crypto law survey questions

[Eric Murray]

Lots of media are running survey questions asking if
the US should ban strong cryptography.

Here is a more honest survey:


1. Are you willing to ban strong cryptography so the FBI, CIA, NSA etc.
can listen in on potential terrorists, and jail Americans that use
strong cryptography?

2. The browser that you're using to read this survey uses strong
cryptography.  If you answered "yes" to #1, are you ready to go to jail now?

3. Ok, you didn't know that your browser uses cryptography and
you're not a terrorist.  We won't report you.  Are you willing to arrest
little old ladies who didn't know that their browser uses crypto?

4. Are you willing to allow hackers to steal your credit card number
or medical information or email accounts because they're no longer
protected by strong cryptography?

5. How about your banking info?  Are you willing to deal with periodically
straightening out your bank accounts when hackers break into them because
they're no longer protected by strong cryptography?

6. Even if the US banned all strong crypto tommorrow, there would still
be many strong crypto programs out in the world, and all the knowledge
is readily available (printed in books no less).  Would you be willing
to allow governments and hackers to read all your communications and
personal data, while in the rest of the world they cannot?

7. Terrorists or those associated with them sometimes attack web sites
and networks.  Are you willing to tolerate more of these sorts of attacks
against U.S. digital infrastructure because it's no longer protected
with strong cryptography?

8. Criminals, by definition, do not follow laws.  Do you think that
all criminals are dumb enough to switch back to weak crypto to plan
their crimes?

9. Terrorists do not always communicate digitally.  In fact there are
rumors that Osama bin Laden communicates with his associates either by
sending verbal messages with trusted couriers from families that he knows,
or for longer distances, using paper messages sent via services like FedEx.
Do you think that banning strong crypto in America will slow bin Laden
down at all?



Eric