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From: ks@a.cs.okstate.edu (Kurt F. Sauer)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Re: An interesting message from SECURITY-DIGEST@RUTGERS
Message-ID: <2691@okstate.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Oct-87 01:21:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: okstate.2691
Posted: Wed Oct 14 01:21:03 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Oct-87 07:30:41 EDT
References: <7449@reed.UUCP> <8746@utzoo.UUCP> <471@auscso.UUCP>
Reply-To: ks@okstate.UUCP (Kurt F. Sauer)
Followup-To: /dev/null
Organization: Decision Studies Group, Inc., Box 701401, Tulsa OK 74170-1401
Lines: 27
Keywords: nsa; decrypting ability

In article <8746@utzoo.UUCP> henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes:
>> ... (It IS a federal law that
>> no cipher may be used for international traffic that NSA can't break...
>I'd like to see chapter and verse cited on this.  Especially since the US
>government (and presumably other parties as well) are already in violation

I'm having a good time reading these articles, because they're so chocked
full of ambitious--patently false--rumor.  Really:  it's better than
Days of Our Lives!

Folks, there is no law which proscribes a person from using an encipherment
system which is unbreakable by the US National Security Agency.  I would
like to point out, parenthetically, that I suspect few--if any--people
really know precisely which systems of cipher NSA is able to break.

Certainly no businessman who's buying encrypting equipment to protect
his international business from industrial espionage is likely to know;
perhaps he is inclined to use one-time pads for his sensitive communications!

Let's get back to discussions of substance, not speculation.  I really
dislike the arguments about "invasion of my privacy is the price that
we must pay."  I happen to agree with the statement--in certain respects--
but the logical conclusion we're conspiring toward is plainly incorrect.
(Plus, it seems to me a bit out of the charter of this newsgroup.)

Kurt F. Sauer
Tulsa, OK