🚀 go-pugleaf

February 21, 1994
#   
#   To implement lawful interceptions of encrypted communications, they
#   need a real-time or near real-time decryption capability in order
#   to keep up with the traffic and prevent potential acts of violence.
#   Since there can be hundreds of calls a day on a tapped line, any
#   solution that imposes a high overhead per call is impractical.


And if uncrackable crypto were in widespread use within the U.S., the
FBI would demand that it be outlawed. For 'public safety and national
security'.

: *   "Above the Law"
: *   ISBN 0-684-80699-1, 1996
: *   by David Burnham
: *   
: *   The suspicion that the government might one day try to outlaw any
: *   encryption device which did not provide easy government access was
: *   reinforced by comments made by FBI Director Freeh at a 1994 Washington
: *   conference on cryptography. "The objective for us is to get those
: *   conversations...wherever they are, whatever they are", he said in
: *   response to a question.
: *   
: *   Freeh indicated that if five years from now the FBI had solved the
: *   access problem but was only hearing encrypted messages, further
: *   legislation might be required.
: *   
: *   The obvious solution: a federal law prohibiting the use of any
: *   cryptographic device that did