[Cryptography] Chaum Has a Plan to End the Crypto War

[Jerry Leichter]

> Call me crazy but there have been times past were I have wondered if
> Chaum wasn't one of the worst things that has happened to cryptography.
> Or at least the effective merger of cryptography and finance, which is
> maybe the same thing.
> 
> Now we have what amounts to the Chaumian "Star Chamber...."
Actually, the problem is a bit broader than that.  The politicians will now be able to say "Look, you techies said this was impossible, but you were either just wrong or you lied.  It *is* possible.  Chaum showed you.  So now go off and build us the golden key."

Anyone who's worked as a tech person in industry knows the pattern.  A manager (or often a sales guy) comes along and says "We need to build X".  The tech person says "X can't be done".  But something that's impossible is an itch to a techie, and eventually he comes up with some really hacky, ugly method that'll cause his successors to curse him forever as they try to support it - and he hints "well, maybe if...".  And sure enough, X now becomes a requirement.

Even after being burned repeatedly, I still have to discipline myself to stick to "no, it's impossible" in such situations.

                                                        -- Jerry