At 12:03 AM 1/27/97 GMT, Robert Rothenburg Walking-Owl wrote:
On Thu, 23 Jan 1997 17:32:56 GMT, John Savard <seward@netcom.ca> wrote:
This is surprising, given that (in Kahn on Codes) Mr. Kahn expressed forceful opinions
- against certain aspects of export controls,
- questioning the value of the NSA's mission, in contrast to social demands on government revenues.
I didn't find his opinions forceful in Codebreakers, 2nd. ed.
Questioning the NSA's purpose vs. advoctating GAK are not incompatible.
However, while I oppose making key escrow mandatory in general, and share the general suspicion of a voluntary Clipper, if Mr. Kahn's support for Clipper is limited to cellular telephones, then I have no quarrel with such a position.
Encryption is illegal, without special permission, for use over the airwaves, particularly where mobile radio is involved. This is a long-standing restriction, and not unreasonable. Private communication between people at home is one thing, but allowing criminals to closely coordinate their activities on the move is another.
It's odd that I can't seem to find the original message here. Contrary to the original claim, encryption over radio is generally legal. (One noted exception to this is ham radio...) Jim Bell jimbell@pacifier.com