aboutIT, 02/2002  (translated from German)

Chaos Computer Club Newsgroup: "Innovation must be supported"
Are those self-proclaimed experts trying to brainwash internet users?
(Statement January 16, 2002)

Several press reports, among others in VDI-Nachrichten, caused the Chaos Computer Club newsgroup to lead a heated discussion under the title "Innovation must be supported". What triggered it off was the data filter of Nutzwerk GmbH that had won the special award for the best value added model New Economy/Old Economy (donated by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants) at the presentation of the innovation prize of Leipzig.

The prize was awarded for a patented real-time data filter. This data filter can analyze binary data streams in real-time and eliminate critical or unwanted contents. Nutzwerk's real-time data filter is going to take away the fear of viruses in the internet as well as the fear of child pornography or right-wing extremist contents. It is the individual user who sets individual filter rules. The data stream is cleaned directly at the internet provider. The company network or the private PC receives a clean data stream. The user does not need to install or maintain an anti-virus program any more.

Just the announcement that the data stream is cleaned directly at the provider put Nutzwerk and its technology in one league with censorship and data misuse. The assurance that the data stream is not filtered centrally but according to the user's wishes was ignored by the participants of the discussion. Some even went as far as to insult Nutzwerk, the jury of the innovation prize, and the media that reported on it as well as to deny their competence.

One should ask oneself why. Who would reject a solution that enables users to get protection from the internet – independent of their operating system or their financial means? The 11th of September showed us that there is no perfect protection. But the mere suggestion that now everybody can protect themselves from viruses and other questionable internet contents is enough to haunt the so-called specialists.

It is repeated again and again that internet security cannot be obtained through technical equipment. According to the experts' opinion, security is a concept. That means in plain English for every user and every company: first you ask a consultant, then programs are installed or configurated and then follows the monthly maintenance. Daily rates for security consultants are from 750 euros upwards. Programs are charged according to the number of users. For a medium-sized business this would cost about 3,000 to 10,000 euros. Private persons, schools and small businesses could never afford such an amount and the effort involved. Does that mean that security is only for solvent companies? Are systems houses and security experts afraid not to make money out of the users' fear of viruses and other trash from the internet any more?

Who – like Nutzwerk – offers a solution that provides protection for all users is "the devil incarnate". This solution can only serve to spy out data or – even worse – provide the government or the secret service with a snooping tool. Internet providers are quickly labeled as criminals that obey the state and exploit the poor users. Is this supposed to be education or do they want to keep on unnerving normal users?

The philosophy of education is often used in this connection. "First the users will have to be educated, then there will be security", and "Security into the hands of specialists" are the theories that are repeated over and over again. Why should internet security only concern specialists? Why should normal users not have the right to decide for themselves what is to reach their computer monitors? Who profits from it?

Education alone has solved only a few problems of society so far. On every pack of cigarettes one can read: "Smoking is dangerous to your health." Did this kind of education lead to a significant decline in smokers? The same applies to drug abuse. And after decades of education by computer experts – have fewer viruses been programmed? Do not computer viruses damage ever more computers year after year? So what use is this kind of education?

Nutzwerk's philosophy is different: "Apart from education, provide every user with a tool to ensure their personal security in the internet. This tool can be used worldwide, does not require any installation and everybody can afford it." Similar to AIDS campaigns, this philosophy seems to work just fine. On the one hand education on the effects of the disease and parallel to it a simple and inexpensive accessory: the condom. Not ordered by the state or prescribed by specialists.

Nutzwerk has created a technology that enables all people to make the use of the internet secure in future. Every individual user has the freedom to decide themselves what he or she wants to see or download in the internet. Nobody has to be asked for permission or advice. System administrators and systems houses might not like that. Nutzwerk does not care. Progress cannot be halted by dulling the masses' minds.

The Napster music exchange has changed the entire music industry. Napster has been sued and insulted. Still, the technology and the new approach to music could not be stopped. Today security experts are on a crusade against Nutzwerk. Will it be the anti-virus vendors tomorrow because they are afraid that they will not be able to sell their products to every single computer user any more?

This discussion has made it clear: The subject of internet security has an enormous potential. So far only the negative sides have come up. Of course, businesses that sell security for a lot of money are the first to recognize the change that are brought about by this Nutzwerk technology. In future, security can be guaranteed whenever somebody accesses the internet. This could be a nightmare for some IT companies. Therefore the large-scale attack on the inventors. Is this going to stop the Nutzwerk technology?

Nutzwerk is going to continue the discussion publicly. Every internet user can turn to Nutzwerk directly. The managing directors and the development team are available for questions under the eMail address safersurf@nutzwerk.de. This way the discussion will be brought out from the shadows of the Chaos Computer Club newsgroup. It is going to be published at http://www.nutzwerk.de.