Voice crypto: the last crypto taboo

[Eugene Leitl]

On 4 Aug 2001, Dr. Evil wrote:

> What's up with voice encryption?  I'm ready to use it.  I'm ready to

Me, too. Let's do it, then: http://www.speakfreely.org/

> pay money for it.  However, this is only if it uses a real crypto
> algorithm (AES, 3DES, and not some "proprietary" crap) and if it has a
> published protocol, so we can verify that it is actually encrypting
> properly.  Starium has had "demo" units out for almost two years now,
> but their web page has been static for a long time, and no one has

They folded, I thought?

> answered the phone there for a long time.  Any others?  I know that
> voice encryption is the last great crypto taboo, and I'm waiting for
> it to fall.
>
> I am aware of quite a few other voice encryption units out there, but
> all that I have looked into have used a proprietary protocol, and even
> worse, some proprietary crypto algorithm.  That seems pretty useless.
> If their alg is so fabulous why didn't they submit it to the AES
> competition?  Ergo, their alg is not so fabulous.

We've got a lack of user base problem. I'm expecting voice encryption in
software when PDA (or wearable) with ~10 kBps wireless connectivity become
commonplace.