Subject: [Raven] chefren's position: a summary

From: "Richard Payne" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 14:43:02 -0400

Well, it's been a full and frank exchange of views, and I believe I can now
summarize the key points of chefren's position, with some interesting
implications of each, as follows:

1) Private possession of strong crypto should be illegal.

This has obvious implications for the millions of copies of PGP out there,
as well as a few hundred computer science texts, any browser with SSL
capabilities, any computer language with bignum's built in, any computer
language in which bignum's can be simulated (ask Dr. Turing!) and all decks
of playing cards.

Oh, I almost forgot: there might be a few RFC's that should be rewritten,
since they might otherwise be advocating breaking the law.

2) All conversations should be conducted in clear, except by those who have
something to hide.

Next time you want to send someone some trade secrets, or some information
that might move a company's share price, be sure to send it on a postcard,
so you can prove your innocence of (say) cocaine trafficking to the police.
Echelon and economic espionage operatives send their thanks in advance.

3) You must prove your innocence to police, rather than them proving your
guilt.

Pretty startling to those of us in common-law countries, but I guess you
learn something every day...

4) Strong crypto can be regulated, "just like murder".

Not all moral equivalences are obvious, I guess ;-)

Richard Payne

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