🚀 go-pugleaf

Ah! Some preliminary bubblings of the Australian branch of the US
government to ban public use of PGP or any other useful (ie not state
crackable) encryption in the land of Ozzzzzzz.....

Some relief was expressed a few posts ago that the Oz approach was a
bit more laid back (set up a study committee) than the US jackbooted
oil spill approach. Don't you believe it! This is just the softening
up stage, getting the public used to the idea. When our beloved and 
enlightened representatives feel the time is right, you'll see a series
of dreadfull examples of privacy abuse and encryption outrages reported
in the media, followed by a 'spontaneous public outcry' and 'public
debate in the media'.
This will all wind up with a complete aggreement of all concerned that
those evil drug trafficers and pornographers have just got to be stopped,
and our concerned legislators will be morally obliged to act.
Very much like the process of banning other sorts of 'munitions'.

And when will this happen? Just as soon as the mechanisms are in place
to detect and log exactly who is using encryption. No point pushing it
before they're ready, eh?

      ******* And now for the juicy bit ********

It is a fact that Telstra had a software development project in
progress in early 1995, who's aim is to monitor and log phone connections
through their exchanges, to determine:-
  a) Which calls are voice, and which are modem.
  b) If modem, what baud rate and protocol.
  c) Given (b), to determine whether the link is using encryption.
  d) Lastly, given a positive (c), to attempt to analyse what _sort_
     of encryption it is.

I never heard any suggestion that calls detected to be using 'illicit'
encryption would then be captured to storage for analysis and evidence,
but otherwise what would be the point of all that trouble?
Possibly when the public got wind of it, some twaddle about the excess
load imposed on the phone system by modem users, and the need to bill
them extra, might be trotted out. Wait and see.

I am sorry that I cannot give any firm documentation to support this,
though I have seen clear evidence of the project with my own eyes, on
Telstra premises in Sydney. Also, I have had discussions about it with
someone who was closely involved with the project, earlier in 1995.
He was a friend of mine at the time (and would still be, if he hadn't
died in a climbing accident), so I am not going to mention his name.
Even if I did call him a jerk for having anything to do with it.
I have no way of determining if the project is still running, or
getting any more details on it, since he was my only contact there.

An FOI enquiry might be interesting. Anyone?

Personally, I think the idea of the phone carrier running an analysis
program like this on their exchanges is utterly repugnant. May they
rot in digital hell, and all their bits fall off for even thinking
about doing it. Add this fascist idea to their traitorous pandering
to Charman Gates' 'Microsoft Network-Take Over The Internet' plans,
and you have a bunch of people who seriously need to be... to be...
well, removed from their posts at the very least.


  Guy Dunphy   guyd@world.net
  Where did you get the idea I might ever speak for anyone else?
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