Wired: Echelon Furor Ends in a Whimper

[Owen Lewis]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ukcrypto-admin@chiark.greenend.org.uk
> [mailto:ukcrypto-admin@chiark.greenend.org.uk]On Behalf Of John Young
> Sent: 11 July 2001 00:20
> To: ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk
> Subject: RE: Wired: Echelon Furor Ends in a Whimper
>
>
> A singular type of communication that the NSA is permitted by
> law to collect and retain indefinitely, no matter the source, even
> if the sources are otherwise proscribed communications of US
> persons, is cryptographic data. So the use of encryption in
> any form increases the odds that it will be collected and studied
> and/or indefintely stored for future use.

Quite so.

> Should end-to-end encryption become universal as Brian suggests,
> the question arises of what would be singular data for the NSA
> and like-snoops to collect and retain? Will it be all communication,
> along with burgeoning storage and sorting inventions such as NSA
> brags it is feverishly developing (Bamford reports), or will other
> characteristics be used to single out special data (and now used
> to sort through increasing encrypted data)?

The real problem with "universal end to end encryption" is that its
universality must depend on:

	a. Universal adoption of a single PKC.
	b. Large public key holding sites where all the public keys for known
'universe' are held and can be freely accessed.

Should such a condition ever come about it would represent a most important
target, not just to snoop agencies but quite possible also to a major and
sophisticated criminal interest.

	A part of the collective strength that encryption technology affords comes
through the fielding of many diverse systems. By definition this prevents a
universality of enciphered communication. This in turn adds further
operational security.
>
> There are hints in the regulations governing NSA interception that
> there are other means to identify special data other than its
> cryptographic attributes. But only generic terms such as "technical"
> are used for those hints -- that is, when the terms are not censored
> altogether as cryptographic and TEMPEST terms once were.

As and when you get to take a look at Silent Runner, you might catch a
glimpse or two of what some of these innovations may be.

Owen
>