[9326] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: How to ban crypto?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Axel H Horns)
Sun Sep 16 15:27:02 2001
From: "Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>
To: cryptography@wasabisystems.com
Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 18:58:39 +0200
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In-reply-to: <B7CA9130.CF62%peter.fairbrother@ntlworld.com>
On 16 Sep 2001, at 17:26, Peter Fairbrother wrote:
> Any other suggestions for how to ban crypto? I can't think of anything
> that would actually work against terrorists.
Hmmm... we should be careful not to restrict the discussion of
potential (non-)effects of coming restrictive legislative measures
with regard to cryptography to pure technical aspects thereof.
For example, I am working in Germany as a Patent Attorney. During the
past years I managed to convince a handful of clients and colleagues
to make use of PGP in order to protect confidential information when
sending e-mail messages.
Of course, if PGP would be banned in Germany by some legislation I
would not be able to recommend any client or colleague to continue
with PGP usage. I for myself would have to cease PGP usage
immediately. Besides criminal charges, it would be an offence in
violation of the applicable professional code of conduct, and I
surely would get a lot of trouble if I would exercise non-compliance
in conjunction with my professional activities. Maybe that I would
lose my professional admission (in Germany, "Patentanwalt" is a
strictly regulated profession).
Other professional users would also effectively be forced to cease
PGP usage by similar mechanisms.
So a ban on strong crypto might indeed very effective among
professional users where economical aspects are at stake.
Nevertheless, a ban of non-GAK strong crypto would not be a suitable
measure to fight terrorism. It would only stabilize the present
SIGINT hybris.
Axel H Horns
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