🚀 go-pugleaf

Thus said jim.wenzel@grapevine.lrk.ar.us (Jim Wenzel) :
>
>
>    I  have been  reading this   newsgroup for  several weeks  with keen
>    interest. And  for one am in  favor of the privacy  that it permits.
>    However, recently (yesterday) I had  the opportunity to speak with a
>    law enforcement official who had quite a different view.
>
>    He was calling  from California in order to pick  up the pgp program
>    from us. Seems that they are on the case of a molestor who encrypted
>    his information using PGP. If they  can't crack it the molestor will
>    more than  likely walk due to  lack of evidence. This  has caused me

So, there's some guy who they suspect might be a molester who has some
encrypted files.  How do they know he's one?  How do they know the
encrypted stuff pertains to molestation?

>    some  concern   because  we  have  agreed   (volunteered)  to  be  a
>    distribution site  for PGP (logon as  PGP USER pw: PGP).  Yet, I for
>    one would hate to think that there is anyway we could help such scum
>    in receiveing PGP or similar encryption technology.

Well, tell your law enforcement friend that, if nothing else, they could
try to bust the guy for using unlicensed software...

More seriously, PGP is normally used to communicate with other people,
not to store stuff personally.  They should find out with whom it was being
used to communicate (probably possible) and subpoena the information from
them.

(It's not clear to me what sorts of things it would be used for anyway.
Did the guy encrypt a diary of his crimes?  Was it being used to arrange
meetings with others for the purpose of molesting kids?  Poetry composed
after the foul deed was done?  What?)

>    At  this point  I am  curious as  to what  others think.  Both about
>    distribution  and about  it's use   by the  underworld. I  have read
>    'Dennings' report  and though I  disagree with it  on several points
>    this particular  case does raise some  real-life issues pertinent to
>    the discussion. If a  law was to be passed (and you  can bet that if
>    cases like  this one in particular  continue one will be)  how would
>    you like it to read?

"The right to free speech includes the right to speak in a fashion not
easily understood by others."

(Disclaimer:  I do not think that the Right to Keep and Bear Keys (RKBK)
has much of anything to do with RKBA.)
-- 
Marc VanHeyningen    mvanheyn@whale.cs.indiana.edu    MIME & RIPEM accepted
"I cannot recommend this candidate too highly or say enough good things about
him.  In my opinion you will be lucky to get him to work for you.  I urge you
to waste no time making him an offer.  No one would be better for the job."