From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 1998 06:15:26 +0800
To: David Honig <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Germany not so worried about Gestapo wiretaps now
In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.19980109131833.007b0bd0@206.40.207.40>
Message-ID: <v03102801b0dc4d932c32@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



At 1:18 PM -0800 1/9/98, David Honig wrote:
>There are several examples of sacrificing liberty for
>security in a G7 country in the article below.
>Also the justification of "getting in line with other countries"
>is used for allowing civilian SIGINT practices previously banned.

>Germany, which reacted to the Gestapo's abuses with some of the Western
>world's most extensive civil
>liberties laws, has long resisted any relaxation in constitutional
>protections that have kept police out of
>private homes.
...

I suspect this is only a cosmetic change, in terms of realpolitik.

The BND and other intelligence/law enforcement agencies have very probably
been using the available SIGINT and COMINT tools....maybe just not using
the captured data in courtrooms.

(As with the U.S., where illegal wiretaps and bugs are used for ancillary
purposes, even if not sanctioned by the courts.)

But this still signals a move toward a '1984' situation, with Germany
likely now to relax some of its objections to OECD plans for crypto
restrictions (recall that Germany was opposed to some of the key escrow
plans).

And now that Japan has fallen into line (e.g., by banning the export of the
RSA chip so touted by Bidzos and NTT), the OECD/New World Order is set to
make some moves in '98.

(Things have been quiet on the crypto legislation/international agreements
front, from a news point of view, but we can safely assume that all of
these bad things are moving along behind the scenes, and will once again
become cause celebres.)

--Tim May

The Feds have shown their hand: they want a ban on domestic cryptography
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
ComSec 3DES:   408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^2,976,221   | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."