A pattern emerges...

Ray Dillinger bear at sonic.net
Sun Jul 29 16:35:27 PDT 2001


Consider the DMCA (US law) as compared to the Terrorism Act of 2000 
(UK law).  Both make it effectively illegal for ordinary citizens 
to own, use, or distribute any software capable of performing 
decrypts by exploiting a weak cryptographic system. 

The US and UK, not coincidentally, are the two governments with the 
largest known investments in SIGINT -- the famous Echelon System. 

If people started using strong cryptographic systems, Echelon would 
be effectively useless.  Therefore it is in the best interests of 
these two governments to make weak cryptographic systems the norm 
insofar as they are able. 

This is possible by providing an additional layer of legal protection 
to users of weak cryptographic systems -- with software capable of 
exploiting such weaknesses effectively illegal to own or use, the 
developers of such products have drastically reduced incentive to 
develop strong cryptographic systems to replace them. 

The DMCA and the Terrorism Act appear to provide exactly such laws. 
What has been passed recently by the other signatories to the UKUSA 
agreement that created Echelon?

				Bear





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