Another idea: Outlaw terrorism
John McCain wants to outlaw encryption that the US government can't crack
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Re: John McCain wants to outlaw encryption that the US government can't crack
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hillay clinton is probably pro-hide-that-hardisk. Rand Paul is libertarian and mostly anti-gov. We need more people like him in Washington.
Nah, what we need is fewer rich people and more women and people of color--a closer match to the actual demographics of the people of the country. I would no sooner put a anti-gov politician in charge than hire a manager who's opposed to the existence of the team he's managing.
> Nah, what we need is fewer rich people and more women and people of color
Please no sexism, classism, and racism in choosing people. Best people for the job regardless of their income tax bracket or their skin color. Just put people in office that understand how to run a country and limit the powers of government.
Re: John McCain wants to outlaw encryption that the US government can't crack
#113This would be a suspension of the 4th and 5th amendment. Correct me if I am wrong. "...A valid search warrant must meet four requirements: (1) the warrant must be filed in good faith by a law enforcement officer; (2) the warrant must be based on reliable information showing probable cause to search; (3) the warrant must be issued by a neutral and detached magistrate; and (4) the warrant must state specifically the pl…
It's also a 2nd amendment issue. From wikipedia:
Since World War II, many governments, including the U.S. and its NATO allies, have regulated the export of cryptography for national security considerations, and, as late as 1992, cryptography was on the U.S. Munitions List as an Auxiliary Military Equipment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_th...
Re: John McCain wants to outlaw encryption that the US government can't crack
#114it's funny they are ok with everyone having guns but encryption that's the worst kind of evil.
Re: John McCain wants to outlaw encryption that the US government can't crack
#115This is a bit like a Republican version of gun control laws.
If real encryption is outlawed, only criminals will have real encryption.
Re: John McCain wants to outlaw encryption that the US government can't crack
#116why we call a technology encryption if it can be cracked?
Re: John McCain wants to outlaw encryption that the US government can't crack
#117Can we have a new rule when laws are proposed? Whenever you see the headline "(name of politician) wants to pass a law which will do ____" it should be rewritten to "Lobbyists have convinced (name of politician) that they need a law which will do _____". From opensecrets.org: Industry Favorite John McCain is a top recipient from the following industries in 2015-2016: Cable & satellite TV production (#1) Defense Aeros…
Personally I'd love it if TV networks would bring up ESPN style player stats summary sheets on politicians involved in a story listing a few key 'stats' such as what their top 3 sources of funding are, former employers, brief voting record summary etc. For so many politicians their motivations are so obvious when you see their records, but for most people that aren't willing to do a bit of digging, its essentially hidden in plain sight.
Re: John McCain wants to outlaw encryption that the US government can't crack
#118Is it really worth leaving a thoughtful comment about such an ignorant statement? It's clear to me that these people have no idea what encryption actually is and only have a cursory understanding of what it does. They're aware that criminals and terrorists can use encryption to communicate covertly. That's why they want to ban it. Are they also aware that the exact same technology is used to protect their online bank…
> Are they also aware that the exact same technology is used to protect their online banking? To protect against attacks like the Sony hack? Do they know that there is a huge segment of the economy that relies on strong encryption to do business? I'm sure they are. The problem is, I suspect, more the delusion that if there are backdoors, only MURICA will be able to exploit them because GODDAMN GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE…
> The problem is, I suspect, more the delusion that if there are backdoors, only MURICA will be able to exploit them because GODDAMN GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD! They would find the idea that there are talented individuals and groups, outside the US, who are capable of exploiting these facilities, absolutely incomprehensible.
I don't think that's it at all. I think it's because they expect everything to work the way the phone system did. For a long time, tapping a phone was just a warrant away. And it really was significantly harder for anyone except the government to listen in on phone conversations. Now, the world has moved on from POTS to connections that allow arbitrary data to be sent instead of just sound. In that world, the control in the system shifts to the endpoints and away from the network. We (the kind that reads HN) understand why that has to be the case, but lawmakers and law enforcement are struggling with that paradigm shift.
I see it as being very similar to the problems encountered by the record companies in the late 90s/early 00s. They were comfortable selling CDs and understood CD copying well enough to deal with what little piracy there was. But then Napster came along and showed that their product was just bits that could easily be transferred freely across the globe. We all understood this reality, but the industry spent the better part of a decade trying to make uncopyable bits (DRM) and to stamp out piracy in a torrent of lawsuits. At this point, they've mostly come to terms with the new reality and are adjusting.
Government is going to need to come to terms with that same new reality and adjust.
Re: John McCain wants to outlaw encryption that the US government can't crack
#119Is it really worth leaving a thoughtful comment about such an ignorant statement? It's clear to me that these people have no idea what encryption actually is and only have a cursory understanding of what it does. They're aware that criminals and terrorists can use encryption to communicate covertly. That's why they want to ban it. Are they also aware that the exact same technology is used to protect their online bank…
> It's clear to me that these people have no idea what encryption actually is and only have a cursory understanding of what it does.
I'm not so sure. Even if McCain (and other politicians) have a perfect understanding of encryption, I would expect some of them to make statements like this. I interpret it as pandering to their audience in an attempt to look tough on terrorism. It is unfortunate that if this pandering becomes a reality that it will do real harm to our security and economy.
Re: John McCain wants to outlaw encryption that the US government can't crack
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
OpenBSD cd image would give you absolutely nothing when it comes to defending against state level actors sorry. And you are assuming that in their proposed reality that would be as easily achievable as it is today, you'll be surprised how effective can a crackdown be once a government sets its mind to it.
So nothing in the current OpenBSD images would be banned then?
Hence 'download from Canada'.