anonymous services

[Alan Dayley]

At 01:31 PM 9/14/01 -0800, you wrote:
>>How will passing a law prevent or stop terrorists from having secure
>>communications?  Outlawing cryptography will have no effect on TERRORISTS
>>but it will effect ME!  The burden you speak of WILL NOT BE REMOVED by
>>outlawing the technology.  It will burden ME!
>
>Your assertion that terrorists will not be negatively afffected or impeded
>by crypto restrictions is an assertion that is empirically based.  The proof
>is in the puddin', so to speak.  When the NSA or FBI says that cryptograhpy
>restricts their ability to fight terrorism, I tend to believe them.  Do you
>not think that the NSA knows how to do its job?  Are you in a better
>position than the NSA to say whether cryptography allows secure
>communications between terrorists?  With all respect, I think not.

I think you are missing my point.

I believe law enforcement when they say that cryptography gives them
problems.  I also agree that terrorists and other lesser bad guys use
cryptography because it gives law enforcement headaches.  I also agree that
if cryptography did not exist, it would be easier to track bad guy
communication.  These are all givens.

The NSA is correct.  Cyrptography does allow secure communication between
terrorists.  I never inteneded to intimate that I have the knowledge to
tell the "spooks" how to do their job.  I gratefully depend on them, with
my life, to do their job well and help keep me safe.  I happily stay out of
their way and gladly wish them to be experts at their task!

Cryptography and cheap hardware/software to do it exist.  Passing a law and
even heavily enforcing the law, will not make it "un-exist."  Hiding
information, in some form or another, for secure electronic communication
will ALWAYS be used by bad guys, now that the technological capability
cannot be "un-made."  So, a law against cryptography will only stop the
citizen's from using it.  The bad guys are breaking the law anyway.

My point is this: If a law against cyrptography will not stop the bad guys
from using it, and it will only restrict free-speech and privacy rights,
the price on freedom is too high.  The citizens loose freedom and very
little is gained from the loss.

Is this conclusion wrong?  Perhaps, but I don't see how we could expect
terrorists to comply with government escrow keys or cyrpography back doors.
 Whatever restrictions exsist or are created, bad guys will circumvent by
out-right violation or other methods such as the embedding information in
images (as was suggested) or some other means.

Alan