-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- A short time ago, at a computer terminal far, far away, Frank Stuart wrote:
however, I think those in a position to do so should start with the spin control. Some suggestions:
The fact that even the U.S. Justice Department is unable to adequately protect it's own site from intruders underscores the need for widely- available strong encryption.
While this is certainly a major embarrassment for the Justice Department, at least the mandatory "key escrow" program the Clinton administration is insisting upon has not yet been implemented; no private citizens' data appears to have been compromised this time.
It's doubtful that a new law or government bureaucracy would have prevented this from happening but it's entirely possible that tools such as strong encryption could have. It's ironic that the U.S. Government is focusing on the former while fighting use of the latter.
I understand how it affects their claim for the security of escrowed keys, but I'm afraid I don't follow the other argument. How would the wide availability of strong encryption have helped prevent the breakin? How would encryption in general prevent breakins? I'd love to use this as an argument for strong encryption, but I don't see how it really applies. === Will Day <PGP mail preferred> * * * * * * * * * * * willday@rom.oit.gatech.edu HARRY BROWNE FOR PRESIDENT http://rom.oit.gatech.edu/~willday/ http://www.HarryBrowne96.org/ OIT, Georgia Tech, Atlanta 30332-0715 * * * * * * * * * * * =-> Opinions expressed are mine alone and do not reflect OIT policy <-= -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3 Charset: noconv iQCVAwUBMhnfhRDHlOdPw2ZdAQHIagQAktlsSEN4Ojt54JwZqWIujZ3BDc9n8e5D tokubxvVSdMyh9v/xVhVBfIOne1/+htiMdTWHYch0ZrJGqPR3rbicnuVm57Qq964 KMR9E3P9jNBgo+V9J3V01GcT3+VzxyOMTKqq64fLlRDnF1dg+UNWfCxNYc3bQnw+ HvYOMUv8mqs= =k72n -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----