Beginning this month, many news sources (including Cnet and PC Magazine) have been reporting on the Chinese version of Skype that spies on certain "sensitive words" and blocks them from servers if needed. Skype is a software that allows you to make phone calls over the Internet and use your computer's microphone and speakers to communicate with others. It is sort of like a beefed up version of AIM, but along with instant messaging allows you to video conference and make phone calls.
It was only a matter of time after the Olympics left town that China would be back to spying and Internet censorship. Skype president, Josh Silverman, admitted that he knew TOM (Silverman's partner company in China) would be closely monitoring Skype users. Reports released by Canadian researchers stated that TOM is, "engaging in extensive surveillance with seemingly little regard for the security and privacy of Skype users. This is in direct contradiction of Skype's public statements regarding their policies in China." Millions of bits of data are tracked and stored, including personal information and contact details, for any chat that TOM-Skype is in charge of. Along with this, certain keywords related to Falun Gong, Taiwan, and anti-government statements are all closely monitored.
If this wasn't a big enough problem, reports show that proper safeguards are not being taken to ensure the data is not leaked. The data that is collected and stored is encrypted, but the encryption keys are kept on the same servers. Anyone with knowledge of hacking or cracking can just grab the information and decrypt it at their leisure. This is a major privacy issue, no matter what country you live in or how many freedoms you have.
Users contacting China via Skype are at risk just the same since log files are kept on any connection that passes through TOM-Skype. If Internet privacy was already a concern for you, then Chinese Skype just added another privacy risk to your plate.
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