Bob Cain's mind switch

[Carl Ellison <cme@sw.stratus.com>]

Bob wrote:
>The real issue is that this is an *enabling* technology that allows any
>group of people distributed over the world to meet spontaneously in
>secret to plan anything.  I don't think we can even conceive, nor have
>they yet, the ways the real Bad Guys (I hope we can agree that some
>do exist) might find to use this new ability.  A very clear danger is
>sensed in Washington with little real benefit to the civilized and
>civil majority.

There's no question that this is a possibility.  It exists.  However,
Clipper won't make it go away.  There's no Daddy to run home to.

In fact, this has always been a possibility, unless you believe that all
hotel rooms, bus stations, city parks, farmer's fields, men's rooms,
women's rooms, ..., are bugged and will continue to be (so that clandestine
meetings can be overheard).

Now, the next step for the NSA and FBI is to get on the stick and discover
ways to counter this threat.  Now that PCs permit criminal organizations to
create their own strong crypto and worldwide communication allows them to
telecommute cheaply, interaction among criminals for planning purposes will
be enhanced just as interaction among businesspeople and computer designers
is.  The world is changing -- as usual -- and LE needs to keep up -- as
usual.

---------

That isn't hopeless.  However, it requires thinking in new ways and I don't
expect bureaucrats to be able to do that.  Perhaps technical people need to
be given a free hand.  :-|

Maybe the result is that there is no security.  For example, we should not
expect to achieve more protection from plans laid during electronic
meetings than we would achieve from plans laid during physical meetings.
..and, no, I don't believe there should be a law prohibiting private
physical meetings.  There will *always* be some insecurity.  There is
always a nut with a gun out there.  There are also car accidents.  I am not
totally safe and would not want to live in a world in which the police are
powerful enough to make it that safe.

----------

What I kept suggesting to Dorothy Denning, as this flap was building, was
that:

1. the gov't should immediately drop the Clipper proposal because it's
alienating people who need to be on the gov't's side;

2. the gov't should actively promote encryption of cellular calls with
an untappable algorithm, for the over the air link (with conversion back
to clear voice once it hits the cellular office) -- providing the public
with trustworthy security, addressing the public's biggest security threat
and therefore reducing the market demand for encryption which interferes with
wiretaps; and

3. the LE and intelligence community should recognize that the world has
changed beyond the point of no return, thanks to the PC and to
communications technology, and there is no way to prevent criminals from
using totally secure cryptography to aid in their plans.  Criminals have
always had access to strong cryptography for their communications (cf.,
Kahn talking about the rum runners, for example (Elizabeth Friedman's
efforts as a cryptanalyst)) and the world hasn't fallen apart yet.
However, the PC and high speed digital communications mark a slight change
in the landscape and these changes need to fuel some good, creative,
technical work -- not a bureaucratic running-scared retreat to an impotent
"there oughtta be a law".


I don't know if it's too late, thanks to the FBI and NSA serious alienation
of people (like us) who matter.  It might be.  Once they declared war on
us, it's unlikely to expect us to suddenly look at them as good guys.
However, if they followed my 3 step plan right now, they'd have a chance
still -- at least, I believe they would.

 - Carl