From: fnerd@smds.com (FutureNerd Steve Witham)
Date: Tue, 17 May 94 16:13:03 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: possible anti-mandatory-clipper constitutional angle?
Message-ID: <9405172132.AA08012@smds.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


R. David Murry suggests-

> ...someone else may already have brought this up, but...
> 
> A government mandante for key-escrow encryption in all communication 
> devices would be the information-age equivalent of the government requiring 
> private citizens to quarter troups in their home.

One of (Michael) "Swaine's Flames" in a recent Dr. Dobb's had this 
angle.  It was an imaginary trial about a government-mandated
anti-virus-virus.

Zeke Palmer says-

> I suspect that you'd have a lot of trouble convincing the
> technologically ignorant that something electronic could be at all
> like quartering troops in your home.

I'm not sure the unwashed will be wildly enthusiastic about this idea,
but then they did seem to be against Clipper in that Newsweek poll.
In any case it's a good principle: people and businesses shouldn't
be required or even asked to install government peacekeeping or
law-enforcing equipment in their homes.  It also applies to the 
proposals that telephone companies be required to put provisions for 
wiretaps into their equipment.

-fnerd
quote me


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
and i dreamed i was flying
high up above my eyes could clearly see
the statue of liberty
sailing away to sea        --Paul Simon
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