Satellites, the NSA, & Clipper

[Daniel J. Weitzner]

I just returned from a presentation at Comsat about Clipper and other
crypto issues.  They asked EFF & NIST to come and square off before them so
that they could begin to think about the issues.  They may not get too
deeply involved, but most of the manufacturers & users represented seemed
quite sympathetic to our position.  

I also picked up an amusing tidbit.  All satellites that carry US
government traffic must have an NSA-designed black box which secures the
satellite control channel from enemy interference (ie. Libya tries to move
US satellites around to screw up our communications).

Guess who builds the black box.  You got it, Mykotronx.

**************************************************************************
"Only in a police state is the job of a policeman easy."
--Orson Welles

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

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