Feds block sale of crooks' favourite messaging client

AOL's sale of ICQ messaging software to Russian firm Digital Sky Technologies might yet be blocked by US authorities, which fear losing access to transcripts from the criminal fraternity's favoured messaging product. AOL sold ICQ for $187.5m to DST back in April - a pittance compared to the $400m it paid for the company in …

[Anonymous Coward]

Love the quote.

"Every bad guy known to man is on ICQ"

Not sure if that means what that "investigator" implies or whether they're just that limited in their investigations. Come to think of it, I don't really want to know.

[BristolBachelor]

Another quote

"Every bad guy known to man has on email"

Quick; ban email?

[Chris Hatfield]

The cat's out the bag now

..surely. They'll just switch do a different system? Or perhaps they're too lazy.

You'd think the authorities would launch their own messaging service, as a honey-pot, disguised as a consumer service like Skype or ICQ.

[James Woods]

uhm

we have that already sweetheart.

you don't need to think about anything:)

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh yes, ICQ.

I remember ICQ. I gave up using it around 1998 - around the same time as everyone else did. (Except Russian gangsters, obviously.)

[Matt Bryant]

Me too!

About the same time, as it seemed to be becoming the equivalent of dipping your PC in an electronic sewer. I did know someone around the time that worked for an anti-virus vendor, his job being maintaining a dozen honeypot PCs continually running (amongst others) ICQ, mIRC, LicQ and Talk clients, as it was the "fastest and easiest" way to find out about new viruses and attack mechanisms. Personally, I'm amazed ICQ is still available!

[L1feless]

your time line is accurate

1998 was when I stopped using ICQ as well. But looking at their fashion over there it is about on queue...the 80's just ended.

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know which is more amazing

the fact that ICQ is *still* in use

or the fact that someone is willing to pay US$ 187.5 for it!

any way, the servers are keeping copy of the chats? that is something to be worried about.

[JEDIDIAH]

As if!

...you would think that saavy criminals would be running their own IRC networks by now.

[Gerhard Mack]

Jabber

Better yet: Jabber.

With Jabber you control your own local server and you still get to communicate with Google Messanger etc.

[Daniel B.]

Direct Chat

In the olden times before NATting, you could do an "ICQ Chat", which made a direct peer-to-peer connection, and all your keystrokes were sent in real-time. That was ICQ's biggest appeal; and IIRC most messaging would be made peer-to-peer, unless the other person was offline.

Of course, thanks to AOL, most of this was lost; the latest ICQ versions ditched the real-time chat, and it is now nothing more than a glorified MSN/Yahoo IM system.

Which of course, now enables the US government to spy on your messages, which wasn't really that easy to do in the early peer-to-peer ICQ days.

I still use ICQ occasionally, but most of my contacts left ICQ years ago. Sad...

[Anonymous Coward]

Funny

not haha funny, but my otherwise security-on-ze-intertubes hypersensitive german colleagues insist on using ICQ... guess what link I just forwarded to all

Or maybe I should just ask for my cut of all the illicit business

[Robert Moore]

An offer you can't refuse

You would think the feds could find a way to make a better offer.

Or someone to make a better offer on their behalf.

[Anonymous Coward]

Load of old tosh!

Honestly do these government agencies think we are all that stupid? Obviously they do!

"Ah quick panic everyone into believing the BS hype about the ne'er-do-wells lurking on the internet ready to steal your children and your possessions!"

How many thieves and petty criminals do you think you pass by on the train, the bus or in your car? Probably quiet a few, but even criminals have lives to lead so it's unlikely you will ever be clobbered by one.

Sick of these government agencies trying to induce panic in everyone, especially when technology is involved!

[Chris Harden]

In Soviet Russia.....

...ICQ!

[Dale Richards]

May I be the first to say...

Uh-oh!

Ah, all this talk of ICQ is sending me on a big nostalgia trip. Those were the days!

[geronimo hashbucket]

As far back as I can remember...

...I always wanted to be an ICQ user.

[Anonymous Coward]

Strikes me as far-fetched

Sure us.gov has a reputation for thinking it can stick its nose in anywhere for any reason, but that would be a bit much, IMHO. If there's one thing my government respects, it's the property rights of large corporations. I just can't see that happening.

[TkH11]

hmm

Israel & passports anyone?

[ShaggyDoggy]

Extraterritoriality

What business is it of US govt what people in Russia message to each other ?

Oh, wait ...

[Thomas 18]

Yeah right

because if it moved to a first world country we might actually have to have evidence before opening other peoples' letters.