On Mon, 17 Sep 2001 11:50:13 Hadmut Danisch wrote:
>
>Depends on which kind of logic you apply.
>
>Technical logic: Yes, you're right.
>
>Policital logic: No, you're wrong.
>
>The reason is, that air planes, phones, hotels, cars, etc.
>are used by common people - those who elect politicians -
>and therefore can't be bad by definition. Policital logic:
>What is used by most people who elected me, can't be wrong.
>Which politician would dare to ban hotels?
>
>In contrast to that, cryptography isn't commonly used or
>understood. From a public point of view, cryptography is
>something exotic, used by spys and secret agents, hackers,
>terrorists, who need to keep their business secret. And even
>worse: It's new (at least its civil use with internet). All
>other things exist for decades and have become part of
>normal life. Cryptography doesn't.
As Perry points out in his comment here and as I pointed out in my follow up posts,
crypto is not so exotic as it may first appear. Not only is it installed in browsers
and used to buy books and whatever else people buy on the internet while protecting
their financial information; it plays and essentianl role in the financial markets.
While this application may be largely invisible to most people it is of tremendous
importance. You point out that crypto is a "martial" technology, to some extend this
is true, but it is increasing used in commercial applications. This uses are enabling
some of the most vibrant sectors of the economy that contribute greatly to growth in
GNP and productivity. Radio and airplanes were primarrily "martial" technologies in
their early years, and yet have changed the face of civilian life in subsequent years.
Suppose non-military use of those technologies had been banned at the beginning or
World War I? In the same way the "martial" users of crypto were insensitive to cost
and user friendliness and were the early adapters. As crypto becomes easier to use
and more available it will be used to facilitate the move of a large percentage of
commercial transactions to the internet to reduce costs, and uses not even imagined
now will likely be found and become ubiquitious.
Jim Windle
>
>Therefore cryptography is treated differently by political
>logic.
>
>[Moderator's note: Everyone who's got a copy of Netscape or IE has
>cryptographic software in their hands, and most of them have used it. --Perry]
>
>
>
>And, beyond that, we have to keep in mind a certain detail:
>
>Air planes, telephones, hotel rooms, rental cars are "civil"
>equipment. In contrast to that, cryptography is a
>"martial art". It's history shows that it has been used for
>military purposes for centuries, but far less than a century for
>private purposes.
>
>Hadmut
>
>
>
>
>
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