

A nice formulation for the introduction of the first encryption
devices with built-in trapdoors - just like the Feds wanted...


Bla-bla.


Indeed, and the current proposal does nothing to prevent the latter.


This doesn't say much. There are many incredibly weak encryption
algorithms in commercial use today...


Except from the government.


Nope. The criminals won't be stupid enough to use the new chip,
they'll use something secure. This technology provides only means to
intercept the phone conversations of people who are stupid enough to
use it.


That is, the government has the keys. It doesn't matter much if they
are in one or in two of its hands...


Correct. It does, however, provide those Americans with the false
sense of privacy.


If the screening is not public, it cannot be trusted. Some people do
not trust DES even today, after all the examinations - only because
some parts of its design were kept secret.


So they'll use a different technology to hide their illegal
activities. So will those law-abiding citizens, who do not trust their
government not to misuse its abilities to decrypt their conversations.


Except from the government.


Huh? Later it says that the new technology will be export restricted.


In short, the new technology can:

1) Protect the law abiding citizen's privacy from the casual snooper.

It cannot:

1) Protect him from the government, if it decides to misuse its
ability to decrypt the conversations.

2) Protect him from the criminals who succeed to break the new
encryption scheme or to steal the keys, or to bribe the people who
handle them, etc.

3) Prevent the criminals from using secure encryption for
communication.



Correct. However, it does not provide them that much privacy as it
claims.



Two candidates: the NSA and the Mafia.



That is, "trust us".


"Security through obscurity".


If it's not entirely open to public examination, it cannot be
trusted. Besides, who can prove that the devices used for examination
and the ones built into your phones will be the same?



The NSA and the FBI?



Why did they "forget" the Academia?



Doesn't this smell to monopolism?



Like the Mafia?


This is the main question, why was it buried at the end?


"We'll see".


"Trust us".


In short, "If we decide to outlaw strong crypto, we'll tell you".


Since the US government seems to consider strong crypto as munitions
and since the US constitutions guarantees the right to every American
to bear arms, why is not every American entitled, as a matter of
right, to an unbreakable commercial encryption product?


Bullshit. The proposed technology provides a false sense of security,
encryption devices with built-in capabilities for breaking the
encryption, does not prevent the criminals to use strong crypto, and
is a step to outlaw strong crypto.



Who was the optimist who believed that the new administration will
leave the export controls on strong crypto devices?

OK, I'm not American, it's not my business, but I just couldn't resist
to comment... The whole plot looks so totalitaristic... It's up to
you, Americans, to fight for your rights.

Regards,
Vesselin

P.S. Now is the time for David Sternlight to pop up and claim that the
new system is great.