Skype & China

Surveillance of Skype Messages Found in China

It’s really amazing how little privacy that there is on the internet. Skype is a very cool piece of software that lets you do text and video chat, as well as VOIP. I used it over the summer to call everyone back in the states and it was much easier to use compared to calling cards or cellphones. It’s cheaper too.

Part of the allure of Skype is the security aspect. Skype advertises that it uses advanced encryption to protect text and audio conversations, which has allegedly been circumvented by the Chinese wireless provider Tom Online to listen in on text chats and log conversations that the Chinese government finds subversive or promotes “disharmony.”

A statement from Skype PR has said

The security breach does not affect Skype’s core technology or functionality ... It exists within an administrative layer on Tom Online servers.

Though I can’t honestly believe that a core component (encryption) of Skype can be easily circumvented by a network provider without collusion with Skype. There are plenty of financial incentives for Skype to collaborate with the Chinese government, since it’s the worlds largest and fastest growing market. Cisco, Google, and Microsoft are equally guilty of putting profits before human dignity when it comes to China. How else could China filter and censor the internet as effectively as they do, without the help of American tech companies?

It’s a shame, because many of the products that are widely used and freely available, under scrutiny fail to live up to their advertised security and privacy. Many people worry about what companies you can trust with your data, but perhaps an even more important question is if companies that claim to have encryption and privacy at heart, actually do.