I think the strongest argument of the government against individual's use of strong encryption is crime and communication between criminals in planning unlawful acts.
On the other hand, strong encryption is out of the box. Somebody who knows where to buy a gun or drugs will also get encryption methods. The prohibition in the USA didn't stop the consumption of alcohol, it rather created a black market. If the government wants to stop encryption use by individuals, then it has to define those individuals. Just private persons or also corporations, how about banks? Online bank transactions? Encryption is today also a tool to establish trust between two parties. Companies need to transmit ideas and design information between their subsidiaries, without leaking them to their competitors. Customer data need to be protected. Health information on smart cards. Chinese Emperors ruled by their written scripts, another form of strong encryption. Those who were denied the ability to read, were excluded from power. Encryption will be a part of our life like the written word. |--------+----------------------------------------------------------------> | | security-basics-return-10920-ar=sz.chn.tuv.com@securit| | | yfocus.com | | | | | | 04/26/2002 02:58 AM | | | | |--------+----------------------------------------------------------------> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | To: "'[EMAIL PROTECTED]'" | | <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" | | <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | | cc: | | Subject: RE: strong encryption - governments denying individuals the | | right to use | >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| I think I would start the project by jotting down all the reasons one might want strong encryption, then try to come up with a reason why they're bad for government. Think in terms of surveillance or control - what you, as government, might lose. Did you side with the government just to pick a side, or was there some influence? No need to answer me, but do write down your answers and see if they can be used for your paper. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2002 11:44 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: strong encryption - governments denying individuals the right to use Hi all I am hoping that someone out there may be able to assist me with my assignment. I am having to write a position paper on - should our government (Australian) deny individuals the use of strong encryption? Unfortunately I have challenged myself and decided that I would support the idea of the Government denying individuals the right to use strong encryption. Only problem is I can't find any information that explicitly supports this argument, nor am I sure what I should put in this 'Position Paper'. Any ideas, any at all? Sincerely, Trina _______________________________________________________________________________ Unencrypted electronic mail is not secure and may not be authentic. If you have any doubts as to the contents please telephone to confirm. This electronic transmission is intended only for those to whom it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential, privileged or exempt from disclosure by law. Any claim to privilege is not waived or lost by reason of mistaken transmission of this information. If you are not the intended recipient you must not distribute or copy this transmission and should please notify the sender. Your costs for doing this will be reimbursed by the sender. _______________________________________________________________________________
