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From: spm2d@newton.acc.Virginia.EDU (Steven P. Miale)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Encrypting your data to keep it private
Message-ID: <1991Jan14.225212.7853@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Date: 14 Jan 91 22:52:12 GMT
References: <1990Dec11.164524.1860@digibd.com> <5081@trantor.harris-atd.com> <14474@hoptoad.uucp>
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In article <14474@hoptoad.uucp> gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore) writes:
>hnewstro@x102c.harris-atd.com (Harvey Newstrom) wrote:
>> What about keeping data encrypted with a secret password?  It seems like
>> one could ``take the fifth'' and refuse to divulge the password on the
>> grounds that it might incriminate.
>
>So, if you encrypt information to hide it this way, stiffen your
>backbone NOW and resolve to tell them to go to hell no matter what they
>threaten.  It's still 100% legal to use encryption in this "free"
>country.  I encourage you to use it often to protect your privacy.
>(PS: don't use the Unix "crypt" command though - even I can break it.
>Use DES, or Khufu, or RSA, or one of the other cryptosystems that are
>not publicly known to be breakable.)


Well, DES is not known "publicly" to be breakable, but I believe that
the various government law enforcement organizations have figured it out.
I wrote my own proprietary system, hidden somewhere in my system, so they
will never be able to decrypt without my cooperation. This I highly
suggest if you put any information that may be, er, harmful to you.