From: Adam Back <aba@dcs.ex.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 10:05:04 -0800 (PST)
To: jya@pipeline.com
Subject: Re: GCHQ On Escrow Sham
In-Reply-To: <1.5.4.32.19970226195118.006ba3bc@pop.pipeline.com>
Message-ID: <199702271735.RAA00621@server.test.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



John Young <jya@pipeline.com> writes:
> The GCHQ spook heading the EU's group on crypto policy 
> admits that  law enforcement demand for key escrow is just 
> a cover for foreign intelligence:
> 
>   http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~daw/GCHQ/

Some interesting extracts from the Herson interview from that web
page, Herson speaking:

: ...in practice export control means use control. There is an
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
: indirect mechanism, which means that ... If you take the old
: paradigm that exportability means exploitability - the only
: cryptography, that is available to the business and private user is
: exploitable cryptography...

ie They don't care about exports what they care about is stopping
people using strong crypto, but they use export controls as an excuse.

and:

> Interviewer: "What do you think about the fact that the crypto
> debate focuses on privacy versus Law Enforcement ?"
>
> Herson: "Law Enforcement is a protective shield for all the other
> governmental activities . You should use the right word - 
> we're talking about foreign intelligence, that's what we're talking
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> about - that's what all this is about.  There is no question -
> that's what it is about. The Law enforcement is a smoke screen,
                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> because we all understand law enforcement, policemen, courts, this
> is something we see everyday in our life. And it's an important
> element, I'm not suggesting it's not relevant but it is a protective
> shield for what goes on behind that. ..."

ie law enforcement interests (horsemen of apocalypse, terrorists,
pedophiles, pornographers, etc) are just a smoke screen, what it's
really about is maintaining foreign signals intelligence for cold war
type spy purposes.

Are you sure he works for GCHQ?  I'm shocked ... such honesty.  You'd
never catch Clinton or Freeh admitting the above was the agenda

Adam
--
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