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Single-Photon LED: Key To Uncrackable Encryption?

Posted by timothy on from the morse-code-writ-small dept.

nut writes: "The BBC are carrying this story of new type of LED so precise that it can emit just one photon of light each time it is switched on. It has been developed by scientists from Toshiba Research Limited and the University of Cambridge. It is described in the journal Science, although I can find no mention of it on their website. One of the applications of this is supposedly uncrackable encryption, due to the law of indeterminacy. This application is described fully in 'The Code Book', by Simon Singh, although the method was only theoretical at the time the book was first published."

8 of 228 comments (clear)

  1. New technology by Dirtside · · Score: 4, Funny

    Man, I wish we could just set our nation's resource distribution slider to 100% for technology for, like, a week. Then we'd have all this great new tech to mess around with!

    Of course, we'd have to switch the slider back to 100% social for a couple weeks to quell the riots that resulted in a week of no police, social services, or law. But... nifty new toys!

    --
    "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
    1. Re:New technology by DoorFrame · · Score: 3, Funny

      Well, considering our current situation in Afganistan and the number of cities in the United States, I would switch the government of the US to Communism first (accepting the 5 or so years of anarchy since we're not a very religious people). This would allow us to better handle corruption and place us in a very strong military position. You won't need to to put the social slider to 100 if you can obtain through trade or conquest more luxury items. I hear Afghanistan is chock full of dies and gems. We'll be set.

      Wanna trade world maps?

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      --
      RumorsDaily
  2. Re:uncrackable encryption or no, that's just cool by vinnythenose · · Score: 2, Funny

    Dammit I blinked. Hey Bill reset the machine, let's try again, I'm sure I'll see it this time. Dammit, I keep blinking and missing the photon.

    --
    --- I used to moderate, then I read the -1 articles and decided having to filter through them was not worth it.
  3. Maybe not the *key*, necessarily... by Cool+Hand+Luke · · Score: 2, Funny

    "We need the detection technology for single photons," said Dr Shields. "But most of the other elements are there. It uses standard telecoms cables.

    This sounds like a promising breakthough, although I can't help but wonder how far off in the future the detection technology is. I can claim that I have the key to teleporter technology, object decelerator technology (big, fluffy pillows), but I still need object accelerator technology (a large enough catapult).

    Then again *yawn* this object decelerator technology is so comfy... maybe I'll just take a nap...

  4. Re:Irresponsible by RoninM · · Score: 5, Funny
    Well said! I've been lobbying Congress for years to ban all forms of person-to-person interpersonal communication, including encrypted forms. Most Congressmen, are blissfully unaware of the inherent danger in whispering and face-to-face communication in secluded areas, and refuse to place the proper restrictions upon its use until we can more thoroughly investigate the ethical (read: political) ramifications! I hope, anyway, that it's just naïveté. One Senator, who shall remain nameless, seemed to agree with my viewpoint, but wanted to meet in private to discuss it! If that's not proof of the anti-American corruption that plagues our government, nothing is! Needless to say, I turned down his offer, but I won't judge him for his evil actions. Everyone knows the government rules by divine right, and God works in mysterious ways.

    Now just imagine the ramifications of allowing secure encryption! What if Osama bin Laden had one of these terminals hooked up in his cave? Instead of using letters and his international installation of terrorists to securely transmit instructions face-to-face, he could have IM'd them! We MUST stop this trend towards privacy and technological innovation if we are going to continue to lead the world in human rights and technological innovations into the future!

    --
    If a corporation is a personhood, is owning stock slavery?
  5. Strongest crypto for Britney by Yodalf · · Score: 3, Funny

    What kind of applications will absolutely require this extremely strong crypto?

    With the RIAA, the MPAA, MS's DRM OS and this, I can imagine: the whole collection of Britney Spears works protected by quantum crypto.

    What a waste.

    * shivers *

  6. Re:NOT Uncrackable by jjeffries · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's totally crackable, you just have to figure out how to get that half-dead cat in a box spliced into the line correctly first...

  7. Re:One Time Pads and Quantum Entanglement by n6mod · · Score: 3, Funny

    The article is unfortunately a little light on details

    That's the worst pun I've read in a long time.

    Bravo!

    --
    You have violated Robot's Rules of Order and will be asked to leave the future immediately.