Using lasers to communicate

[David E. Smith]

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At 05:07 PM 2/17/96 -0500, cypherpunks at toad wrote:

>> Depends upon how paranoid you want to be.  A small radio-controlled
>> helicopter is available cheaply at Radio Shack, and might even be
>> capable of holding a receiver, re-transmitter and recorder.
>
>If I wanted to intercept a laser beam I'd spray an aerosol mist
>into the beam and look at the scatter.  On a dusty or humid day I
>might not need the aerosol.
>
>Why not just encrypt the link?  Then anyone can tap and it doesn't matter.
>I'm in the process of building a tightbeam microwave link that can carry
>2 Mbps over 50Km.  Anybody got any gunn transceivers they don't need?

If you have a secure link you don't need encryption.  Arguably, the
converse is true; if you have secure encryption you don't need
a secure link.  Isn't the ability to transmit secure data over
insecure channels one of the primary justifications for encryption?

dave



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David E. Smith,  c/o Southeast Missouri State University
1000 Towers Circle South MS 1210 Cape Girardeau MO 63701
dsmith at midwest.net, dsmith at alpha.c2.org,  PGP 0x961D2B09
(573)339-3814    http://www.midwest.net/scribers/dsmith/
"Reality is only for those lacking in true imagination."