Re: The Telcos oppose Oxley

[Tim May <tcmay@got.net>]

At 6:15 PM -0700 9/24/97, Lizard wrote:

>Though, on second thought, there is a serious issue with it -- if, as
>we hope, encryption becomes widespread, than anyone doing anything
>will be using it;including 'in the commission of a crime'. This could
>make petty misdemeanors into 20 year federal crimes, and THAT is
>something to worry about. Hm.

I think you're beginning to see what we have been saying for many months....

I think it was Bill Stewart who recently described all the various minor
crimes which will likely soon involve crypto, things like calling for a
hooker on a phone that has crypto in it, using a Metricom Ricochet wireless
system to send banned words to a foreigner, and so on. All kinds of minor
crimes suddenly have 10- and 20-year sentences attached.

(Do I think it likely that someone ordering the hooker du jour with his
cellphone will face such sentences? Probably not. They're small fry. But
political persons, like Jim Bell, like others, will very likely see these
10- and 20-year sentences--which will go into the "sentencing guidelines"
(rules) and hence be almost unavoidable--and this will help them to come to
really and truly _love_ Big Brother!)

The good news today is that if Salomon keeps to his word, the Security and
Fascism Through Escrow Act is dead, dead, dead.

--Tim May

The Feds have shown their hand: they want a ban on domestic cryptography
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
ComSec 3DES:   408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1398269     | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."