First, I'd like to congratulate both distributed.net and the EFF on their accomplishment. However, three well-publicized DES cracks before this, no matter how conclusive from an engineering point of view, have failed to convince those who make America's laws of the need for relaxed crypto laws. I have little optimism that this fourth crack will have any more impact on politicians who are more concerned with opinion polls and the appearance of being "tough on terrorists and pedophiles" than in demonstratable results like DES-III or in practical security for law-abiding citizens.
I'd like to encourage everyone involved in this crack to take the same few minutes they spent setting up their DES clients to also spend a few minutes putting pen to paper (yes, the old fashioned way works best with our less-than-savvy senators) and explain to your representatives why strong, exportable crypto can prevent more crimes than it enables, why it benefits America's economy, and most of all why you'll cast your vote for those who vote accordingly. If enough people get involved, democracy is just another distributed system.:)
Andrew, who wrote crypto cores for both DESCHALL and d.net.
Slashdot Mirror
749 posts! We beat Iraq! I'm going to get a job as a soccer official.
748 posts here, 748 posts there...
747 posts and counting
746
Looks like it, doesn't it. Whatsamatter, people realizing that posting to a discussion with 743 posts already is wasted typing?
We're in the home stretch now, kiddies! Five more posts after this one and the Iraq story gets pounded like... Iraq, actually.
More useless noise. Only EIGHT more posts to go. Or seven, now.
Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one, and most of them are on slashdot's discussion board.
Useless, useless noise.
It's fun, eh? Only fifty or so more to go...
I have nothing useful to say, I just want to set a new record for posts on a news item and this thread was useless already. :)
First, I'd like to congratulate both distributed.net and the EFF on their accomplishment. However, three well-publicized DES cracks before this, no matter how conclusive from an engineering point of view, have failed to convince those who make America's laws of the need for relaxed crypto laws. I have little optimism that this fourth crack will have any more impact on politicians who are more concerned with opinion polls and the appearance of being "tough on terrorists and pedophiles" than in demonstratable results like DES-III or in practical security for law-abiding citizens.
:)
I'd like to encourage everyone involved in this crack to take the same few minutes they spent setting up their DES clients to also spend a few minutes putting pen to paper (yes, the old fashioned way works best with our less-than-savvy senators) and explain to your representatives why strong, exportable crypto can prevent more crimes than it enables, why it benefits America's economy, and most of all why you'll cast your vote for those who vote accordingly. If enough people get involved, democracy is just another distributed system.
Andrew, who wrote crypto cores for both DESCHALL and d.net.