RIPA Part III

[Brian Gladman]

Peter Fairbrother wrote:
> Roland Perry wrote:
> 
>> In article <C0B84589.CC79F%zenadsl6186@zen.co.uk>, Peter Fairbrother
>> <zenadsl6186@zen.co.uk> writes
>>>> The crypto war was still in full swing in 1996 and was only finally won
>>>> internationally in 1999 after the Wassenaar restrictions on cryptography
>>>> collapsed.
>>> The crypto war continues to this day - or what do you think Part III of RIPA
>>> is all about?
>> Different war.
> 
> How so? 
> 
> The first battle was about using crypto at all, the second about escrow, the
> third is now about demands for keys.

I share Roland's view on this.

Key escrow was no more than a truce offer in the first crypto war, one
which some government's hoped would be sufficient to end it.  But it
wasn't since the opposition was not interested in such a compromise.

I am not sure how much impact GAK in the UK will have in international
crypto terms.  On its own it seems unlikely to be significant. Not that
I deny its impact here in the UK though.

   Brian Gladman