RE: David Kahn advocates GAK

["James A. Tunnicliffe" <Tunny@inference.com>]

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Robert Rothenburg 'Walking-Owl' <WlkngOwl@unix.asb.com> writes:
  > In today's (22 Jan 97) Long Island, NY Newsday Viewpoints, p. A31:
  
  > "Let Feds Overheard Cellular-Phone Talk"
  > by David Kahn (an editor at Newsday and author of "The
Codebreakers")
  
  > He intones the usual horseman: "...such criminals as terrorists,
drug-
  > runners, kidnappers and child-pornographers are increasingly using 
  > encryption to conceal their plans and activities, the FBI says."

Lions and tigers and bears, oh MY!

  > He also mis-states opponenents of GAK positions, claimingthe 
  > criticism is that "key escrow [at least he doesn't call it key 
  > recovery] won't work all the time", ignoring anti-GAK mentions of 
  > COINTELPRO, J.Edgar Stalin^H^H^H^H^H^HHoover, etc. etc.

Actually, I thought he summed up the anti-GAK positions reasonably well,
though he didn't elaborate on them. The "it may not work all the time"
statement was actually an admission of the pro-GAK side. 

  > And the usual nonsense about "every day that criminal messages can
be 
  > heard is a gain" w/out noting that anyone smart enough to use crypto
  > now will not use it if GAK is fully implemented.

I found the logic questionable, but more disturbing was the fundamental
position that "loss of privacy [...] is a price that must be paid to
gain security".  Benjamin Franklin's statement about security and
freedom comes strongly to mind when I hear nonsense like this.  He then
cites the (in "our" view, useless and intrusive) hassles that airline
passengers must endure in the name of "security" as justification for
more of the same!  Talk about a slippery slope! 

  > Newsday is part of the LA Times Syndicate, so member papers may also
  > have the same viewpoint appearing in their pages within the next 
  > couple of days.

  > Their website is http://www.newsday.com ... I don't know if the 
  > viewpoint is on-line there.

It is, at http://www.newsday.com/mainnews/rnmi0522.htm

Pretty disappointing stuff, but then Mr. Kahn IS affiliated with the NSA
these days, isn't he?

Tunny
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