Fiberpunks? (Was - Really Cheap Crypto)

[Daniel J. Weitzner]

>>>From today's New York Times:
>> 
>>"- - - General Aidid was brazenly speaking out on his own clandestine radio 
>>station this week, assailing United Nations colonialism. Today, Pentagon 
>>officials said they believed the Somali clan-leader had foiled their 
>>efforts to locate him in part by communicating with his forces on simple 
>>walkie-talkies difficult to monitor with high-technology American 
>>listening gear". 
>> 
>>Now, is the time for Dorothy D. to suggest, as she did with Clipper, that
>>all dissident Somalis be required by law to use high-tech comm gear. Let's
>>hope that the criminal element against which the escrowed key crap is 
>>oriented doesn't hear about the Somali answer to communications intercept.
>>In the off chance that they might, I'm going to buy stock in oatmeal boxes
>>and wax string. 

String is, indeed, an critical privacy-protecting technology, but alas, a
threat to national security as well.  Perhaps someone will have to start a
fiberpunks movement.




...................................................................

Daniel J. Weitzner, Senior Staff Counsel <djw at eff.org>
Electronic Frontier Foundation
1001 G St, NW
Suite 950 East
Washington, DC 20001
202-347-5400 (v) 
202-393-5509 (f)