Encryption Works - Off Topic

[coderman]

On Tue, Jun 10, 2014 at 9:15 PM, Mark Thomas <mark00thomas at me.com> wrote:
> I sent this email to John since he is the only one who answered the question
> I asked about your statement.
>
> Do you care to respond?


i'm not sure what you expect me to say.

Encryption Works -
 usually against the interests of its users!

as we have seen from the current leaks and past history, encryption
tells you where the interesting data and networks are, and also where
not to bother attacking.

encryption provides cover for backdoors and side channels you don't
know are there.

encryption with broken keys provides false confidence leading to greater losses.

encryption with poor usability fails catastrophically, undoing the
privacy of all prior exchanges in a single fatal swoop.

encryption's specialized nature leads to centralized authorities and
experts easily compromised unwittingly, or wittingly. (or both at
once!)

you see where this is going...


is it useless?  i think not.  (blanket, passive surveillance always
worthwhile to thwart)
 but it's no where near sufficient as a privacy enhancing technology itself.