Schneier on Security

Clive Robinson • March 22, 2021 9:43 PM

@ name.withheld…, ALL,

I note the peculiar similarity to other stories involving people of the United States. Seems there is a whole raft of persons capable of vulnerable behavior relative to many circumstances.

It’s not just vulnerable people in the United States, we get the same in the UK. So much so both the Government and Police forces run adds and campaigns against scammers, over and above what quite a lot of charities do. I hear similar is true for France, Spain, Germany so I assume orher “considered affluent” societies who’s first languages are other nations second languages.

I know a number of Brazilian’s who can speak english, spanish and french more than well enough to pass themselves of as native speakers. And befor people think I’m picking on Brazilian’s I’m not, similar applies to other South American and African nations that have had the misfortune to be “colonised” at some point in the past.

The real problem behind the issue that nobody is talking about, and is getting worse is,

The pace of technology change is now measured in fractions of an adults life, not as it used to be of two to five human generations.

Thus most humans can not keep up, they see the glitz and the glamour of new tech but not the risks. Thus old scams get dressed in new tech clothing.

What also does not help is the legislative process is both slow and fails to address the issues. Whilst being “conservative” in legislation generally acts in societies favour, in that new legislation and regulation is “considered” thus the law of “unintended consequences” is reduced. Tech moves four to ten generations in the time it used to take for major legaslitive change.

The result is politicians are seen to be failing and thus “go off half cocked” at best and we have ended up with truely appaling tech based legislation that only realy suits prosecutors looking to make a name for themselves by making crimes where non currently exist.

The simple fact is legislation generation is speeding up, and these new laws are not being considered or discussed just pushed through. In the US it is not unknown for legislation to be “bussed in by lobbyists” for politicians that do not actually read it and nolonger have the impartial advisors to keep the ellected independently advised for the benifit of the voters.

If the “supposed great and the good” can not keep up, and as in recent times shown to be extreamly wanting, how the heck do we expect others who’s lives are not related to tech to keep up?

In the UK the banks and financial industry are getting hit with wave after wave of new compensation claims and despite the best efforts of their legal advisors they are having to pay up on what is politely called “mis-selling” claims. Basically back in the 1980’s “mad maggie” Thatcher and Ronald “Ronnie the ray-gun” Reagan “deregulated” the banking and finance sector who then invented wave after wave of “faux markets” and “faux services” to skim another 20-30% off of the top. Basically what the average person would call “fraud”, “crooked”, “Criminal”, or a “scam”. In which we have all been “scammed” one way or another directly or as a consequence of others being scammed.

The only reasons these scammers are not cooling their heals in jail are,

1, There is no legislation.
2, They pay to stop legislation.
3, They pay to get the legislation / regulation they want.
4, As in any ponzie hot potato scheme those that start and make the most get out and leave the costs and downsides to others (finacial crises 1&2).
5, They are assisted by technology loop holes.

The only difference between them and what are considered criminals are steps 2&3, which most would call “Kick backs”, “nest feathering”, “bribes”, and “being on the take”… But note how many countries have legislation that protects the politicians…

As long as there is “new tech” the “new wine in old bottles” tricks will carry on at a pace at least as fast growing as the technology.

Oh and the old saw of “You can not cheat an honest man” is just not true when there are people in the middle making the rules to benifit the dishonest be they crooks or prosecutors.