"If you DON'T use encryption, you help the terrorists win"

[Tim May]

On Monday, October 27, 2003, at 08:50  AM, Tyler Durden wrote:

> "Basically they say things like "If you think the government can't 
> break all
> the encryption schemes that we have, you're nuts."  This guy was a 
> math major
> too, so he understands the principles of crypto."
>
> Basically, the answer was hinted at by another poster.
>
> For anyone who doesn't trust the government, the point to make is that 
> crypto use is currently a red flag. Last year I went through great 
> pains on this list to point out that right now the gubmint probably 
> doesn't even need to break most encrypted messages in order to know 
> something's up. This is only possible because outside of a coporate 
> context few individuals use encryption.
>
> If everybody uses encryption, then it matters MUCH less if the 
> government can break any one message. What costs us pennies to encrypt 
> may cost them thousands to break. That's the assymmetry we asyms can 
> exploit. That's where we need to depart from a Tim May lone wolf 
> approach to your friendly, smiling America-loving flag-waving 
> cypherpunks: "If you don't use encryption then you help the terrorists 
> win".

I have no patience with "If _EVERYBODY_ did foo, then...." arguments.

Contrary to what many of the newcomers (last 5 years) here have argued, 
crypto anarchy was never about converting the world to one true 
political system--it was, and is, about those motivated to do so to 
find ways to drop out of the system and find ways to sabotage the 
various politicians and socialists and minorities using government to 
steal from them.

Finding ways to destroy large nests of socialists and minority welfare 
mutants is of course consistent with this individualist approach.

But silliness about "if everybody used encryption, then..." is just 
that, silliness.

"First we convert the world to our viewpoint" is an empty philosophy.

"Tyler Durden," you have never shown a trace of sophistication or 
cleverness in the several months you have been on this list.


--Tim May