From: Eli Brandt <ebrandt@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 93 21:07:30 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Article
In-Reply-To: <199304210237.AA27464@rac3.wam.umd.edu>
Message-ID: <9304210407.AA29203@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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> From: "Haywood J. Blowme" <psionic@wam.umd.edu>
[ quoting an article ]

>    President Clinton gave a major boost yesterday to one telephone-
> scrambler technology in a decision its delighted manufacture likens to the
> choice of VHS over Beta for videotape machines.

Interesting that they picked that particular analogy.  It's quite
close, in that it's an inferior technology winning over a superior
one.  It's different, of course, in that the Federales had nothing
to do with videotape standards (afaik), and certainly didn't outlaw
Beta.

>    An administration official said the consideration will be given to
> BANNING more sophisticated systems investigators cannot crack, thereby
> creating a balance between banning private encryption and declaring a public
> right to unbreakably coded coversations.

Right on schedule.  "Consideration will be given", will it?
This looks like a good time to load up on source code and photocopy
relevant journal articles.

While it won't sway Joe Public much, it's worth remembering that the
suppression of strong communications privacy will also make it
difficult or impossible to get good digicash (or other systems relying
on cryptographic techniques) deployed before our government proposes
its "just one little loophole" scheme, HarmoniousBalanceCash.  Don't
worry, transaction records will only be released upon formal request
from the IRS or a major marketing division, and only suspected drug
users and potential terrorists will have their assets annulled.  And
statute strictly prohibits intelligence agencies from padding their
assassination budgets by using the loophole to forge cash.

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   Eli   ebrandt@jarthur.claremont.edu