From: jeff davis (jrd1415@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Sep 27 2001 - 16:01:05 MDT
Extropes,
I find the entire governmental encryption-regulation
effort, and the wider discussion of same, profoundly
surreal.
First the encryption capability is already out of the
bag, there's no going back. So the regulatory effort
will only catch the feeble, the deranged, and the
legitimately dissident.
I've spoken with Ralph Merkle, and he says a one time
pad is unbreakable. Slightly inconvenient--a one time
pad--, since you have to distribute the pad securely,
which may require physical distribution. But how
important is it to a big time "criminal" or
international adversary (ie "terrorist") to achieve
mission critical coimmunications security?
As I understand it, more convenient cryptographic
methods are only negligably more breakable.
Meanwhile, even as the cop/spooks are trying to get a
key to every lock on every barn door besides the one
that the horse is long since gone out of, as well as
every other door on the planet, which locks and keys
are of minimal legitimate use in stopping the bad
guys, the flippin barn, not to mention the rest of
civilization, is in danger of burning down.
It's like generals who plan for the last war.
Thoroughly effective eavesdropping on communication is
over. It worked very well while it lasted, but that's
finished now. Get over it and find another way to get
the job done.
Best, Jeff Davis
"Everything's hard till you know how to do it."
Ray Charles
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