Re: Encryption?

[batz <batsy@vapour.net>]

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On Sun, 28 Nov 1999, Cipher wrote:

:I feel that a better angle would be personal privacy.  Stress the fact that
:data on a hard drive can be protected. Sell them on crypto for whatever
:*enlightened self-interest* issue that appeals to them.

Personal privacy is great for people that feel they need it, but
tailored arguments will be required for the various areas of 
the political spectrum. Tell the moderates it prevents crime,
the left it enhances privacy and the right that it will keep
the government out of their affairs. 

Anyone else can be told that if it's worth saying, it's worth
protecting. Crypto is crucial to the maintainance of the integrity of 
technologicly mediated interaction. 

:I suspect that can be done, but key escrow would be the issue of importance
:at that point.  *If you're not a terrorist, why not let us keep a key*
:would be the cry and sales point of Big Brother. Scream Anthrax a few
:thousand times and the sheeple will give up any and all rights they have...

If people can be convinced of my previous comments, ideally 
crypto will become a matter of ettiquite. People need to be
convinced that crypto should be used as a matter of principle,
not because of an impending threat. 

:Using as many victimized icons of society as possible.  Right and left.
:American wheat dealers must have something in common with Maplethorpe...

People are tiring of victims. Compassion as an industry has gone the 
way of the telethon. There is a seige mentality that can be more effectively
pandered to. The ACLU is all for crypto, why isn't the NRA in on this? 
Heavily armed sociopaths or not, they are a powerful lobby whose 
members interests are served by freely available crypto. 

The ACLU can argue that crypto is protected speech, and the NRA 
can argue that strong, un-escrowed crypto, under existing classifications,
could fall within their right to bear arms. (What with the British being
such a threat to the american way of life these days.) 

My opinions of them are obvious, but they could be a much
more useful ally than foe on this issue. 

:We can't let this become a polarizing issue, white against black,
:conservative against liberal.

Indeed. That division is rapidly becoming obsolete.



--
batz
Chief Reverse Engineer 
Superficial Intelligence Research Division
Defective Technologies



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