But that changes when you ask him about spying on the Internet. They want to control anyone, wherever and whenever they want. Despite his unassuming demeanor, Nail Murzakhanov is a folk hero in Russian high-tech circles. Perhaps more impressive, the government backed down. But I sign a confidentiality agreement with my customers, and I won't violate that for anyone.
Police say it's a vital weapon in the fight against crime.
SORM's supporters like to cite laws in the West, such as Britain's Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, which sets down the rules police must follow when they monitor e-mail and tap phones, or the U.S. National Security Agency's Echelon project. Also in the U.S., the Federal Bureau of Investigation has had a hard time trying to sell its controversial Carnivore Internet-surveillance software to Congress. But SORM differs from RIP, Carnivore and Echelon in one crucial respect. That's why the ministry's backing down in the Murzakhanov case is viewed as significant by many in Net circles. In July 2000, the Ministry of Communications issued order No. 130, stating that the technical means allowing for operative-investigative measures must be installed at electronic telephone exchanges, and at switching centers for mobile and wireless communications and paging services.