WHY can't Silicon Valley create breakable non-breakable encryption, cry US politicians

Re: There is...

Hmm... My European personal data housed on an American server by an American company in the USA encrypted by a system that only the American government can pop the lid on.

What could possibly go wrong?

(Hint: it's in Mr. Johnson's line about "the privacy rights and expectations of the American public")

Re: There is...

>When a US authority says something like this, that the crypto should have an easy way for legal authorities to open anything after 'due legal process', what they seem to mean more often than not is that there should be a an easy way for _US_ legal authorities to open the material after whatever the _US_ thinks is due legal process.

>They appear to see no issue with other country's legal process or authority, since those don;t matter to them.

>I'm also not sure which depresses me more - that they know what they're asking for is impossible, but are asking anyway so the Dear People see them 'doing something' - or that they really think it can be done. Sigh...

You're being silly. Indisputably, once you generate math that works differently in the presence of legal paper, it is trivial to make that math work differently only in the presence of U.S. legal paper.

I propose a different approach: here's a game to introduce at your next party. Call it the "Mike Rogers" Game." The object of the game is to express the maximum amount of obdurate ignorance while simultaneously making the broadest demands--in as few words as possible. Extra credit, of course, if your example is a quotation or precis of something you've actually heard someone say. Herewith a few samples:

"I don't know anything about Maxwell's Laws, but I don't see why it's impossible to build a refrigerator that generates power instead of consuming it. That would solve all our oil-dependancy problems. I think it CAN be done and it SHOULD be done."

"I failed second-grade arithmetic, but I don't see why 2 plus 2 always has to be 4. It would solve all our economic problems if accountants could just think outside the box and be more open to alternate ideas."

"Statistics? I never heard of it. But the average of these numbers would be higher if you just had more numbers."

The winner, of course, is acclaimed "Mike Rogers For A Day" and gets to peek in everyone else's underwear drawer.

Re: US politicians want Silicon Valley to create unbreakable encryption?

"But only if they hand the keys over to the government...you know, "for safekeeping".

Seems like only a short time ago, they were whining that unbreakable encryption would create a playground for pedophiles and terrorists.

Geez! Make up your minds, already."

They have. They need the keys to hunt for pedos and terrorists (Not movie pirates and whistleblowers I swear). This is why they should be trusted with the master key........

Re: The only thing that's harder than breakable unbreakable crypto ...

The problem is that a majority of politicians are quite intelligent, especially the ones that stay in the background.

It's just that they apply that intelligence in a way that makes your average mafioso look honest and respectable.

Re: Who's wagging their tale then?

"So what do they want then? Encryption that they and only they can break?"

No. Ignorance. It's obliviousness they've lost and are so desperately trying to (re)create. "Encryption that they and only they can break" is exactly what they believe they've already got in place. Which is exactly why they are saying exactly the oppisite.

NSA: Never Say Anything.

Re: COINTELPRO

COINTELPRO historically was only used on brown people in the US. I guess the times are a changing.

Re: Rubbish

"The best cryptographers, unfortunately, are in NSA and GCHQ, and nobody would trust what they would produce so this idea is dead in the water."

The most depressing thing about this story is that the politicians don't seem to have noticed the immense stupidity of their request.

Point 1: as Mr Schneier points out, maths works the same way for everyone.

Point 2: as ZSn points out here, the best cryptographers *probably* work for the NSA and GCHQ and if *they* are the ones complaining then that probably means it can't be done by someone in Silicon Valley.

Point 3: If it *can* be done in Silicon Valley, why in seven names of fsck is that person able to do something that the government agencies cannot?

Even if their bizarre maths-of-the-day version of the universe were true, Silicon Valley *still* wouldn't be the place to look for a solution. How stupid do you have to be to be unable to see that?

Re: Just clueless...

and those who believe authorities are out to get them

History teaches them otherwise. They are likely less clueless than well known cattle rancher Frank Oppenheimer and everyone else who had to report to the Loyalty Board or HUAC.

Доверяй, но проверяй. Sorry Uncle Sam, without the transparency to verify your activities there can be no trust.

The Republican half.

50% of Americans are incapable of learning.

They don't need to.

Their Conservative political ideology tells them exactly how the world works.

Re: Never Happen

Where is the encryption plugins for Email?

Re: Republican Moron.

>Living in Republican La-La land otherwise known as Planet ConservaTard.

Hmm you name call just like they do. Whenever I hear such things I often assume its some righty trolling the boogieman liberals.

Re: My Lord, I have a cunning plan...

I don't know.... there's no mention of turnips at all!!