winds up à la Jeff Epstein, it probably wasn’t suicide.

I already had the book on preorder but I recommend you grab yourself a copy of the book today.

RCMP cybersecurity intelligence expert arrested…by RCMP

As per the old cliché… the Mounties always get their man. In this case, one of their own. A civilian employee of the RCMP described as a senior cybersecurity expert, especially with issues pertaining to Southeast Asia has been charged by the agency with multiple counts of violating national security and sharing government secrets.

As per The National Post, “Charges of this nature are extremely rare in Canada and experts in law enforcement described the developments as surprising and “extremely alarming.”

(I have a theory about this which I’ll hold off for the moment since I’d literally be talking out of 100% ignorance. But I will research and follow this story as best I can.)

Google faces new anti-trust probes from all 50 AGs

After the US DoJ announced an anti-trust investigation into Big tech in July (see #AxisOfEasy 107), Google faces a new problem with the attorney generals from all US states, except California and Alabama are launching a joint anti-trust investigation of their own.

HP printers try to phone home with data about how and what you print

Interesting blog post from a technically proficient geek who got those many calls we all get to help a relative install some piece of hardware or setup some online “thing”. In this case his in-laws asked for help setting up a new HP printer.

As he was going through the process of installing drivers, etc he was prompted to sign up for some continuity service program from HP for toner replacement, and as he delved into the various permissions and checkboxes and contracts of adhesion he traced it all and figured out that HP was asking for permission to collect telemetry data on: type of hardware being used to print, types of documents being printed. In his words, “stopped short of looking at the contents of your documents”.

easyDNS threatened with criminal complaint if client data not disclosed

This one’s another fun one. It seems some lawyer in Germany has been trying to deliver a takedown and settlement notice to an easyDNS customer since around 2016. The first we heard of it here was when a postal copy of the notice was delivered last week. As per procedure, we acknowledged receipt and asked for a digital copy so that we may more easily forward the complaint to our client.

Instead, the law firm emailed us demanding that if we didn’t hand over the client’s name and email address, they would bring a criminal complaint against easyDNS.

As we opined in the blog…”It’s almost as if they don’t realize Canada is a completely different country than Germany”.