Re: Jim Bell reference

[Antonomasia <ant@notatla.demon.co.uk>]

mctaylor@mta.ca commented on the Jim Bell case and Dorothy Denning.
Vin McLellan <vin@shore.net> forwarded the 'Freeh Speech'

Statement of Louis J. Freeh, Director, FBI....

>The looming spectre of the widespread use of robust, virtually uncrackable
>encryption is one of the most difficult problems
>confronting law enforcement as the next century approaches. At stake are
>some of our most valuable and reliable investigative
>techniques

Baloney.  The figures you give later indicate 1000 or 2000 investigations
a year meeting computer encryption.  Even if they were all unbreakable
that's 2000/year in a population of how many ?  Dents the clear-up rate
by how much ?   Makes me think the issue is the preservation of many
thousands of _unathorised_ taps.  What else could explain that viewpoint?


>There have been
>numerous cases where law enforcement, through the
>use of electronic surveillance, has not only solved and successfully
>prosecuted serious crimes and dangerous criminals, but has
>also been able to prevent serious and life-threatening criminal acts. For
>example, terrorists in New York were plotting to bomb
>the United Nations Building, the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, and 26
>Federal Plaza as well as conduct assassinations of
>political figures. Court-authorized electronic surveillance enabled the FBI
>to disrupt the plot as explosives were being mixed.

Over here video cameras in public places seem to hit the jackpot
quite often in this area.

>another example, electronic surveillance was used to
>prevent and then convict two men who intended to kidnap, molest and then
>kill a male child.

Witnesses are better, they can catch the lone molester who has no 
communications.  We had a well-publicised case a couple of years ago
where a man was caught with a kidnapped girl in his van shortly after
a gardener happened to see the girl's feet beneath the van at the instant
she was lifted off the ground.

Incidentally, I'm against terrorism, child molestation etc etc. 
I'm confident most other cypherpunks are too, so no nonsense please
about free crypto supporters being backers of [crime of the month].

>       Convicted spy Aldrich Ames was told by the Russian intelligence
>       service to encrypt computer file information that was
>       to be passed to them.

But he was convicted anyway ?  So crypto was not a problem to LE ?

>       An international terrorist was plotting to blow up 11 U.S.-owned
>       commercial airliners in the far east. His laptop
>       computer which was seized during his arrest in Manilla contained
>       encrypted files concerning this terrorist plot.

Also not a problem if the files were found to concern the plot.

>       A subject in a child pornography case used encryption in
>       transmitting obscene and pornographic images of children
>       over the Internet.

As above.

>       A major international drug trafficking subject recently used a
>       telephone encryption device to frustrate court-approved
>       electronic surveillance.

If life were that easy you'd have your budget cut, and deserve it.


>Over the last three (3) years, the FBI has also seen the number of computer
>related cases utilizing encryption and/or password
>protection increase from 20 or two (2) percent of the cases involving
>electronically stored information to 140 or seven (7)
>percent. These included the use of 56 bit data encryption standard (DES)
>and 128 bit "pretty good privacy" (PGP) encryption.

>Just as when this committee so boldly addressed digital telephony, the
>government and the nation are again at an historic
>crossroad on this issue.

...are again at a sharp disagreement ?




Now over to M. C. Taylor

>The one major difference in Dr. Denning's point of view is that she has a
>large degree of trust in LEA. Period. That is the difference
>between Dr. Denning and the average cypherpunk. 

Here in the UK you just have to say 'West Midlands Serious Crime Squad'
(now disbanded) to blow away the idea that the police evidence is always
genuine.  Even today a senior policeman is reported in newspapers as
saying his force employs dishonest people who would not be employed by a
supermarket, and that he regrets needing such a high standard of evidence
to fire them.  When you think how easily alleged communications can be
faked in contrast to physical evidence (such as a bloody glove, say)
I'm uncomfortable that electronic evidence is even admissible.

>The evidence is weak, in an article from May of this year, Denning quotes
>500 cases world-wide, but neglects to follow-up with which of these cases
>were solved regardless; due to other evidence or because the suspect was
>using crummy crypto. 
>
>Denning doesn't seem too concern with lawless government access, access
>beyond the scope, government tampering or forgery of information which are
>possible with poor key escrow technologies.

Very good points.



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