Quantum privacy ...

Vittorio Giovannetti from Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy is one of the developers and says:

“In simple terms, you may say that the main advantage of the protocol is that it allows us to perform a task that, as far as we know, would not be possible to achieve by classical means: that is, it guarantees both user and data privacy without requiring any costly communication and computational overheads, ..."

From the article:

When an Internet user types a word or phrase into a search engine, the Web server has the ability to find out that inquiry. As more people and businesses are becoming concerned about privacy, researchers are developing new ways to make online activity more secure for both users and servers.

Recently, physicists have created a cheat-sensitive protocol called quantum private queries (QPQ). The quantum-based system allows a user to search for and retrieve an item from a database without revealing that item to the server. If the server tries to find out the item, the user can tell, and modify their use accordingly.

I found it interesting that in describing the interchange between the person looking for information and the repository of that information, the names of Alice and Bob were used. Distracting sort of shortcut (until one gets used to it, I suppose, as with most shortcuts):

As the physicists explain, the QPQ strategy is designed to protect the user’s privacy and the server’s information. Normally, these two goals are in conflict, since complete privacy for one side means vulnerability for the other. But QPQ takes advantage of elements of quantum theory to provide a compromise.

In the QPQ strategy, the user Alice performs a search query, and receives a limited number of answers from the server Bob. If Alice suspects that Bob is trying to figure out her queries, she can perform a search query that is a quantum superposition of different queries. Her answer from Bob will reveal whether the superposition has been altered or not, and she will know if he has been trying to read her queries.

In order for the strategy to work, Alice must send her queries in random order, one at a time. This way, Bob doesn’t know if a query is a normal query or a superposition query intended to detect his attempts at cheating. Sending queries one at a time prevents Bob from making joint measurements, which might go unnoticed.

Although Bob may be lucky and successfully determine one of Alice’s queries by choosing to intercept the normal query instead of the superposition of queries, chances are that he will get caught sooner or later. In fact, the physicists showed that, no matter what sophisticated methods Bob might use to try to intercept Alice’s queries, she will likely discover his attempts.

Continue reading: New Quantum Strategy Keeps Web Searches Private

Big Surprise, Bush's Justice Department against net neutrality ...

The Justice Department said imposing a Net neutrality regulation could hamper development of the Internet and prevent service providers from upgrading or expanding their networks. It could also shift the ''entire burden of implementing costly network expansions and improvements onto consumers,'' the agency said in its filing.

I think they have it backwards and I assume they know it. Lying as usual this administration is doing whatever it can to lock down the internet. If the Democrats in Congress don't come through then the 'free-wheeling' web will come under corporate control in no time.

And as the Democrats have repeatedly demonstrated they cannot be depended upon.

Novelli's AARP censors left leaning posters ...

This post at the Senior Citizens Consortium Blog documents the problem with the increasing corporate control of message boards and other individual communications and posting mechanisms on the web. As these entitities merge there will be less and less freedom of expression and more thought control as with the established media.

Boycotting the AARP Issues and Elections forum

BuzzFlash entry that led me to the above post.

Note that the post explains that it is not AARP 'the non-profit entity' that is treating these individuals based their political viewpoints.

It should be clearly understood that the AARP itself does not operate the board, it has relegated that responsibility to its “for profit” subsidiary, AARP Services. This organization in turn has outsourced the operation of the AARP Forum to a company that has placed individuals who appear, to have a strong oriention against non-right wing posters.

It is AARP 'the for-profit' mindset that Arch-Republican Novelli brings to the AARP world that hands off the responsibilty, not to the AARP membership, but to some corporate organization. That's the Republican big-daddy approach that AARP embodies.