Re: Is the public involved in the crypto policy debate?

[tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)]

Alex Strasheim sent me a private message, which I did not realize was not
also addressed to the list as a whole. I'll remove any of his quoted
comments so I can post my comments here.

(This is an important issue. I think most people who write thoughtful
essays, as Alex did in his private message to me, should post their
thoughts publically. "Saving bandwidth" is hardly a good thing to do when
the issues are so central to why we exist as a group.)

About whether we and people like us have had an influence, or are seen by
Washington, Bonn, Moscow, etc. as a bunch of meddlers and spoiled children:

The "vocal public sector" consists of:

- the attendess at CFP and similar conferences
- many of the readers of "Wired" and similar mags
- nearly all members of the Cypherpunks and similar lists
- a huge fraction of the readers of Usenet
- various "public interest" lobbying groups, including the ACLU, EFF, EPIC, etc.
- many members of the press who write articles critical of crypto policy
- nearly all libertarians (and Libertarians)
- professors and policy analysts who write articles critical of crypto policy
- many leftists who fear government snooping, COINTELPRO, etc.
- many rightists who fear government snooping, anti-militia laws, Waco, etc.

This is a powerful "axis."

Do Americans support our position? Some say yes. I'm not so sure we should
rest easy.

If the issue is rephrased as: "Should nuclear terrorists be free to plot
the destruction of New York City with unbreakable cryptography the FBI is
powerless to do anything about?," the answer will be "Of course not."
(Well, maybe not if New York City is the exemplar....)

This is why I am so skeptical of public opinion polls on crypto. Those who
live by the sword shall die by the sword.

And if this round of crypto regulation is "lost" by the Administration, or
if a major new terrorist incident occurs, or if PGP is involved in a
heinous incident, or if a more statist Administration comes to power, I
fully expect a campaign invoking the Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse. Then
we will likely find that "most Americans" support "reasonable restrictions"
on communications privacy, including limits on crypto strength, mandatory
escrow, major limits on anonymous digital cash, etc.

This is why we must get to the "point of no return," the point of the phase
transition, before "they" do.

--Tim May

Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software!
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Licensed Ontologist         | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."