[FYI] Did Encryption Empower These Terrorists?

[Hadmut Danisch]

On Fri, Sep 14, 2001 at 01:57:37PM -0400, Jim Windle wrote:
> 
> Yes and by the logic of your argument jet airliners, telephones, 
> hotel romms and rental cars also allow terrorists to commit there acts.
> 

Depends on which kind of logic you apply.

Technical logic: Yes, you're right.

Policital logic: No, you're wrong.

The reason is, that air planes, phones, hotels, cars, etc.
are used by common people - those who elect politicians - 
and therefore can't be bad by definition. Policital logic:
What is used by most people who elected me, can't be wrong.
Which politician would dare to ban hotels?

In contrast to that, cryptography isn't commonly used or
understood. From a public point of view, cryptography is
something exotic, used by spys and secret agents, hackers,
terrorists, who need to keep their business secret. And even
worse: It's new (at least its civil use with internet). All
other things exist for decades and have become part of
normal life. Cryptography doesn't.

Therefore cryptography is treated differently by political
logic.

[Moderator's note: Everyone who's got a copy of Netscape or IE has
cryptographic software in their hands, and most of them have used it. --Perry]



And, beyond that, we have to keep in mind a certain detail:

Air planes, telephones, hotel rooms, rental cars are "civil"
equipment. In contrast to that, cryptography is a 
"martial art". It's history shows that it has been used for
military purposes for centuries, but far less than a century for
private purposes. 

Hadmut





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