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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