Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!brl-smoke!gwyn
From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Re: distribution of sensitive software like DES
Message-ID: <7327@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: 23 Feb 88 22:22:26 GMT
References: <8801281211.AA13780@decwrl.dec.com> <8802162241.AA16997@armagnac.DEC.COM> <2275@geac.UUCP> <4143@sdcc3.ucsd.EDU>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>)
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 19
Keywords: DES US DEC lawyers fascist totalitarian geeks

In article <4143@sdcc3.ucsd.EDU> ps111wei@sdcc3.ucsd.edu.UUCP (Keith Messer) writes:
>... and the fact that in any case a DES cracker will not hurt the United States ...

I agree with you, that the legitimate long-range interests of the nation
and humanity in general are better served by accurate technical knowledge;
if the DES is crackable, you really don't want to be using it for anything
important (such as financial transactions).  However, as it has evolved,
the US government is able to get away with declaring things to be "in the
national interest" that rationally are not.  I don't have to give examples
of this; you should already have them, if you regularly monitor the news.

>I'm sure that the NSA has someone reading this newsgroup, and they haven't
>given us any problems yet.

You mean, they haven't given YOU any problems and they haven't made public
postings.  You don't know whom they have contacted personally.

For the most part, there hasn't been much in this newsgroup to worry NSA,
but a posted DES cracker would be another story.