COMMUNICATION
SOLUTIONS AND TELECOMMUNICATION
Communications
facilities have advanced leaps and bounds during the last
decade. Just how far things had progressed became clear
while I was recently working in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
I was dealing with a regular client on my American mobile
although he had actually phone my UK
 One
of our clients who is obsessed with windsurfing and scuba
diving operates from islands in the Pacific during the European
winter and the Costa del la Luz in Spain during the European
summer; his clients think he is in London or New York! Therefore,
telecommunication >>>> should be telecommuting
is already a reality, although so far it is at the equivalent
level which colour TV had reached by the 1970's, the hardware
is not the problem because the technology already exists
to produce mobile phone handsets to deal with much higher
data transfer speeds than those currently available, the
limitation is that GSM, Global System for Mobile Communications,
and GPRS, General Packet Radio Switching, whilst fine for
voice communications really struggle with data, for all
its hype GPRS cannot achieve a higher speed than 50kbps
which although is much better than the 9.6kbps achieved
using a mobile dial-up connection it is still pretty grim
for surfing and e-mail. The answer is 3G but currently this
is only available in limited areas, it does however solve
the problem offering as it does performance bordering on
broadband / ADSL speeds see click
here although this is a UK site the cards are available
in most countries. As far as the hardware is concerned phones
like the Sony Ericsson P900 - in spite of the limitations
- are exceptional in what they can do. Clients often sat
"where are you?" So I e-mail a picture taken on
the phones camera or even a video clip of where I happen
to be, of course the same phone can be used to send pictures
of products and other items such as cars or properties so
it is a vital tool to people living offshore. We have many
clients around the world that we have assisted with setting
up there offshore trading structures, they are now running
a diverse range on trading operations and online businesses
in a variety of sunny locations, after all, who wants to
endure the grim Northern European winter when you can be
sitting in the sun earning money, saving taxes while sipping
a cool beer?
I
suppose it really goes back to what the founder of our company
said when he first devised the combination of ingredients
that enables a company or individual to structure their
affairs in a way that slashes bureaucracy and brings maximum
freedom both personally and financially. This is what he
said at a seminar for PT's, Prior Tax Payers or Perpetual
Travellers, in Florida during the summer of 1981 and I feel
it still has as much relevance 23 years later - maybe more!:
"Of
course going offshore and leaving your old life behind is
technically very simple, just chuck in your job, pack a
bag and leave, doing it successfully is another matter,
my goal is to show you the insider secrets of making it
happen, I will point the way to create the lifestyle you
have probably dreamt of but thought could never really be
achieved. During this seminar I will keep things simple
because unlike your accountant or lawyer what I have to
say isn't intended to be hard going, shrouded in mystery
or difficult to implement because that would run contrary
to everything that I believe in. Achieving freedom and prosperity
should be fun, the journey down the path to personal liberation
should be a learning curve that will enable you to see things
from a different perspective whilst helping you to realise
your goals in as short a time as realistically possible,
whether you are 25 or 55 is irrelevant, the aim is to achieve
freedom and success whilst paying the absolute minimum in
taxes along the way. I have often been asked what is freedom?
How do you define it? How much freedom makes a person free?
The answer is simple, being partly free is not possible,
unlike other things freedom is not divisible you have it
all or you are not free. It's that simple!
This
seminar will open your eyes to possibilities for increased
earnings, and a life of freedom, fun and opportunity you
probably never imagined was always just sitting there for
the taking."
Holiday
Inn: Daytona Beach Florida, Summer 1981
One
of our clients who is obsessed with windsurfing and scuba
diving operates from islands in the Pacific during the European
winter and the Costa del la Luz in Spain during the European
summer; his clients think he is in London or New York! Therefore,
telecommunication is already a reality, although so far
it is at the equivalent level which colour TV had reached
by the 1970's, the hardware is not the problem because the
technology already exists to produce mobile phone handsets
to deal with much higher data transfer speeds that is currently
available, the limitation is that GSM, Global System for
Mobile Communications, and GPRS, General Packet Radio Switching,
whilst fine for voice communications really struggle with
data, for all its hype GPRS cannot achieve a higher speed
than 50kbps which although is much better than the 9.6kbps
achieved using a mobile dial-up connection it is still pretty
grim for surfing and e-mail. As far as the hardware is concerned
phones like the Sony Ericsson P900 - in spite of the limitations
- are exceptional in what they can do. Clients often sat
"where are you?" So I e-mail a picture
taken on the phones camera or even a video clip of where
I happen to be, of course the same phone can be used to
send pictures of products and other items such as cars or
properties so it is a vital tool to people living offshore.
We have many clients around the world that we have assisted
with setting up there offshore trading structures, they
are now running a diverse range on trading operations and
online businesses in a variety of sunny locations, after
all, who wants to endure the grim Northern European winter
when you can be sitting in the sun earning money, saving
taxes while sipping a cool beer?
The
number of individuals and businesses using the Internet
and state of the art telecommunications technology to operate
from expatriate locations is growing all the time. Whilst
they will never be large enough to really trouble the tax
authorities in there home countries, they are visible in
many cities around the world leading an enviable tax-free
lifestyle. Check out the Internet cafes next time you are
on vacation, if you get chatting to the right people it
will amaze you how they are running quite a lucrative business
using a combination of mobile phones, unified messaging,
laptops with Data cards and Bluetooth connected PDA's.
The
difference between individuals and large companies is not
so great as when they move into the area of telecommunication
because electronic communications and E-commerce have greatly
levelled the playing field. Everyone can use the same or
similar technology. A high quality blue chip website might
cost up to £4,000 / $7,000 / €5,700 or
even more, but that is nothing when compare to running a
shop based retail operation, and the potential earnings
if you have the right products or service is vast.
The
key to successful communications facilities lies in making
sure outward appearances convey the right impression to
your clients. Let's assume you are based in The Canary Islands,
which are the in the same time zone as London. For a number
of reasons you prefer your clients to communicate with you
by e-mail or fax rather than telephone, clearly they would
not be impressed if you told them you do not like using
the phone! The solution is to setup a virtual office with
phone, fax, mailing address and e-mail facilities in a different
time zone. Australia or California would be ideal locations,
voice messages and faxes can be delivered as e-mail attachments
direct to your inbox, the benefit of this structure is that
the time difference makes it impractical for them to phone
because neither of you are open at the same time! Mission
accomplished! Moreover, the entire operating cost is just
£14 / $25 / €20 per week, for a street address
in a major town, a local dedicated e-mail address and separate
telephone and fax numbers. Further information required?
Click VIRTUAL
OFFICES
Never
forget that the correct communications facilities complement
your offshore company structure, they convey the impression
that the company has substantial presence in its place of
incorporation whilst providing absolute privacy.
Communications
facilities fall into several categories and all have a place
in the scheme of things and although their roles and functions
are quite different they all contribute to making an offshore
operation a success.
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Mobile
Telephones
A foreign cellular phone is the cheapest and simplest
way to create the appearance of being in two places at once.
Let's assume you are based in New York but wish to appear
to be living or working in Zurich or Antwerp; a relatively
small sum will cover the cost of a mobile telephone and
courier fees to deliver it within a few days. The phone
comes with a hefty amount of credit to cover the call charges,
once it arrives you are ready to tell your ex wife or anyone
else for that matter that you are now living permanently
abroad. The best thing is that if they don't believe you
they can pick up a phone and dial your foreign telephone
number. Of course, most clients buy foreign mobiles or sim
cards as a route for direct contact, in this case mobile
fax and data lines can sometimes be provided if required.
SIM cards from a variety of locations such as Spain, the
UK and Gibraltar amongst others are usually available, for
full details e-mail info@sec-data.com.
SPECIAL
OFFER
Spanish Prepaid Mobile Phone card which can be topped up
in most European countries, i.e. UK, Germany etc. only £145
/ $250 / €199
Click
here for more information
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Advantages
Instant live communications. Very convincing that you
are in the country where the number originates. Portable,
you can travel from country to country and, subject to signal
coverage, it works anywhere. Easy to use and hassle free.
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Disadvantages
You pay for incoming calls
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Callback
In many ways call back is a rather outmoded concept,
although we still use it regularly but it is far from ideal
and the sound quality can sometimes be poor.
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How
Callback works
When you sign up for Callback you are given a trigger
that is used to initiate a Callback session, this number
is a dedicated number allocated specifically to you to make
a call, you dial a number, let it ring once, then hang-up,
you are not charged for the incomplete call. The Callback
computer system identifies the number that phoned in and
phones you back. The computer will say "Please enter
the number you wish to dial", once connected you can
make as many calls as you want, usually you end a call by
pressing the hash or pound key, #. Some companies like Kallback,
who were the first company to offer the service, and are
still market leader, offer a facility to program the system
to ask for you by name and extension number - this feature
is of particular use to corporate users and hotel guests.
Advantages
You can switch the trigger number to different numbers if
you are travelling. It is reasonably cheap. You do not generally
prepay and therefore do not have to worry about running
out of credit. It works with prepay mobiles.
Disadvantages
Sometimes it takes 30 seconds or more to call back. Sound
quality varies. Not as cheap as some other options.
For
further information contact callback@orca.vg
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Calling
Cards
In many countries, buying a Calling Card enables you to
make calls at prices that are substantially more competitive
than local phone company rates. Generally, you are best
to buy a card locally than to use one from another country
because the rate is more favourable. With most Calling Cards
toll free numbers are available, dialing the Toll Free access
number enables you to make a call from wherever you happen
to be, the cards are usually available in various denominations.
The cards offer substantial savings when compared with local
carriers and payphone rates. In the UK, for example, one
company charges 2p per minute, as opposed to 35p from a
payphone or 7.91p from a British Telecom landline, for international
calls the savings are even greater, for example a call to
the USA using British Telecom costs 23.62p per minute using
the calling card it's only 8p a saving of 66%. As with anything,
you need to check the rates because some cards are dearer
that others, check out the British Telecom prepaid calling
card rates to see what we mean!
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Virtual
Office and Residential Facilities: The art of being in 2
or more places at once!
The
UK has a number of advantages for nonresidents. The main
plus is it has an extensive range of facilities which are
unequaled anywhere in the world, examples include a whole
range of phone lines and fax facilities which can be routed
worldwide at zero cost, this makes the UK and Channel Islands
very attractive as a communications centre and virtual office
base, especially when combined with the fact that the UK
is perceived as a respectable location by most people and
therefore a good location to create a European base
For
Americans and Canadians - Australians as well if your an
insomniac! - Setting up a UK virtual office with UK phone
lines diverting live free of charge to your local numbers
is extremely beneficial for a number of reasons, the main
ones are that it offers entry to EU markets, it is tax efficient
fast and cheap to setup and presents no language barriers.
UK
Facilities
UK phone numbers with free international diversion - We
have a variety of options to deal with your requirements
for both landlines and mobiles.
UK
Numbers Charged to callers at a standard national rate
With unlimited business hours diversion - free of charge
to any landline number - to all European countries, America
and Australia, other countries on request. One off connection
fee and fully working on the same day only £50 /
$88 / €72
Click
here for more information
UK
Number charged to callers at a flat rate of 10p per minute:
24 hours a day, unlimited version - free of charge
to any landline number - to all European countries, America,
Australia and other countries on request. One off connection
fee and fully working same day only £50 / $88
/ €72
Click
here for more information
UK
07** Number charged to callers at mobile rate:
With unlimited diversion - free of charge - worldwide,
to any number including mobiles. One off connection fee
and fully working same day only £50 / $88
/ € 72
Click
here for more information
Private
/ Business UK voicemail number:
With forwarding of messages as e-mail attachments, one
off fee £195 / $340 / €279
Click
here for more information
Private
/ Business UK Fax number:
With forwarding of messages as e-mail attachments, one
off fee £195 / $340 / €370
Click
here for more information
Private
/ Business UK combined Voicemail and Fax number:
With phone based voicemail retrieval or forwarding of
messages e-mail attachments, one off fee £195 /
$340 / €279
Click
here for more information
UK
Fax number and faxes received by Bureau:
and forwarded, forwarding charges are extra, £150
/ $260 /€215
Click
here for more information
Dedicated
UK number with unlimited live phone answering, fax service
and mailing address:
Only £95 plus VAT per month, various cities
available: Introduction fee £75 / $131 /
€105
Click
here for more information
CHANNEL
ISLANDS
CHANNEL
ISLANDS registered phone numbers with free international
diversion
- We have a variety of options to deal with your requirements
for both landlines and mobiles
CHANNEL
ISLANDS
National rate number charged to callers at standard UK
national rate:
With unlimited business hours diversion - free of
charge to any landline number - to all European countries,
America, Australia and other countries on request. One
off connection fee and fully working on the same day only
£50 / $88 / €72
Click
here for more information
CHANNEL
ISLANDS
Registered 0871 number charged to callers at flat rate
of 10p per minute:
24 hours a day, unlimited diversion - free of charge
to any landline number - to all European countries, America,
Australia and other countries on request. One off connection
fee and fully working the same day only £50 / $88
/ €72
Click
here for more information
CHANNEL
ISLAND 07** number charged to callers at mobile rate:
With unlimited diversion - free of charge - worldwide,
to any number including mobiles. One off connection fee
and working the same day only £50 / $88 /
€72
Click
here for more information
Private
/ Business CHANNEL ISLANDS Voicemail number:
Forwarding of messages as e-mail attachments. One off
fee. £195 / $340 / €279
Click
here for more information
Private
/ Business CHANNEL ISLANDS Fax number:
With forwarding of messages as e-mail attachments. One
off fee. £195 / $340 / €279
Click
here for more information
Private
/ Business CHANNEL ISLANDS combined Voicemail and Fax
number:
with phone based Voicemail retrieval or forwarding of
messages as e-mail attachments. One off fee. £195
/ $340 / €279
Click
here for more information
CHANNEL
ISLANDS Fax number with faxes received by Bureau:
And forwarded . Forwarding charges are extra. £150
/ $260 / €215
Click
here for more information
CHANNEL
ISLANDS Mobile Phone Number -SIM card:
Delivered world wide with credit already on the card.
Cards can be topped up in most countries and all have
international roaming. £150 / $131 / €215
Click
here for more information
Dedicated
CHANNEL ISLANDS number with unlimited live phone answering,
fax service and mailing address:
Only £175 plus VAT per month, various cities available.
Introduction fee £75 / $131 / €105
Click
here for more information
NON-UK
VIRTUAL OFFICE FACILITIES
Phone
lines are vital to any offshore business. It looks absurd
to have an offshore company where all of the phone lines
are located in your home company. Not only does it look
wrong it will cause major hassles with the local tax people
because regardless of the role that e-mail now plays a company
is based where its phone numbers are - or so one assumes!
The
range of facilities is vast and the most popular ones can
be ordered here but what you see is just a fraction of what
we can provide. If you have specific needs e-mail us at
comms@offshoresources.ws
Canadian
and American Voicemail and Fax numbers:
In over 200 cities, annual fee £195 / $345
/ €279
Click here for more information
then type in your choice of city
Random
US or Canadian number:
One off fee £50 / $87 / €71
Phone
number diverting to another country for live answering:
Annual fee £195 / $345 / €279 -
call charges are extra
- Available in America, Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland,
Spain, UK etc. Click here for more
information type in your choice country
Swedish
Telephone number with remote answering system:
Annual fee £195 / $345 / €279 - Click
here for more information
Spanish
Telephone number with remote answering system:
Annual fee £145 / $253 / €207 -
Click here for more information
European
Mobile phone Cards:
Ready to use with International roaming permitted. Annual
fee £195 / $345 / €279 - Click
here for more information
Australian
or New Zealand Telephone numbers:
For fax or phone. Annual Fee £195 / $345
/ €279 - click to order
Japanese
Fax or Telephone number:
Annual fee. £225 / $435 / €320 -
Click here for more information
Caribbean
Freephone numbers:
Annual fee. £249 / $435 / €356 -
Click here for more information
Dedicated
Voicemail, Fax or combined voice / fax lines :
Available in the following countries at (annual fee)*
fee £195 / $345 / €270
Click here for more information
and type in your choice of city.
Countries marked * charges vary.
Argentina
- Austria - Australia, all major cities - Belgium - Bolivia*
- Canada, all major 14 cities - Chile* - Caribbean* -
Colombia - France - Germany, all major cities - Holland
- India* - Ireland - Israel - Italy, all major cities
- Japan, all major cities* - Mexico* - New Zealand - Philippines
- Switzerland - UK, all main cities - USA, virtually every
city
Live
Lines diverted to your home country:
Available in Germany, Canada, USA, Caribbean, France,
Spain, Holland, UK etc. Annual fee £195 / $345
/ €279 plus call charges.
Click here for more information
type in your choice of country / city. Countries marked
* charges may vary
International
Toll Free Numbers:
A toll free or freephone number can be answered anywhere
in the world so your clients will believe you have an
office in the country where the number is located. Calls
routed to you in Europe cost on average just 15c per minute
from the US to the UK is even less at only 10c per minute.
If you are interested in this facility and contact us
we will be able to advise the best deal for your particular
location. We can arrange these numbers in most countries
and the primary benefit is that it will give you access
to the markets where you otherwise might have difficulty
attracting clients. The two most popular freephone facilities
are UK 0800 routing to the US and US 1-800 routing to
the UK. Annual fee £195 / $345 / €279
Click
here for more information
For
further details please e-mail tollfree@offshoreinnovations.com
A
British Telephone Number with Free International Diversion
for Non - British Based Individuals and Businesses only
£100 / $175 / €145
Other
Facilities Worldwide
Although
we are able to arrange phone and fax facilities in most
leading countries the actual range of facilities varies
depending on the location, in addition new services become
available all the time. Please phone for details of all
the current options available or let us know what you need
or click here to be transfered to www.officeresponse.com
If
you prefer personal answering services, these are available
in many of the countries where we arrange facilities although
the cost is higher than voicemail. We can also supply a
range of personal, secure, e-mail systems - please see the
E-commerce section for further
details.
The
Future
Over
20 years of experience in setting up offshore trading structures
and communications mean we are well qualified to hazard
a guess at the likely developments in future communications.
The simple fact that we use just about every new facility
ourselves - while evaluating them for both communications
companies and our clients - means we are well placed to
pass judgment on the merits and draw backs of the various
options available. One problem almost everyone faces when
they operate internationally is that they often use numerous
telephone numbers and messaging facilities in various locations
around the world. The more internationalized you are the
more complex it all becomes; the result is potentially more
frustration to the customers and unwanted hassle to the
people running the business. Many clients end up spending
more and more time trying to keep track of all the calls,
messages and lost faxes, throw in a couple of answering
machines and a few e-mail boxes to check and the whole thing
becomes a maze which can easily get out of control. Here
at ORCA we undertake twice yearly assessments of the merits
of all existing communications arrangements, because in
common with any business simplification and structuring
increases our overall productivity and efficiency. We also
make use of the technology which exists to unify our systems
and route calls to any device, anywhere in the world, on
any network. This means if a client has a crisis and needs
our help or advice quickly a contact route will be available;
it might not be the office he normally uses but one of us
will be just a text or phone call away. This is the goal
and it is quite simple to put in place using existing and
low cost technology.
Once
a proper communications structure is in place all of your
important calls and faxes will reach you wherever and whenever
you choose to receive them. A summary of the solutions we
recommend follows, whilst the services available vary from
country to country most people have similar needs and problems
so the summary is a good guide as to what you can achieve,
fine tuning is the key to maximizing the benefits and increasing
profits.
Clearly,
5 years from now, most business professionals will have
a single Unified Messaging number with a live line; this
is because nothing else comes close to providing the huge
range of benefits available to us with this latest technology.
Many services becoming available confirm that one number
is the way things will move. Examples are 00 800 numbers
and the UK numbers which can divert free of charge worldwide,
exactly how things develop is a little hazy but the basics
are available now so the question is why wait when much
of tomorrow's technology is available today? With Virtual
Office facilities it is possible to penetrate virtually
any market. Contact us to discuss how your personal communications
can be implemented.
comms@offshoreresources.ws
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The
Ingredients of your communications or Virtual Office structure
The
following services can either be used as freestanding facilities
or combined with unified messaging and the various other
services outlined earlier. They form the basic component
parts of many clients' communications structures. It is
the customisation and creation of bespoke packages that
is our are of expertise. Unlike most companies we know that
just as our needs are unique so are yours, one size fits
all is not an option, when you contact us we will quickly
identify the best arrangements to fulfill your personal
needs and advise on the most appropriate route to set things
up. commsadvice@orca.vg
As
we saw earlier one number is a single number to handle all
your global calls and faxes. You can even organize where
your calls go according to what you are doing and where
you are during the week. The system allows you to direct
your call to any phone in the world with complete accuracy.
Subject to selecting the correct service you will be in
contact wherever you are in the world. Out of hours - if
you do not wish to be disturbed - you can choose to have
incoming calls sent directly to your voicemail box or Bureau.
You can then download the voicemails and faxes from your
e-mail address, meaning you can access them whenever you
want over the Internet without being tied to the office
e-mail or fax machine. Voicemails can also be picked up
up over the phone from a Bureau by SMS. These systems are
very flexible and you choose how you utilities it.
We
are aware that SMS is very useful for people on the move,
many new generation systems will notify by SMS or e-mail
when a new fax or voicemail arrives on your system meaning
you are always in complete control of your communications.
Ultimately it is for you to decide the most convenient way
to receive faxes and voicemail - by e-mail, over the Internet
or both.
If
you want to answer calls live using a cellular phone buy
a Tri-Band mobile which provides coverage almost anywhere
in Europe, Asia and the US. Look at the Sony Ericsson P900
or it's successor because it offers incredible flexibility
and should do everything you need best of all GPRS means
you only pay for the actual messages you receive and can
be permanently live.
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Secure
Communications: Keeping it private!
Do
you need secure communications? It probably depends on the
nature of your business but the following businesses or
individuals are more likely to require secure systems than
others: defence contractors, offshore tax advisors, political
parties, politicians, financial institutions, lawyers, companies
tendering for government contracts,, private investigators
and anyone who is not on speaking terms with their government!
Only you can decide if you need to increase your security
so read the following, it is lengthy but vital so read these
worrying developments and decide.
·The
Council of the European Union backs retention and
archiving of all phone calls, e-mail's, faxes, Internet
usage and websites
·ENFOPOL
98" went through EU Justice and Home Affairs
Council at the end of May 2001: extending surveillance
to mobile phones, Internet usage and websites.
·Access
to documents relating to the new legislation was refused
to various Civil Rights organisations because disclosure
"could impede the efficiency of ongoing deliberations"!!!
In other words, they knew all hell would break loose
if they had allowed the proposals to be scrutinized
·Under
the RIP act if Regulation of Investigatory Powers
Act the UK makes details of an individuals or companies
communication records available to virtually any government
department - including the local council!
It
is a scandalous development, all the protections for personal
freedom and privacy that were put in place through international
data protection rules and privacy directives have been fatally
undermined at a stroke.
Without
doubt, the greatest offenders in the EU at the current time
for both snooping and invasion of privacy are the UK and
Holland. Vast amounts of DATA are routinely monitored, even
worse British common law makes no presumption that the individual
has any right to privacy; this has generated an extraordinary
culture in British officialdom which presumes a right to
investigate. The snooping, cameras and constant demands
for information in the UK are truly a reminder of what a
surveillance society the place has become. Gone are many
of the hard fought liberties. As usual, there are no proposals
for serious safeguards, such as requiring investigating
authorities to apply to a court for the right to gain access
to such information. The new Human Rights Act may eventually
make a difference, but it will take time to establish a
body of case law in defence of individual liberties.
Even
disregarding the EU plans, Britain's intelligence services
have secured powers to seize all records of telephone calls,
e-mail's and Internet connections made by every person living
in the country. These plans were encompassed within the
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 mentioned earlier.
The act means that MI5, MI6 and the police can log every
phone call made in the UK and store the information for
seven years at vast government-run 'data warehouses', a
super computer holds the information.
Surprisingly
even thought the Labour Party has introduced legislation
in its Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, in its 1997
manifesto it was opposed to many of the provisions which
were later included, the relevant passage is below.
"Attempts
to control the use of encryption technology are wrong in
principle, unworkable in practice and damaging to the long-term
economic value of the information networks" - Labour
party manifesto 1997
The
legislation to snoop around their citizen's affairs is unfortunately
not limited to just the UK and Holland. Many other countries
require their telecommunications providers to maintain an
interception capability, including France, Germany, Sweden,
the USA, Canada and Australia. As mentioned earlier in Europe
Holland and the UK are probably the worst offenders, the
Dutch Telecommunications Act of 1998 provided a legal framework
for interception by Internet service providers and they
were obliged to install the required interception capability
by April 2001.
Solutions
Whilst
clearly the interception of communications by governments
is extremely undesirable in most ways this must be balanced
against the continuous and ever present threat of terrorism,
it is this issue combined with the problems created by major
organised crime that creates the paradox leading to a no
win situation that cannot be resolved because if communications
cannot be decoded we are all venerable but if it can we
have to contend with erosion of our privacy policy and civil
liberties. Here at ORCA we are aware that for our law abiding
clients such as solicitors, accountants, computer program
designers, consultants and people working in high tech industries
have informed need to use encrypted phone systems, voice
mail, messaging and other facilities to ensure their business
is protected from prying.
Most
of our clients are concerned that foreign governments operating
on a hidden agenda will insist they decode - on demand -
databases, documents and e-mail for their own self serving
commercial reasons, many are very worried that countries
such as the United States, Belgium, Singapore, Malaysia,
the Netherlands, India, Ireland, Canada, Sweden and Finland
either currently - or are planning - to force people to
hand over decryption keys on demand. In the UL, the Regulation
of Investigatory Powers Bill gives the Home Secretary, Interior
Minister, the power to demand that you decrypt data when
required to do so by a court order. Failing to provide the
key is a criminal offence, with a maximum penalty of two
years in jail, unfortunately the law in this area - unlike
most other situations - carries with it the presumption
of guilt. You must somehow prove you do not have the key.
The fact that you may have forgotten the password, mislaid
or forgotten it is not a defence. The only possible solution
is self destruct and non recoverable timed e-mail which
expires after a preset period has elapsed. The only other
option is to use key pairs which expire.
Data
security is a complex area, but if you need further information
contact
Secure Data Systems and they will provide a demonstration
of the various options which are available. If you e-mail
them they will send you an example of a self destruct e-mail
so so you can test the theory.
This
raises the question; does an all embracing communications
solution exist? Fortunately yes, we have dealt with a company
for the last 9 years who specilise in arranging secure communications
channels for large corporation and VIP's operating in countries
such as South Korea, Zimbabwe, Iran, Russia, China and many
other countries where government interception is rife. The
company is based in Zurich and business or personal security
is there specialty. Whatever your requirements from surveillance
products such as micro transmitters, bug detectors and night
vision systems to a secure Voicemail system or a complete
network they will be able to help, if you wish to contact
them for a consultation e-mail a summary of your requirements
to ourselves will ask them to contact you direct. The cost
of a 100% secure system is not particularly high, for example,
a pair of encrypted laptop computers with pre loaded secure
voicemail, fax and e-mail facilities as well as a secure
database and other facilities such as a word processing
system would cost around £2500 / $4375 / €3575
for the pair. This price includes a full days training in
encryption and decryption practice. If you can provide 2
suitable laptops which you already own the price would be
considerably less, ideally they should be fairly new with
clean hard drives, after all you don't want to solve your
communications problems only to be let down by the hardware!
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