When It Comes to Smart Toys, It Pays to Shop Smart

When your in-laws give your child a loud toy for the holidays, you know you are going to have to hear it for the next few months. But when that toy connects to the Internet, how can you be sure that you’re the only ones listening?

This holiday season, “smart toys” (Internet or Bluetooth-enabled toys) are some of the most popular toys on the market. A lot of these toys look awesome, including:

• remote control cars that connect with an app and allow you to race against AI controlled cars;
• stuffed animals that play back messages sent from loved one’s smartphones; and
• soccer balls that track your form when you kick them.

Smart toys come with fantastic features, but if left unsecured, smart toys can present a serious privacy risk to those who use them. For instance:

• Hackers could gather the personal messages recorded to play through a grandchild’s teddy bear;
• Strangers could send messages to nearby children by using a toy robot’s Bluetooth feature – putting their safety at risk; and
• Toy companies could use a toy’s microphones not only for voice commands, but to also collect personal information to sell to third parties.

Unsecured smart toys present Continue reading

Promoting the African Internet Economy, an opportunity that cannot be missed

Some time ago, a European who visited my country and saw all the potential it possesses asked me “why is your country poor?”. It was a compelling question that made me think for years. It is true that there are external reasons such as the acts of colonial and other powers who have done everything to block economic progress. But, I have to admit, there is at least one major internal reason: we missed many opportunities for development.

We missed the industrial revolution of the 19th century that propelled Japan and many European countries to development. We missed the development opportunity that many South East Asian countries grabbed since the 1960s. We missed many other opportunities, simply because we didn’t realize they were there or we just could not agree on how to make the best out of them.

The African Union has a very clear vision to transform the socio-economic condition of the continent by 2063; by this year, the Union will be celebrating its hundredth anniversary (see Agenda 2063). This is a great vision. But, is Africa ready to use the opportunities that exist today and can enable it to arrive to its aspirations enshrined in Continue reading

The Internet Society and NetBlocks Team up to Keep it on!

By Constance Bommelaer de Leusse and Alp Toker

How much do government shutdowns cost? How do they impact growth and prosperity?

In 2016 Internet shutdowns cost globally about $2.4 billion USD, and across 10 African countries they led to loss of $237 million USD over 236 days.

If we don’t act now, shutdowns and restrictions of access will continue to rise and the economic cost will increase over the next few years. At a time where developing countries can benefit the most from Internet access for economic growth, education and health, we cannot let this situation become the new normal.

The economic rationale of keeping it on

The impact of shutdowns on freedom of expression and human rights is already well understood. Unfortunately, this has little effect in reversing the trend. This is why we need the ear of economic and trade Ministers, investors, development banks, and others who can ensure the Internet isn’t shut down. Because they care about the growth and prosperity the Internet can bring.

Today we are excited to announce that the Internet Society and NetBlocks are teaming up to develop a tool to better measure the cost of shutdowns, and convince governments to keep the Continue reading

Letter from Ethiopia: Can We Use Technology to Help Privacy Evolve?

I’m writing from Addis Ababa, where the African Union’s Specialist Technical Committee on ICT is having its biannual conference. I won’t report on that, as it’s still happening, but I can report that some of the hallway conversations have been both interesting and reassuring.

The topic of privacy came up over coffee, of course – and I was glad to hear that it is not only seen as a key issue for technology and governance, but it’s also seen as being closely interconnected with issues of cybersecurity. As readers of the Internet Society’s blogs will know, we think so too. You can’t have good privacy if you don’t have good security tools, and you can’t have good security in the absence of privacy.

As you would expect in a continent with all of Africa’s rich diversity, the cultural and social approaches to privacy can also vary widely, and people face exactly the same challenges as elsewhere, about how to translate them into workable technical and governance solutions. Today I will have a few minutes to set out some thoughts on that, in one of the afternoon sessions. I plan to suggest that we keep asking the “why?” question. Why Continue reading

We need a more sustainable approach to Network Neutrality

Yesterday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Ajit Pai announced that in the FCC’s upcoming December 14 meeting they will vote to remove the Title II classification of Internet service providers.

As we outlined in our Policy Brief on Network Neutrality, the core principles of choice and transparency are fundamental to a free and open Internet that benefits users around the world. Simply put, users should be able to access the Internet content and services they choose without corporate or government interference.

Now is not the time to give up on these goals. Regardless of the action the FCC takes in the coming weeks, the Internet Society will continue to fight alongside allies around the world for our fundamental goal – to ensure an open Internet, characterized by access, choice and transparency for all users around the world.

Thus, we believe that strong rules are still needed – merely focusing on transparency is not enough to protect users’ access to an Open Internet.

We hope that the U.S. government can take a more sustainable approach to net neutrality; one that upholds the principles that are rooted in the Internet Society’s core values of a global and open Internet. Between Continue reading

Unlocking the Internet for Education: Policymakers Hold the Key

Education is the basis for individual empowerment, employability, and gender equity. Unfortunately, it is not available to everyone.

In 2015, the international community agreed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which commits countries to addressing these challenges. Such commitments require innovative approaches that go beyond simply building more educational institutions. At the Internet Society we believe the Internet is a key piece of that puzzle, which is why we are pleased to release a new paper, “Internet Access and education: Key considerations for policy makers”, to help navigate some of the opportunities and challenges.

The Internet has great potential to not only expand access to, but also improve the quality of education. It opens doorways to a wealth of information, knowledge, and educational resources to students and teachers. It also promotes opportunities for learning beyond the classroom – a critical feature to promote the lifelong learning that the future demands. A skilled workforce that utilizes ICTs effectively is a key factor in the global digital economy and for harnessing its natural resources for sustainable growth. Education is where it starts.

This Internet Society briefing describes ways in which policymakers can unlock that potential through an enabling framework Continue reading

ISOC hosts successful inaugural Indigenous Connectivity Summit

If U.S. Senator of New Mexico Tom Udall’s call that “we must do better” to ensure connectivity in Indigenous communities set the tone, delegates of the Indigenous Connectivity Summit (ICS) in Santa Fe this month left with little doubt in our ability to do so.

Whether it’s a pueblo at the top of a mountain or a fly-in region in the Arctic, Internet access in many Indigenous communities is characterized by high costs, low speeds, data caps and poor or non-existent service.

At the Internet Society, we work to make sure the Internet is open and accessible to everyone, everywhere. The ICS was the first event of its kind to focus on ensuring Alaska Native, American Indian, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities have access to affordable, high-quality and sustainable Internet access. We heard from several Indigenous community network operators in North America and abroad about their experiences and the impact it’s had on their communities.

Perhaps the most resonant and inspiring message at the ICS was the potential of Indigenous community networks to provide access where commercial networks do not reach or serve, or areas where they may not be economically viable to operate. Speakers shared success stories Continue reading

Deploy360 at IETF 100, Day 5: Zaìjiàn from the Lion City

There’s a couple of sessions of interest on the last day of IETF 100 before we wrap up for the week. Friday is only a half-day, but still manages to fit in sessions on human rights considerations and encryption. Human rights is not a topic that Deploy360 typically covers, but we have been increasingly asked to discuss the IRTF initiative on Human Rights Protocols Considerations. (There’s also a recent IETF Journal article on Human Rights Protocol Considerations.)

HRPC is researching the human rights threats on the Internet, whether standards and protocols can enable or threaten these, and is developing recommendations on developing Internet protocols around this. It recently published RFC 8080 outlining human rights threats on the Internet, and will be meeting at 09.30 SGT/UTC+8 to discuss three other drafts relating to Freedom of Association on the Internet, the Politics of Standards, and Unrequested Communications. There will also be a presentation on Chainiac: end-to-end software supply chain security and transparency, plus the next steps forward will be discussed.

NOTE: If you are unable to attend IETF 100 in person, there are multiple ways to participate remotely.

PERC is also meeting at the same time, and has three drafts up for discussion. Continue reading

One Week to IPv6, Routing Security, and More at ION Belgrade

One week from today, we’ll be at ION Belgrade! Our last event of the year take place on Thursday, 23 November 2017, alongside the 3rd Republic of Serbia Network Operators’ Group (RSNOG).

As always, ION Conferences bring network engineers and leading industry experts together to discuss emerging technologies and hot technology topics. Early adopters provide valuable insight into their own deployment experiences and bring participants up to speed on new standards emerging from the IETF.

Agenda

The half-day agenda and all our great speakers for ION Belgrade will make this a great event. Here’s a quick look at the day:

• Opening Remarks
• Welcome from the ISOC Serbia Chapter
• MANRS, Routing Security, and Collaboration
• NAT64check
• What’s Happening at the IETF? Internet Standards and How to Get Involved
• Panel Discussion: IPv6 Success Stories
• Closing Remarks

Registration

ION Belgrade registration is open! Learn more about our co-host on the RSNOG main page.

Webcast

RSNOG will be live streaming the ION in the morning and RSNOG in the afternoon. The stream will be embedded on the conference main page, right above the agenda, here (Serbian) and here (English).

IPv6 Tutorial

Jordi Palet Martinez will conduct an IPv6 training session the day before the ION. Continue reading

Deploy360 at IETF 100, Day 4: Woohoo for DOH!

This week is IETF 100 in Singapore, and we’re bringing you daily blog posts highlighting some of the topics that Deploy360 is interested in. Thursday is another busy day, with the second sessions of the V6OPS and DNSOPS Working Groups, along with the first meeting of the DOH Working Group and other encryption-related activities.

V6OPS continues at 09.30 SGT/UTC+8 from where it left off. On the agenda are drafts relating to 464XLAT Deployment Guidelines for Operator Networks, transition requirements for IPv6 customer edge routers, and IPv6 prefix delegation for hosts. There’s other drafts on DHCPv6 Prefix Delegation and Neighbour Discovery on a cellular connected IoT router, and on using a /64 from a customer prefix for numbering an IPv6 point-to-point link. Finally, there’s an initiative to clarify about what functionalities should determine whether a network is ‘IPv6-only’.

Running at the same time is TLS, which will be primarily focusing on the two big issues of TLS 1.3 and DTLS 1.3. However, it will also be discussing drafts on connection ID, exported authenticators, protecting against denial of service attacks, and application layer TLS.

NOTE: If you are unable to attend IETF 100 Continue reading

The story of kc claffy and measuring the Internet – 2017 Jonathan B. Postel Service Award winner

Appreciated by some, taken for granted by many, the Internet is understood by few who use it. Underneath the ability to communicate instantaneously with people across the globe, conduct major business transactions with a click of a button and have the latest news and entertainment at our fingertips lies a vast landscape of data, unfettered by regulation, and spurred by competitive growth.

kc claffy, this year’s Jonathan B. Postel Service Award winner, has been with the Internet from nearly its very beginnings. She’s watched its evolution from military project to government-funded point-to-point communication to its current iteration as a private sector behemoth.

claffy is one of the few brave scientists who measure the Internet. She’s leading the way to the future by opening our eyes to the layers of data beneath the surface along with the Center for Applied Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA), a group she founded in 1996.

“The work that we do isn’t easy to get funded because the Internet itself isn’t yet its own subject,” claffy said. “It’s even a struggle for the agencies to get funding, since infrastructure isn’t very sexy.”

Sexy or not, claffy has been measuring the Internet since the early Continue reading

Watch Live – IETF 100 Plenary Panel on the Future of the Internet

What is this future of the Internet? What will the Internet look like in 30 years? On Wednesday, November 15, three prominent strategists will gaze into the future and share their unique perspectives.  This panel on “The Internet, a look forward: Social, political, and technical perspectives” is part of the IETF 100 plenary session streaming live out of Singapore. The plenary session will also include the presentation of the Jonathan B. Postel Service award.

You can watch live at:    https://www.ietf.org/live

The entire IETF 100 plenary session is from 17:10 – 19:40 Singapore time. This is UTC+8, which translates into:

• 10:10 – 12:40 Central European Time
• 9:10 – 11:40 UTC
• 4:10 – 6:40 US Eastern time

IMPORTANT NOTE – The panel and the Postel Award presentation are just two sections of the IETF 100 plenary session – and happen somewhere in the middle of the session. The full agenda can be found at:  https://datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/100/materials/agenda-100-ietf-sessa/

The live video stream will be recorded if you want to watch later.

Moderated by Brian Trammell, member of the Internet Architecture Board, panelists include:

• Monique Morrow, President and Co-Founder of the Humanized Internet, a non-profit Continue reading

Deploy360 at IETF 100, Day 3: SIDR, TLS & Crypto

This week is IETF 100 in Singapore, and we’re bringing you daily blog posts highlighting some of the topics that Deploy360 is interested in. After the focus on IPv6 & IoT during the first couple of days, we’re switching tack today with a focus on routing and crypto matters.

We’re having to wait until after lunch, but then there’s a choice of UTA, SIDROPS or ROLL at 13.30 SGT/UTC+8.

UTA will be focusing on resolving the final IESG comments on the use of TLS for email submission and access which outlines current recommendations for using TLS to provide confidentiality of email traffic between a mail user agent and a mail access server. Next up for discussion are the open issues on a draft related to Strict Transport Security (STS) for mail (SMTP) transfer agents and mail user agents, before consideration of  a draft on an option to require TLS for SMTP.

NOTE: If you are unable to attend IETF 100 in person, there are multiple ways to participate remotely.

Over in SIDROPS, there will be a review of the status of BGP Origin Validation deployment in RENATA: the Columbia National Research and Education Network. This represents the first wide-scale deployment Continue reading

Your online freedoms are under threat – 2017 Freedom on the Net Report

As more people get online everyday, Internet Freedom is facing a global decline for the 7th year in a row.

Today, Freedom House released their 2017 Freedom on the Net report, one of the most comprehensive assessments of countries’ performance regarding online freedoms. The Internet Society is one of the supporters of this report. We think it brings solid and needed evidence-based data in an area that fundamentally impacts user trust.

Looking across 65 countries, the report highlights several worrying trends, including:

• manipulation of social media in democratic processes
• restrictions of virtual private networks (VPNs)
• censoring of mobile connectivity
• attacks against netizens and online journalists

Elections prove to be particular tension points for online freedoms (see also Freedom House’s new Internet Freedom Election Monitor). Beyond the reported trend towards more sophisticated government attempts to control online discussions, the other side of the coin is an increase in restrictions to Internet access, whether through shutting down networks entirely, or blocking specific communication platforms and services.

These Internet shutdowns are at the risk of becoming the new normal. In addition to their impact on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, shutdowns generate severe economic costs, affecting entire economies [1] and Continue reading

Reflections from Copenhagen: RIPE NCC IPv6 Hackathon and Danish IPv6 Day

On 4-5 November, a group of enthusiastic and skillful people gathered at the 6th RIPE NCC hackathon with a theme of IPv6. The event was organized by RIPE NCC and DKNOG, sponsored by Comcast, hosted by IT University of Copenhagen and aimed to bring together open-minded developers and network engineers to work on different ideas and projects from the IPv6 field.

I was honoured to be a jury member and even before the hackathon we were quite busy rating all the submissions that came in, as the number of hackathon participants was limited. All potential participants had to submit a short bio, explain what kind of development (programming) knowledge they had, and also what their ideas or expectations for the hackathon were. We selected 24 participants – and what a skillful bunch that was! In total we were 33 people in the room, 24 participants, 5 jurors and 4 RIPE NCC staff for on-site support.

On Saturday,  4 November, the group came together at IT University of Copenhagen and after a short opening and update on logistics and rules of the hackathon, people got to work. First was a “speaker’s corner”, where everyone with an idea for a Continue reading

Deploy360 at IETF 100, Day 2: More IPv6 & IoT

Deploy360 at IETF 100, Day 1: IPv6 and IoT

Rough Guide to IETF 100: Identity, Privacy, and Encryption

Identity, privacy, and encryption continue to be active topics for the Internet Society and the IETF community impacting a broad range of applications. In this Rough Guide to IETF 100 post, I highlight a few of the many relevant activities happening next week in Singapore, but there is much more going on so be sure to check out the full agenda online.

Encryption

Encryption continues to be a priority of the IETF as well as the security community at large. Related to encryption, there is the TLS working group developing the core specifications, several working groups addressing how to apply the work of the TLS working group to various applications, and the Crypto-Forum Research Group focusing on the details of the underlying cryptographic algorithms.

The Transport Layer Security (TLS) working group is a key IETF effort developing core security protocols for the Internet. This week’s agenda includes both TLS 1.3 and Datagram Transport Layer Security. Additionally, the TLS working group will be discussing connection ID, exported authenticators, protecting against denial of service attacks, and application layer TLS. The TLS working group is very active and, as with all things that are really important, there are many Continue reading

Deploy360’s Hot Topics at IETF 100

Next week is IETF 100 in Singapore which will be the first time the IETF has been held in the country. The Deploy360 team will be represented by Megan Kruse and Dan York, along with ISOC’s Chief Internet Technology Officer Olaf Kolkman. We’re again highlighting the latest IPv6, DNSSEC, Securing BGP, TLS and IoT related developments.

Below are the sessions that we’ll be following. Note this post was written in advance so please check the official IETF 100 agenda for any updates, room changes, or final details.

Monday, 13 November 2017

• Domain Name System Operations – Padang @ 09.30-12.00 UTC+8
• IPv6 over Low Power Wide-Area Networks – Olivia @ 09.30-12.00 UTC+8
• IPv6 Operations – Padang @ 13.30-15.30 UTC+8
• Inter-domain Routing – Canning @ 13.30-15.30 UTC+8
• IPv6 over the TSCH mode of IEEE 802.15.4e – Bras Basah @ 15.50-17.20 UTC+8
• Home Networking – Collyer @ 15.50-17.20 UTC+8
• IP Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments – Sophia @ 17.40-18.40 UTC+8

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

• Distributed Mobility Management – Orchard @ 09.30-12.00 UTC+8
• Authentication and Authorization for Constrained Environments – Collyer @ 09.30-12.00 UTC+8
• IPv6 Maintenance – Continue reading

Rough Guide to IETF 100: Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a major buzzword around the Internet industry and the broader technology and innovation business arenas. We are often asked what the IETF is doing in relation to IoT and in this Rough Guide to IETF 100 post I’d like to highlight some of the relevant sessions scheduled during the upcoming IETF 100 meeting in Singapore. Check out the IETF Journal IoT Category, the Internet Society’s IoT page, or the Online Trust Alliance IoT page for more details about many of these topics.

The Thing-to-Thing Research Group (T2TRG) investigates open research issues in turning the IoT into reality. The research group will be holding a half-day joint meeting with the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) on the Friday before IETF, and they will also be meeting on Tuesday afternoon in Singapore to report out on their recent activities. Included on the agenda is the upcoming Workshop on Decentralized IoT Security and Standards (DISS). This workshop will be held in conjunction with the Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium on 18 February 2018 in San Diego, CA, USA. The DISS workshop will gather researchers and the open standards community together to help address Continue reading