In article <1992Nov17.001101.21926@ncar.ucar.edu>, prz@sage.cgd.ucar.edu (Philip Zimmermann) writes:
[lots deleted]
> First, on item (1): This guy is a repeat offender, who just started
> using PGP after getting out of jail from last time. Carefully
> evaluating everything the cop told me, I was convinced the guy was
> probably guilty. But these cases are hard to prove in court, and as
> most people know, there are usually a lot more facts known in a case
> than what is admissible in court. Ah, you say, that was not
> explained. But even so, why should you be so sure of yourself when
> you so glibly assert that the cops had absolutely nothing on this guy
> except the fact that he had some encrypted files?
>
[lots more deleted]
1. Inncocent until PROVEN guilty. That is his constitutional right. Maybe you think that it is a bad policy, but it is (supposed to be) a right in this country. If you want to debate this, it wouldn't belong in sci.crypt so I'll do everyone a favor by just leaving it at that.
2. Right to remain silent. Again, it is a (supposed) constitutional right that citizens are not required to testify against themselves. I see no reason why that should not extend to one's private papers. I believe that, on balance, this right is a good thing (and, like (1) above, this isn't the place to debate the rights of the citizens). I see encryption as a means of protecting that right from a hostile government (even paranoids have real enemies).
This thread's been going on for a while, so I'm trying to be brief here... The bottom line is that if people do not agree with (1) and (2) above, they will likely be hostile to the use of cryptography as a means of protecting these rights (and for you logic fans, you'll note that this does NOT imply that if they agree with (1) and (2) then they will support cryptography).
Consider how would you convince someone that a "bad" person (like, say, Ronald Reagan :) should be allowed to say what he likes if that person doesn't accept free speech to begin with.
rgds-- TA (uucp: uunet!fed!m1tca00 | internet: m1tca00@fed.frb.gov)
