Re: Ireland: Bid To Ban "Tamper Proof" Phones

[Phil Karn <karn@qualcomm.com>]

Thanks for the info about the origins of the European GAK
initiative. It would still be interesting to know how much of a hand
the US has had (and continues to have) in influencing the crypto
policies of other countries.

Thanks also for the correction regarding divorce in Ireland.  My
sincere apologies if I offended anybody over there with my "socially
backward" comment.  Ireland is by no means unique even among western
nations in having certain restrictive laws and practices regarding
private social behavior. In general the US is not much better, and
parts (especially the southeast) are probably worse.

It is interesting that you would mention political terrorism and drug
smuggling as prime factors pushing towards GAK in Ireland. The forces
at work in the US government push towards GAK are quite similar.  I am
fond of saying that "national security" and "drugs" have become the
root passwords to the US Constitution...

Question: have there been any problems with the use of strong
encryption (PGP, SSH, etc) on the Internet in Ireland? Is it widely
used over there?

Phil