From: Buzz@static.noise.net (Buzz White)
Date: Sun, 16 Jul 95 02:12:03 PDT
Subject: The Recent Flurry of Anit-Crypto Activity... Why?
Message-ID: <3u6oj5$fir@nntp.crl.com>
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Has anybody given thought to the reasons behind this..

More to the point, the question  "Why Now?" comes to my mind.

It generally takes (criminal) legislation a couple of years to be effective,
i.e. get hammered out, passed, and entered into the US Code by the
legislature, then get acted upon by local DA's, then have a court case come
to a successful conclusion for the lawmakers.

Well, if anybody bothers to look, over the next 2-5 years, some very
significant US patents expire concerning crypto - and this opens the door
for a truly widespread integration of "difficult" crypto into commonly used
systems, by "big name" software manufacturers, who have heretofore shied
away due to patent infringement fears (and ITAR restriction, which will
hopefully soon fall due to the courts).  

Lets face it - the real reason that public key crypto hasn't gone over (here
in the US) is that there has only been generally ONE source of commercial
public key crypto - and they are not concerned with doing anything in a
competitive nature (other than using civil lawsuit threats to maintain their
monopoly).  Shareware and Freeware are great, but it is hard to get most
companies to accept them for general usage (The arguments I have had with
clients just to get them just to accept binaries compiled with GCC,
jeezus!).  And Shareware/Freeware (with a few notable exceptions) products
do not usually have that "slick" consumer (i.e. computer illiterate)
oriented interface that most non-technical users need.  As an example,
compare how simple the Mac and Windows interfaces are for the most
successful  products, then look at the interface to PGP - even via Private
Idaho and WinPGP or WinFront it is kluge-y.  So commercial adaptation is our
ultimate best hope (until then, Shareware/Freeware and PGP are our ONLY
hope).

[climbing into pulpit]
So, I posit that this legislative swirl is an attempt to squash true "crypto
for the masses" (via real commercial integration) before it gets out "into
the world".  The C-Punks have midwifed (sp?) this one, and seen to it that
crypto has survived its infancy and is thriving in childhood (PGP), but to
get it to finally grow up and go out into the world on its own, it needs to
be commercially viable.  That mean no hassles over the algorithms, etc.  The
next few years could see crypto leave our loving environment and flourish,
or see it get ambushed by government agents with shotguns on the doorstep.
That is what our next fight should be -- to delay these laws until they are
too late.  For once we get crypto truly running free and loose, there will
be no way to reign it in again.
[climbing out of pulpit]

Anybody have a better analysis of the "Why Now" part of the question?  I'd
love to hear a better reasoned (possibly not as paranoid) opinion, as this
one just occurred to me -and I kinda flung it out here without too much
forethought.  And as for the ambush  metaphor, ask somebody about Randy
Weaver's wife...

Buzz

--
Liberals and Conservatives differ only in what they regulate
and which part of government power they increase.  One wants
to control your money, the other your soul.
No Thanks - I'll keep my money and my soul for myself.