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Peter Wayner writes:
> * Imagine that problems arise well after the chip is standardized.
> What will millions of Americans do? All of the digital phones,
> fax machines and modem cards will need to be replaced.
Not that I don't agree with the basic premise, of course, but there's
a similar risk to *any* consumer electronics implementation of a
cryptosystem. Of course, in Clipper/Skipjack's case the problem is
magnified by the fact that the stuff is kept secret, but the potential
remains.
> * Software, on the other hand, is very easy to change. In many
> cases, the anti-virus programs travel faster than the viruses.
However, a software-based consumer communicator will probably end up
implying at least as much weight in people's pockets, and as much
extra money, as Clipper.
I don't think an economic argument will really fly well, though I'd
love to be shown to be way wrong. Seems to me that a mass-produced
chip whose production is subsidized by the government would probably
be pretty cheap.
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