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From: michaelm@bcsaic.UUCP (Michael Maxwell)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: There are basically no export controls on public domain information
Message-ID: <780@bcsaic.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Nov-86 12:20:40 EST
Article-I.D.: bcsaic.780
Posted: Fri Nov 14 12:20:40 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Nov-86 20:35:45 EST
References: <249@runx.OZ> <770@bcsaic.UUCP> <1000@usl.UUCP>
Reply-To: michaelm@bcsaic.UUCP (Michael Maxwell)
Organization: Boeing Computer Services AI Center, Seattle
Lines: 25

In article <1000@usl.UUCP> elg@usl.UUCP (Eric Lee Green) writes:
>In article <770@bcsaic.UUCP> michaelm@bcsaic.UUCP (me) writes:
>>I shouldn't butt in on this, but...  I would guess that even our government
>>has the sense to know that the Russians have these encryption
>>algorithms (or better ones--they do have mathematicians, you know).  My
>>guess is that the people our government is trying to keep these from are
>>rather small terrorist groups, small time drug runners, etc.
>
>Uh, all the terrorists that *I* know could care less about encryption
>algorithms or what have you... [they care about]
>"where are cops", and "where is there a hole in the radar coverage so
>that I can get my boatfull of coke in?"...
>Most terrorists are pretty technically unsophisticated...

That's exactly what I mean.  They may need to pass info about where the holes
in the radar coverage are, when a guard that's in their pay is on duty, etc.,
but they don't want other people listening in on them.  At the same time, they
don't have the sophistication to write their own encryption algorithms, but
they can certainly buy such a program.  I'd bet that a number of them are
using computers to keep track of their potential victims, partners, etc., and
--yes--even form email.  I would be, if I were they.
-- 
Mike Maxwell
Boeing Advanced Technology Center
	...uw-beaver!uw-june!bcsaic!michaelm