From: charliemerritt@BIX.com
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 93 14:32:51 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: VOICE-Why not?
Message-ID: <9312291732.memo.37680@BIX.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Why isn't there a cypherpunk-ish voice crypto system?
I would have to guess that it has to do with compression.
Compression, lack of CPU and baud rate and money for gadgets.

Well I have been fooling around and I think we can get a
punk-phone up real quick.
  My system:
    286-12
    2400 baud modem
    sound blaster
With just this I can get poor quality recognition of speech, In realtime.
With a 9600 baud modem and nothing more than
CVD for compression algorithm, fairly decent speech is a snap
for the dumbest CPU.

Surely the crypto is a lead pipe certainty in realtime.

I would like to see this minimal secure phone system SOON:
hardware:
  286
  9600 BPS (7680 bits of data/sec)
  sound blaster
software:
  CVD
  "push to talk"  (one at a time, please)
  xor against prng

If we got this up, then people could improve on it, add "real" crypto
auto detection of faster cpu for "real compression" etc.
My point is we have to have something to improve on.

My 2400 baud 286 compression is poor quality, very poor.  But interesting,
it shows what can be done with nothing.  If the general feeling is that it
would not be too disruptive i could post a reconstructed speech
snippet UU Encoded on this list.  (.VOC)