Reply #32: More significant than our lawmakers think..... [View All]

It’s going to take a catastrophe to stop the trend. Hopefully, it’s a small one.

Let’s face it everything you want to know about a company and it’s customers resides in their IT infrastructure most often in the code itself. As the admin has been stirring the fear factor with the “hackers” over the internet the fact is; “Why hack?” Why not join an off-shore development company and embed your nefarious modules into the installation. “Who’s checking?”. Easy answer: “No one”

The countries we are outsourcing to are not bound by our privacy laws or intellectual property laws. We aren’t auditing what may be written into the code. The countries we are exporting to are political hotspots. It’s only natural with the degree of outsourcing we have an Economic interest to protect them…thus further defense dollars for the American Tax Payer to cover the butts of private corporations; What do you think the Indian – US exercises off China’s border are all about.
JOINT STATEMENT ON U.S.-INDIA DEFENSE POLICY GROUP
The U.S.– India Defense Policy Group (DPG) met Aug. 6-7, 2003 in Washington, D.C. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith hosted the meeting and Defence Secretary Ajay Prasad led the Indian delegation.
….snip
The past year’s accomplishments include:
• Combined special forces counterinsurgency exercise in Northeast India;
• Combined Air Force exercise in Alaska;
• Complex naval exercises on the East Coast of India;
• Delivery of "Firefinder" radars to India;
• Senior-level missile defense talks; and
• Conclusion of a master information exchange agreement to facilitate cooperation in research and development of defense technologies
….snip
The two sides agreed to establish a high-level dialogue on defense technology security issues.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2003/nr20030808-0331.html

US special forces join Indians on Ladakh mountains

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 5, 2003: Indo-US military cooperation set out on a new road today when Indian and US Special Forces flew into Leh for joint exercises not far from the Chinese border.
While the Army described the exercises as ‘‘routine,’’ sources say this was the first time that US military personnel had landed in Jammu and Kashmir — still a ‘‘disputed area’’ for Washington — to conduct exercises in high altitude, mountainous terrain.
…snip
A complement of troops from the US Special Operations Command were airlifted from Air Force Station, Agra to begin the exercises in Leh with their Indian counterparts.
Defence minister George Fernandes, while maintaining that the exercises were routine, denied that the joint military exercises were being conducted for political reasons. ‘‘In the past, we have held such exercises with some Asian countries. We have also done it with European countries. Now we are doing it with the US. Such exercises are carried out so that countries get to know the areas of strength and weaknesses of its military. There is no political reason for such exercises,’’ he said.

Meanwhile here is some food for thought:
Buggy software on the rise
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/33097.html
Outsourcing: Does it reward theft
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/32730.html

and to really stir things up…I’m planning on starting a thread in GD in the next week or so to discuss the following study. For the Microsoft bashers: I am convinced there is a force at work to squeeze out the little guys from the market. There are those that believe that Microsoft blocks competition and stifles creativity, entrepreneur , etc etc. My take on it is that Microsoft has and does enable many small time players in the market and the big guys do not like that…they want it all. I’ll save it for the thread but my contention is that they want the market to return to a handful of wealthy corporations. My thought is thier tactics are working and many are unwittingly helping them along.
Microsoft: a threat to global IT and job security?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/33082.html

a link to the study is at the bottom of the article….I recommend reading it.