Author Archives: Christopher
iPhone Promiscuity
In this short post I want to revisit two issues I’ve previously written about: the volume of information that the iPhone emits when attached to WiFi networks and its contribution to carriers’ wireless network congestion. Continue reading
Rogers, Network Failures, and Third-Party Oversight
Rogers Communications has a severely misconfigured network made possible by the control and surveillance equipment they have embedded in their network. What are the implications of prolonged accidental misconfigurations and how might an independent oversight board mitigate such accidents in the future? Continue reading
Review: Internet Architecture and Innovation
I want to very highly recommend this book. Various authors, advocates, scholars, and businesses have spoken about the economic impacts of the Internet, but to date there hasn’t been a detailed economic accounting of what may happen if/when ISPs monitor and control the flow of data across their networks. van Schewick has filled this gap by examining “how changes in the Internet’s architecture (that is, its underlying technical structure) affect the economic environment for innovation” and evaluating “the impact of these changes from the perspective of public policy” (van Schewick 2010: 2). Continue reading
Decrypting Blackberry Security, Decentralizing the Future
Countries around the globe have been threatening Research in Motion (RIM) for months now, publicly stating that they would ban BlackBerry services if RIM refuses to provide decryption keys to various governments. The tech press has generally focused on ‘governments just don’t get how encryption works’ rather than ‘this is how BlackBerry security works, and how government demands affect consumers and businesses alike.’ This post is an effort to more completely respond to the second focus in something approximating comprehensive detail. Continue reading
