Encryption defined

[Michael Stutz <stutz@dsl.org>]

Online at http://www.wired.com/news/politics/story/3760.html

  [arrow]  ... And That's What Encryption Is
           by Wired News Staff

           2:58pm  9.May.97.PDT It's rare to get a glimpse of the lawmaking
           mind as it churns policy. But with the help of an unnamed
           Washington reporter, the public got a look at how two Democratic
           senators who want to pass a new law on how encryption should be
           used and regulated think about the issue.

           The setting was an informal daily get-together with reporters
           sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota.
           On Thursday, Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska was on hand to
           announce he is sponsoring a cryptography-control bill. We pick
           up the proceedings with a reporter's question to the senators:

           How would you define encryption?

           Daschle: Encryption is the - and Senator Kerrey can do a lot
           better job than I can - but my definition of encryption is to
           create a code by which sensitive information can be protected on
           the Internet....

           Kerrey: Well, I mean, to answer your question, I mean,
           encryption is - the political equivalent of encryption is you
           ask me a question, I give you an answer and you don't understand
           it. I mean, I intentionally garble the answer frequently. I
           intentionally garble the response so that you can't understand
           what I'm saying.

           And that's - you notice that I've got the ability to do that. I
           don't always do that, but that's what occurs with digital
           communication. The message is scrambled in a way that is very
           difficult to unscramble. And depending upon the power of your
           computer, you in fact may not be able to unscramble it at all.

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