November 12 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

The GlobalEurope Anticipation Bulletin (GEAB), produced by the influential think tank LEAP/Europe 2020, predicts that the US Government will default on its debt anytime before next summer. The analysis presented in their recent issue here suggests that the default will occur due to the following five factors:

“• The recent upward trend of the US Dollar is a direct and temporary consequence of the collapse of stock markets

• Thanks to its recent «political baptism», the Euro becomes a credible «safe haven» value and therefore provides a «crisis» alternative to the US dollar

• The US public debt is now swelling uncontrollably

• The ongoing collapse of US real economy prevents from finding an alternative solution to the country’s defaulting

• «Strong inflation or hyper-inflation in the US in 2009?», that is the only question.”

The outline presented in the GEAB generally corresponds to what we have been saying for a while with regard to the future of the US (and all the implications for those countries tied to it). The ‘global financial meltdown’ that is unfolding now is far from reaching its climax, one reason being the impending derivatives bubble that must burst and destroy the false economy based on speculation in order to start re-building the global economy. Those who expect any ‘meaningful results’ from the upcoming G20 meeting in Washington this week will be disappointed. To put it simply, if the US creditors wait a bit longer they would get a better deal. The important question that GEAB raises above regarding the US should be considered in the following manner: will the impending (hyper-) inflation be dealt with through internal implosion (with all its ramifications for the social order in that country) or a World War as has occurred many times in the past?

Posted in Economic Issues, In The News, Other, Disaster Management, Security Measures, Europe, North America, Politics | No Comments »

October 17 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

The movie below is written and directed by Peter Joseph. It is 123 min long and offers a lot of food-for-thought. We welcome your comments.

Posted in Identity Management, Security Measures, Health Preparedness, Economic Issues, In The News, Water Issues, Food Security, Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Environment, Politics | No Comments »

October 15 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

The systemic crisis that now unfolds in the world cannot be fully understood without first understanding what role ‘money’ plays in all areas of human life. Initially introduced as a means of exchange between consenting parties, money was tied to tangible goods produced by spending physical energy (both resources and labour). In the last 400 years money has turned into an ‘independent’ player that has commodified every aspect of human life, without exception. In other words, from a marginal tool of exchange in social interactions (otherwise governed by centuries-long traditions of moral and behavioural codes) money has became the ultimate end-goal, codifier and master of all relations. Needless to say, in the present system the control over the supply side of money determines everything else. The article by Charles Eisenstein entitled ‘Money and the Crisis of Civilization’ presents a simple review of how this system was created and sheds light on why it won’t be able to survive. To date, the continuation of the system was characterized by cycles of wars and conflicts to prop it up. How many people have paused and considered what is coming next?

Posted in In The News, Economic Issues, Politics | No Comments »

October 9 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

We will once again be posting commentaries and articles of interest. Your comments are welcomed.

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January 14 2008 by The Systemic Analyst.

The following article, written by Sandro Contenta, was published today in the Toronto Star:

“Passengers undergo stringent measures at airports but experts report `gaping security holes’ behind the scenes

Restricted areas at Pearson International Airport, where thousands of employees work and load scores of planes daily, are less secure than those used by passengers, says Peel police Supt. Ed Toye, the airport’s top cop.

“It’s not as shut down and secure as the public side,” Toye said, referring to what security analysts say is the most vulnerable area of any airport.

While security in Pearson’s restricted areas has greatly improved over the past five years, Toye said in an interview, it lags behind the tight controls on passengers because Transport Canada fixed the “front end” of the operation before focusing on what goes on behind the scenes. “You got to start at the front end of the boat, but the back end is still leaking.”

“But,” he added, “it’s not like the leak has gone unnoticed – they’re monitoring it and they’re fixing it,” he said, referring to Transport Canada.

Transport Canada, which acknowledges an “air cargo security gap” at Pearson, has a $26 million budget to design and test a cargo security program for the airport, but it will take years before it’s up and working, the agency’s director of air cargo security said.

Stephen Conrad said the security procedures being developed will focus on installing screening equipment that can handle cargo and enhancing the “chain of custody” from shipper to airport. “We do actually want to have the same level of security” for cargo as for checked luggage, he said in an interview.

Meanwhile, said Senator Colin Kenny, chair of the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence, the “gaping security holes” at Pearson and other airports denounced by the committee in its report last year remain wide open and an inviting target.

Kenny, who notes the federal government has taken little action since his committee’s report on security at Canada’s 89 main airports – which handled almost 94 million passengers in 2005 – described the gap between passenger and non-passenger security as “a psychological con game.

“I find it ironic that passengers are still undoing their belt buckles or having their shoes taken off and being hassled to no end when they’re getting on a flight and nobody seems to be caring at all about the people who are working around the plane on a day-to-day basis,” Kenny said in a recent interview.

Kenny cites four primary security concerns: Inadequate checks of airport employees; unscreened airmail and general cargo; unscreened baggage on chartered planes, including executive jets; and inadequate checks on caterers and trucks bringing food to the airport.

“Pearson is perhaps the most defiant,” Kenny noted. “They seem almost to be proud of the lack of security they have there and their attitude is pretty arrogant,” he charges.

Scott Armstrong, spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which runs Canada’s busiest airport, describes Kenny’s report as “meant to raise the hairs on the back of your neck.”

Especially telling, Armstrong says, is Pearson’s security record. The existing security measures are “reasonable,” he said, citing the 31 million passengers who used Pearson last year without incident.

But security at Pearson came under scrutiny again last week when a 20-year-old man ran past a checkpoint at Terminal 1 and boarded an Air Canada plane. The unarmed man was eventually arrested.

While that incident renewed the focus on passenger screening, security analysts and police say the real security gap at Pearson and most airports worldwide is behind the scenes. Since the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., governments have instead stressed tougher screening of passengers to create a public perception of security, analysts argue.

“It’s a smoke and mirrors trick,” says Alicia Wanless, executive director of Toronto’s International Perspectives security think-tank.

But Armstrong, Pearson’s spokesperson, insists Pearson is safe.

“The senate committee raises very valid, very interesting points,” he said. “However, you have to have systems in place that balance the fact that we still have an operation to run and the fact that that operation has to be safe and secure.”

Armstrong said security was significantly beefed up last year with the introduction of biometric identity passes for employees at 29 Canadian airports. Staff entering restricted areas must now undergo iris and fingerprint scans.

The high-tech passes, Toye says, have transformed restricted areas into “gated communities” – if a theft occurs, police can immediately track who was in the area.

“I don’t know of any other country in the world that has it,” Toye says. “Even the Israelis have come over and said they’re really envious of that biometric card. To me that’s high praise.”

But Wanless says biometrics is wrongly seen as a security panacea, particularly since it doesn’t guard against people with fake identities getting the passes in the first place.

Kenny wants biometric passes that do more, such as signalling a breach in security if employees enter a restricted area outside their work hours.

Still, the biometric passes are expected to make the work of criminals at Pearson more difficult. A year ago, seven baggage handlers were arrested in connection with the theft of thousands of dollars of electronic goods from luggage.

There’s more agreement on the fact employees are searched or manually screened, but randomly – Kenny says an average of once every 50 times they show up for work.

Checks of mail and cargo that end up on passenger planes is even more sporadic, Kenny says. Canada Post sends 1.9 million pieces of mail every day by air, mostly on passenger planes. Airlines also move about 660,000 tonnes of cargo. Yet little of it is checked for explosives, he charges. All passengers’ checked luggage, on the other hand, is scanned with X-ray machines.

And, Transport Canada’s Conrad notes, air carriers are responsible for ensuring cargo conforms to a “layered” security approach, from verifying proper documentation to searching merchandise, if necessary.

At the moment, Toye says, bomb-sniffing dogs are used to check the “bulk” of airline cargo at Pearson, but not all containers are sniffed.

And Armstrong concedes there’s “room for improvement.”

Increased security is also being considered at other Pearson facilities, such as the Derry Rd. site where private and executive jets take off and land, says Jean Barrette, Transport Canada’s director of security operations.

Kenny says there are few security requirements at such facilities, where bags and passengers are not screened before boarding. On the food front, Pearson officials dismiss claims that delivery trucks aren’t searched. Toye says even police have to open the trunks of their cars when entering a restricted area.

Food crates are brought to a central warehouse and inspected for explosives before being delivered to airport shops or planes, Toye says.

What’s clear is that despite safety concerns at Pearson and other airports, American security analysts say Canada has done a better job improving security in restricted areas than the U.S. “We still have great gaping holes that can lead to a major attack against that system,” says Andrew Thomas, an Ohio business professor who has written three books on airport security.”

Posted in In The News, Biometrics, Security Measures, North America | No Comments »

November 7 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

The following is an article by Brandon Dimmel published in the Infopackets Gazette:

The government doesn’t understand cybercrime. For many, that might not be much of a surprise, but the fact alone is enough to prevent any real measures in defending against the rapid growth of malicious activity on the Internet.

According to a report last week by Toronto, Ontario’s International Perspectives research group, the most significant barrier between government bodies and their ability to do something about cybercrime is simply their ignorance on the topic. Alicia Wanless, executive director of International Perspectives, argues, “I think it’s difficult for the average person to get a grasp of what it is, the ‘cyber’ in front of it makes it seem as though it’s some new type of crime…In most cases it’s traditional crime that’s been facilitated by ICT (information and communications technology).”

In other words, the fact that it doesn’t feature a gun or a bank makes it seem foreign, and perhaps less threatening. And yet, there are still innocent hostages caught in between. (Source: intergovworld.com)

International Perspectives argues that all governments should pursue more than just remote education campaigns. A few websites here and there, well out of the public eye, simply won’t prepare anyone for the realities of the Internet. “There’s been a lack of adequate movement towards countering cybercrime, just even on a public awareness level — putting up Web sites isn’t enough,” Wanless said. (Source: pcworld.com)

Instead, education must be direct. Wanless and her fellow researchers believe a strong tactic would be instituting web crime education into the curriculums of college and unversity courses.

Three major recommendations were recommended by International Perspectives for governments:

One, establish an independent agency to actively pursue cybercriminals.

Two, fund a body that can investigate cybercrime and its impact on society. That group should feature diverse professionals, including security experts, academics in the field, and lawyers.

Third, ensure that activity posing a threat is criminalized, and soon. Above all, it’s about time we started taking these crimes and their criminals seriously.

According to Wanless, it can be a chain reaction. “If individuals start accepting their own responsibility in this, and they get active and interested, then their bosses will, and then politicians will.”

To purchase a copy of ‘Countering Cyber Crime: It’s Everyone’s Responsibility’, which offers simple ways individuals and organizations can effectively counter cyber crime, click here. International Perspectives is proud to be a part of IT Security Week this November, for more information click here.

Posted in In The News, Cyber Crime, North America | No Comments »

November 5 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

Originally published on InterGovWorld.com:

The term cyber crime continues to present challenges in effectively countering illicit activity involving computers and networks. For the segment of society not turned off by the word cyber, the thought of crime seems to render the wider concept a problem of just law enforcement or government.

Effectively combating cyber crime, however, must include efforts and initiatives involving individuals and organizations outside of the public sector. A shift in government focus that expands to include funding initiatives beyond just those of law enforcement and academia is imperative in a serious bid to curtail widespread cyber crime.

Government focus as well as funding must include widespread education campaigns geared at raising awareness of the threat of cyber crime among the general public. Increased vigilance on the part of every individual around online activity, electronic banking transactions and disclosure of personal information will have a far greater impact in countering cyber crime than any police-based initiative ever could.

Raising the awareness of average computer users, however, will not occur through the commissioning of expensive studies on cyber crime in Canada. Unfortunately, most Canadians will never take the time to read such analysis. More effective spending on education campaigns would target audiences of mass media, through catchy television commercials or advertisements in public transportation.

Educating young computer users is just as imperative as educating police. Instructing young children and youth on the ethics of computer use, the risks of poor online practice and dispelling myths around on-line anonymity and other cyber legends will change the direction of an entire generation of plugged-in citizens.

Encouraging industry to reasonably promote security will help engage individuals in being vigilant. Marketing products as “simply secure” - meaning all the user needs to do is plug this box or install that software to ensure absolute security - should be discouraged. Humans by nature seek easy solutions. Misleading the average user into a false sense of security is just as bad as publicly assuring the masses that the government through funding schemes and increased policing has cyber crime under control.

Cyber crime is not limited to child exploitation alone. Although politically interjecting the specific crime of child exploitation and trafficking helps to gain support, increased attention must be given to the growing rates of fraud, money laundering and other crimes also facilitated by information communication technologies. Focusing on only one aspect of the problem at the expense of others will do little in the overall countering of cyber crime.

While law enforcement does face unique challenges in countering cyber crime, increased funding and education alone will not address many of those difficulties. As with similar issues experienced in government, the bureaucratic nature of many law enforcement agencies coupled with stifling hiring practices prevent the openness and innovation necessary to address the threat of cyber crime.

In an age when the focus of security has increasingly turned towards countering terrorism and the role of technology, past notions of policing need to be assessed. Indeed, it is quite likely that our traditional reactionary approaches are ill-equipped to handle threats such as cyber crime. As a result, new thinking around how such threats are approached, outside of the traditional law enforcement and defence arenas, should be considered. Such approaches must take into consideration, as well as engage, the many people who currently look towards the government for solutions.

To purchase a copy of ‘Countering Cyber Crime: It’s Everyone’s Responsibility’, which offers simple ways individuals and organizations can effectively counter cyber crime, click here. International Perspectives is proud to be a part of IT Security Week this November, for more information click here.

Posted in In The News, Cyber Crime, North America | No Comments »

November 2 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

The following article was published in Branchez-Vous Techno:

Le gouvernement fédéral tarde à agir lorsque vient le temps de combattre plus efficacement la montée du nombre de délits informatiques, constate la firme de recherche torontoise International Perspectives.

Dans un rapport publié la semaine dernière, la firme soutient que le gouvernement canadien ne semble pas, à l’instar d’autres gouvernements, saisir l’ampleur des dommages causés par les délits informatiques.

« Je crois que plusieurs personnes éprouvent de la difficulté à comprendre ce que sont réellement les délits informatiques (cybercrimes en anglais), a déclaré la directrice générale d’International Perspectives, Mme Alicia Wanless, lors d’un entretien avec le magazine PC World. Le préfixe “cyber” donne l’impression que ce sont des crimes qui n’existaient pas avant, alors que ce sont plutôt des actes criminels réguliers qui sont facilités par l’utilisation des technologies de l’information. »

Selon elle, il est impératif que des campagnes de sensibilisation pour le public soient organisées. « C’est essentiel que les citoyens comprennent à quel point ces délits peuvent leur être nuisibles, ce qui forcera les entreprises à investir davantage en sécurité informatique pour les rassurer et, ultimement, à faire bouger le gouvernement. »

« Le Canada devrait aussi essayer de regarder un peu plus ce qui se fait dans d’autres pays plus avancés que nous dans la lutte contre les délits informatiques », soutient la directrice générale.

Dans son rapport, International Perspectives propose donc trois recommandations au gouvernement : créer une entité policière indépendante des autres corps policiers pour lutter contre la prolifération des délits informatiques, créer un comité de consultation constitué de différents acteurs du milieu de la sécurité informatique et accroître la portée de certaines lois pour inclure les délits informatiques qui ne s’y trouvent pas encore.

To purchase a copy of ‘Countering Cyber Crime: It’s Everyone’s Responsibility’, which offers simple ways individuals and organizations can effectively counter cyber crime, click here. International Perspectives is proud to be a part of IT Security Week this November, for more information click here.

Posted in In The News, Cyber Crime, North America | No Comments »

November 2 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

By: Lisa Williams, senior writer, Intergovworld.com

The government has been allocating more money into efforts to fight cyber crime, according to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Public Safety, following a report by Toronto-based research firm International Perspectives, highlighting the need for government to beef up the fight against online crooks.

Philip McLinton, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Safety, said the ministry is committed to securing the resources they need to address “ever-evolving and increasingly sophisticated forms of crime, such as cyber crime.”

The International Perspective’s report on cyber crime entitled, ‘Cyber Crime: It’s Everyone’s Responsibility’, urged the Canadian government to take further action.

Commenting on the study, McLinton noted that last August, the Ministry of Public Safety announced $100,000 in federal funding to support the Canadian Association of Police Boards (CAPB) in conducting a comprehensive analysis of cyber crime in Canada.

With respect to addressing Internet predators and child exploitation, McLinton added the Ministry of Public Safety is “committed to the global fight against the sexual exploitation of children.”

“The government of Canada continues to work with its domestic and international partners to address serious crime, and Budget 2007 allocated an additional $6 million per year to strengthen existing initiative to combat sexual exploitation and trafficking of children.”

Ian Wilms is the president of the CAPB, which is conducting the comprehensive study of cyber crime in Canada. Wilms is also working to establish CyberPol, a global centre envisioned to become a central agency for fighting cyber crime.

“We’re trying to ensure that people understand that (CyberPol) is going to be a collaborative centre of excellence, bringing together best practices and a centre that can help facilitate issues with computer crime, whether it’s research or legal issues,” said Wilms.

Wilms added that a site at the University of Calgary has been earmarked as the temporary home for CyberPol, and that there is currently a law before the legislature to create the shell organization of CyberPol.

vHe noted that the cyber crime impact study they are conducting will include speaking with people across Canada to determine the extent of cyber crime. They will also be conducting a feasibility study as to how best to implement the CyberPol project.

“Canada’s so far behind (battling cyber crime) it’s mind boggling,” said Wilms. “I think the study is going to show Canadians that we are being abused badly, I think people will be shocked by the number of pedophiles on the Internet.”

Wilms added that law enforcement is not nearly at the capacity that is needed, and that Canada does not have the right laws in place to go after online offenders.

Bruce Cowper, Microsoft Canada’s senior program manager for security initiative, conceded that more needs to be done.

“I agree with a lot of points made in the (International Perspectives) report,” said Cowper. “In working with the government, I think general awareness within the government is certainly a big challenge.”

Another challenge that exists, he added, is lack of consistency of approach within government.

“October is the Cyber Security Awareness month for Public Safety Canada,” he said. “Yet, when I speak to other government departments they say they’re not involved in that. It would have been phenomenal to have had a much more consistent approach between the private and public sector.”

The cyber crime report recommended the government should increase education and put pressure on the higher educational institutions to change their curriculum, according to Alicia Wanless of International Perspectives.

“Canada should at least be trying to adopt more of the international standards and approaches that have been pushed forward,” she said in a previous interview with InterGovWorld.com.

In that vein of cyber crime education, Cowper said this month, Microsoft will have a series of events and training sessions for people like the RCMP and law enforcement teams.

“I’ve been on a number of panels really trying to identify and effectively lock down the definitions we need, and what the real challenges are,” said Cowper.

He added that out of those panels has resulted a need for trying to drive greater general awareness.

“For example we have a program called Be Web Aware, an online safety program,” said Cowper. “We’ve been doing a lot of train-the-trainer sessions for police forces across the country, especially in the Toronto area to help them understand what the technology side of cyber crime is, especially online safety with kids.”

Awareness and training is also something that the government is doing, according to McLinton.

“The RCMP are working closely with the law enforcement community to develop tools and solutions to combat cyber crime, and have integrated technological crime units across Canada with staff trained, equipped and ready to respond to cyber crime incidents,” said McLinton.

He added that the RCMP also talks to the public about what they can do to protect themselves from cyber crime.

“They also work in partnership with the public and private sectors to enhance the safety of the Internet environment internationally, as well,” McLinton said.

To purchase a copy of ‘Countering Cyber Crime: It’s Everyone’s Responsibility’, which offers simple ways individuals and organizations can effectively counter cyber crime, click here. International Perspectives is proud to be a part of IT Security Week this November, for more information click here.

Posted in In The News, Cyber Crime, North America | No Comments »

October 24 2007 by The Systemic Analyst.

By: Lisa Williams, senior writer, Intergovworld

Governments face a unique challenge when it comes to battling cyber crime, according to a recent report entitled, ‘Countering Cyber Crime: It’s Everyone’s Responsibility’.

In a report released last week by Toronto-based market analysis firm International Perspectives, it outlines challenges governments face and the actions they can take to counter cyber crime.

Essentially, a lack of understanding on what cyber crime really is, is one of the biggest barriers for government to counter cyber crime, according to Alicia Wanless, executive director of International Perspectives.

“I think it’s difficult for the average person to get a grasp of what it is, the ‘cyber’ in front of it makes it seem as though it’s some new type of crime,” explained Wanless. “In most cases it’s traditional crime that’s been facilitated by ICT (information and communications technology).”

Wanless said the government has to start acting immediately on cyber crime.

“There’s been a lack of adequate movement towards countering cyber crime, just even on a public awareness level - putting up Web sites isn’t enough,” she said.

Wanless added that catchy media campaigns would be more effective and could be used to “put it in every user’s face that this is something that does affect them.”

Government should also be increasing education and putting pressure on some of the higher educational institutions to change their curriculum, said Wanless.

“Canada should probably at least be trying to adopt more of the international standards and approaches that have been pushed forward,” she said.

A big impediment to addressing cyber crime is the fact that it’s technical, she said. “If you’re a minister and have only been using computers for the last 10 years, it’s pretty daunting.”

Another barrier, noted Wanless, is that cyber crime hasn’t been as evident as other crimes, like street racing, stressing that the effects of computer crimes has not seemed “as tangible yet.”

Ultimately, for people to become more engaged in countering cyber crime, it has to happen at a grass-roots level, she said.

“If individuals start accepting their own responsibility in this, and they get active and interested, then their bosses will, and then politicians will; it becomes a chain reaction,” Wanless said.

The cyber crime report outlined the following key recommendations for the government:

• Establish a separate agency to deal with cyber crime, which should go beyond a task force housed within a bigger department.

• Create an oversight body for technical matters in security and investigations. The oversight body should consist of representatives from industry, privacy, security and law enforcement, law and academia.

• Ensure activity that is currently not recognized as illegal under existing legislation is criminalised as soon as possible. Many types of cyber crime are enforceable under existing legislation, but those that are not need to be addressed.

To purchase a copy of ‘Countering Cyber Crime: It’s Everyone’s Responsibility’, which offers simple ways individuals and organizations can effectively counter cyber crime, click here. International Perspectives is proud to be a part of IT Security Week this November, for more information click here.

Posted in In The News, Cyber Crime, North America | No Comments »