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Governments of the World Agree: Encryption Must Die!

Lauren Weinstein writes: Finally! There's something that apparently virtually all governments around the world can actually agree upon. Unfortunately, it's on par conceptually with handing out hydrogen bombs as lottery prizes. If the drumbeat isn't actually coordinated, it might as well be. Around the world, in testimony before national legislatures and in countless interviews with media, government officials and their surrogates are proclaiming the immediate need to "do something" about encryption that law enforcement and other government agencies can't read on demand. Apropos: This IT World story (and the New York Times piece it draws from — also published today) about a newly disclosed NSA program through which the agency is "reportedly intercepting Internet communications from U.S. residents without getting court-ordered warrants."

16 of 221 comments (clear)

  1. That will only waste bandwidth by mc6809e · · Score: 4, Insightful

    as people start to use steganographic methods.

    1. Re:That will only waste bandwidth by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 5, Insightful

      People will never stop using cryptography, laws or not.

      We went through this crap in the 80s, then the 90s, then again around 2000. It's just plain ridiculous, causes problems, and never works. Trying to "regulate" cryptography is like trying to regulate what a pencil is capable of writing.

    2. Re:That will only waste bandwidth by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Demonizing is the real ploy. They know it can't really be regulated, but if they get the public to vilify encryption users as criminals, mission accomplished! So far these methods are enjoying a small measure of success.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  2. Encryption users agree: by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Governments of the world must die!

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    1. Re:Encryption users agree: by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Letting the corporations run the world as a collection of fiefdoms isn't better than what we have now.

      I thought that was EXACTLY what we currently had right now.....?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    2. Re: Encryption users agree: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Corporate fascism is what you have, there is nothing even remotely close to socialism in the US, it is merely the ultra-nationalist right that paints the moderate right as leftists which is skewing your perceptions.

  3. Why is this on Slashdot? by timrod · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The main link for this article is to what amounts to an opinion piece on some person's blog - it's completely unsourced, and really isn't news at all. The part about the NSA monitoring domestic internet communications without a warrant is probably a story, but it's tacked on to this blog post for no reason.

    1. Re:Why is this on Slashdot? by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1, Insightful

      You mean you want the editors of this site to do their jobs? In the good old days I recall a link to goatse making it to the front page.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  4. Re:So how about copy protection? by hawguy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Copy protection often uses a form of encryption. Do they want this to be banned as well?

    Clearly not - the government is fine with encryption that's trivially broken, they only want to control strong encryption.

  5. WHY IS IT... by Thud457 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Why is it that law enforcement seems to be so goddamned unprofessional and lazy these days?

    "ohh no, encryption is terrism"
    "clearing your browser history is destroying evimadence"
    "don't video me while I'm beating this black man"
    "the fourth amendment is a obsolete holdover from the 19th century"

    Put on your big girl pants and do you fucking job by the book you shifty slackers.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  6. Re:Encryption is a WEAPON by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Encryption is a SHIELD.

    It protects people from spies, fraudsters, and other 3 letter criminals.

  7. Re:Nations fear it, but they fear each other more. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "bad guys" will continue to use home made encryption and not give a fuck what governments say.

  8. Re:Nations fear it, but they fear each other more. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Is it a fallacy?
    Felons, by law, can't have guns. Felons kill other felons with guns in the inner city all the time.
    Drugs, by law, are illegal. Criminals (by virtue of using drugs) continue to use illegal drugs and overdose on illegal drugs.
    I don't think they're embracing any particular fallacy by saying something along the lines of "People who do not currently recognize the authority of [x] will continue to disregard the fiats passed by authority [x]."

  9. Another thing governments all agree on by TsuruchiBrian · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Encryption (without back doors) for use by governments is absolutely essential to national security.

  10. Open Source manditory ! by randalware · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If encryption is outlawed, the no binary computer code should be allowed with out the source code.
    And a testsuite should be provided to ensure it is operating correctly.

    All computer hardware should have schematics, timing charts, and a complete service manual.

    All mechanical devices should include a blueprint and shop manual.

    All politicians finances, meetings, votes, lobbying activities, should be transparent, wether in office or campaining !

    And DNA can NO be copyrighted, we all share the same codebase !

    People are not created equally (physical or mental ), but we want to be treated equally by our social laws !

    --
    This is my opinion based on what little I know and understand of the rumors and lies Thanks, Randal
  11. Re:Nations fear it, but they fear each other more. by Antique+Geekmeister · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The "trouble" is minimal. The encryption is identifiable by its public keys, especially when the "keys" are nailed to the motherboard by programls like "Trusted Computing" and held by Microsoft in their "escrow", with no policy of resisting any requests whatsoever. Examine the pratices and policy of that technology carefully: it's not aimed at protecting users, it's aimed at both DRM and at making documents _traceable_ to specific sources.