NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/sci/crypt/5219

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-24 | 1.5 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!watson.ibm.com
From: [e-mail]
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 21:05:20 EST
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Government regulation of cryptography
Lines: 21

         I believe much of the discussion of the key registration pro-
posal has been ill-considered and based on a false understanding of
what the government's objective is.
         The government's main objective is to forstall a future in
which common carriers routinely encrypt all traffic in a form the
government cannot read.  Any other objectives are secondary and will be
sacrificed to preserve the main objective.
         The government is not greatly worried about private individuals
arranging to use crypto among themselves.  The government is well aware
that, contrary to some statements in this group, effective crypto is
sufficiently inconvenient that most people will not voluntarily use it.
This is true even when the hazards of not using it are obvious as the
government has found in attempting to get its own armed forces to use
crypto.
         Common carriers are unlikely to voluntarily adopt encryption.
Hence if crypto proponents wish to defeat the government they should
press for legislation requiring common carriers to use encryption (or
alternatively for holding common carriers liable for any damages caused
by failure to use encrytion).  Based on what happened with celluar
phones prospects for this do not seem great.
                       James B. Shearer