dejavu, Re: Hijackers' e-mails were unencrypted

[Ed Gerck]

List:

With all due respect to the need to vent our fears, may I remind
this list that we have all seen this before (that is, governments
trying to control crypto), from key-escrow to GAK, and we all
know that it will not work -- and for many reasons.  A main one
IMO is that it is simply impossible to prevent anyone from
sending an encrypted message to anyone else except by
controlling the receivers and the transmitters (as done in WWII,
for example). Since controlling receivers and transmitters is
now really impossible, all one can do is control routing and
addresses. I suggest this would be a much more efficient way
to reduce the misuse of our communication networks. For
example, if one email address under surveillance receives
email from X, Y and Z, then X, Y and Z will also be added
to the surveillance. Even if everything is encrypted, people
and computers can be verified.

In addition, we also need to avoid to add fuel to that misconception,
that  encryption is somehow  "dangerous" or should be controlled
as weapons are. The only function of a weapon is to inflict harm.
The only function of encryption is to  provide privacy.

Cheers,

Ed Gerck



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