J. Eric Townsend writes:
"mycal (voices through your head @ 88.1MHz)" writes:
First a prediction, soon the news media will pick up on a major story on somthing like child porn being transfered ...
Already happened. The fellow used something like PGP... No call for banning of encryption by The Media(tm).
Ahh, but recall how The Media operates. There will come a case involving encrypted data that for some reason can be made spectacular by the law enforcement agency involved. The agency will ensure that The Media paints as threatening a picture of "the encryption crisis" as desired. Even better would be the reaction to encryption involved in some Threat to National Security. In a situation anything like the Gulf War, any ominous words in a Pentagon press briefing will be siezed upon hungrily by The Media. All it'll take is one memorable incident. Even if mountains of evidence turn up later to show that the case was bogus, it won't matter. A suitable majority of the public will only remember the original terror, the few soundbytes about national security/drug dealers/cocaine cartels/child snuff films/Islamic extremists, and there'll be no stopping the Government from enacting whatever laws it pleases. -- Mike McNally