[Cryptography] [cryptography] Paris Attacks Blamed on Strong Cryptography and Edward Snowden

[Jerry Leichter]

> "After phone taps uncovered the Verviers plan, Mr. Abaaoud began using encryption technology and may have concealed his communications in that way with his Paris team, intelligence officials said."
"May have".  Translation:  "We can't prove but you can't disprove it.  So we'll continue to blame encryption for our failures so you won't notice them."  The rest of the NYT articles is a description of those failures.

> "Mr. Abaaoud ... had given Mr. Hame an email address to reach him on and a USB stick with an encryption key he was to download on his computer."
Fuller context:  "He had given Mr. Hame an email address to reach him on and a USB stick with an encryption key he was to download on his computer. Mr. Abaaoud had promised further instructions by email on where to obtain weapons for the attack and which specific concert hall to strike."  This needed encryption?  Casual messages with directions for places to meet?

> "Others bought cheap “burner” phones that are often discarded in an effort to avoid detection"
When encryption is outlawed, outlaws will use cheap burner phones.

                                                        -- Jerry