Re: NSA says strong crypto to china??

["James M. Cobb" <jcobb@ahcbsd1.ovnet.com>]

Tim, 
 
 
On 01 07 96 you say: 
 
 ...the crypto anarchy notions we talk about makes collection 
 of taxes increasingly problematic. 
 
 
You also say: 
 
 Today, and especially with strong crypto and all the develop- 
 ing methods we talk about, how will the Ruler know what to 
 tax? 
 
 
You conclude: 
 
 ...I believe that this issue [collection of taxes] is one of the 
 motivations to restrict the use of strong crypto and to make 
 transactions monitorable. 
 
 
In 02 96 Internet World, science fiction writer Vernor Vinge 
is interviewed: 
 
 Suddenly [about 1984] people realized that if a 100 million 
 people each had computers that were one-tenth of one percent 
 as smart as the government's computers, they had much less to 
 fear about government. 
 
 Now we've entered an era where the government understands this. 
 One the one hand, police forces are legitimately [?] frightened; 
 law enforcement could become much more difficult.  But at the 
 same time --with some new laws and technology-- police powers 
 could be much greater than before....  You've heard of ubiquitous 
 computing, but how about UBIQUITOUS LAW ENFORCEMENT? 
 
 
Developing that line of thought, Vinge says: 
 
 ...the old Clipper chip proposal recommended that GOVERNMENT 
 LOGIC be present in certain communications equipment. 
 
 For the future I think this aspect of Clipper was as significant 
 as the crypto issues.  What would it be like if a certain amount 
 of GOVERNMENT LOGIC were mandated in the design of every host 
 in a country? 
 
 
And Vinge concludes: 
 
            WE COULD HAVE REAL-TIME TAXATION. 
 
and 
 
      ...very fine-grain CONTROL would be possible. 
 
 
Capitalization in the above excerpts is mine. 
 
The whole interview is worth reading.  Its title is: Reality & 
Fiction.  It starts at page 82.  Jeff Ubois asked the questions. 
 
 
Every HOST in a country?  As Larry Ellison says in 12 26 95 / 
01 02 96 Computerworld 41: 
 
 The ideal operating system arrives across a network when you 
 turn your computer on. 
 
 
The GOVERNMENT LOGIC arrives too... 
 
 
Cordially, 
 
Jim