Ed Carp writes:
She also conclused that getting criminals to use the system will be a problem. As a solution, Denning suggests legislation tlat places some constraints on the use of other products. This would force them to come up with their own solutions, costing them time and money that they might not be willing to sacrifice, she explains.m
Nonsense. I can already see a market, either black, gray, or otherwise, for non-Clipper/Skipjack devices. In fact, I'd REALLY be surprised if people haven't already come up with them on their own. How hard could it be to throw together an 80386-based embedded system, put PGP in ROM, add a couple of A/D converters, and *presto* - instant privacy. Add table lookup (programmable from the phone pad, of course, based on the number dialed) and you've got a pretty decent PEP (privacy-enhanced phone) :)
At the risk of stating the obvious, I think it is precisely schemes like this that Denning was referring to. These are what she wants to target. Several groups have proposed crypto phones, most using CELP and SoundBlaster-type cards for PCs. Recall that the Cypherpunks in Silicon Valley, Washington, D.C., and Boston/Cambridge linked up with encrypted audio links (albeit briefly). Such things are possible, for sure. But as "street corner drug dealers" start to use encryption (it could happen...the "phase changes" to beepers and cellular phones happened in a matter of months), there will be calls for restrictions to "keep "unbreakable codes' out of the hands of criminals and terrorists. As several others have noted, various nonlegislative measures can be used....requirements for certification of all "devices" attached to phone lines might be one such measure (never mind the futility of enforcement). The ban on using crypto in ham radio transmissions is illustrative. If Denning and her associates are already talking about the need to make non-Clipper use more difficult (read: outlawed), then it is likely the legislation is already being drawn up in some form. -Tim -- .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^756839 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. Note: I put time and money into writing this posting. I hope you enjoy it.