Denning at ISSS Expo '93

[Mike Ingle]

I was looking through the brochure for ISSS Expo '93, the Third Annual
International Security Systems Symposium and Exhibition, to be held in
Washington, DC Nov. 15-17. Convention topics: 

safeguarding proprietary info
opsec/intel/counterintel
computer/info systems security
competitive intelligence (translation: corporate espionage)
special topics 

Exhibits:
surveillance systems
counter-surveillance
detection systems
anti-terrorist/penetration
information security
transmission methodologies
computer and communications security
miscellaneous

One presentation in particular sounds rather ominous:

Encryption - The Law
(U.S. & International Implications)
Speaker: Dorothy "Skipjack" Denning

What do you suppose Denning will talk about? Perhaps she will point out
that, due to the government's overriding need to perform large-scale, cheap
monitoring, only very weak crypto can be exported. And that 40-bit keys can
be cracked not only by the government, but also by anyone with idle
workstations at night. Naturally, this is a problem for any multinational
which doesn't want to be a victim of "competitive intelligence".
 
She might even propose a solution: we can all standardize on Clipper, thereby
making the world safe from privacy, and restoring espionage to its proper
place as a government monopoly. She will probably forget to mention another
solution, however - one which is completely legal and which will be
available long before Clipper. A U.S. company can buy ViaCrypt PGP; the
foreign branch can use free PGP, and since no cryptographic software crosses
the border, no laws are broken.

Conference/exhibit info: (301) 986-7800

Exhibit attendance $20 or free with registration form.
Conference $595 business, $495 government/military.
Maybe some DC-area cypherpunks could show up for the exhibits and crash the
party with some highly subversive and seditious materials.