Crypto Social Issues

This page is a subsection of the Crypto link farm. Links to further crypto and security-related information can be found there.

[1997] 1 Web JCLI: Analysis of the UK governments policy on encryption.
Additional Comments of Philip R. Karn, Jr.: Phil Karn rebuts inaccurate and bizarre government claims in congressional testimony (this is an example of the kind of misinformation which government advisors often provide to their governments).
Adopt An MP - Homepage: UK campaign to adopt an MP and enlighten them over problems with crypto restrictions.
Adopt An MP - Letter to Jack Straw, Home Secretary: Simple photo essay showing how to get rid of politicians pushing for draconian anti-privacy laws.
America Online exploits bug in own software: AOL uses a bug in its own software to run code on users machines.
Americans for Computer Privacy: Computer privacy issues.
Baltimore - Library - UK Crypto Policy: Comments on UK crypto policy (from the person who tried to sell GAK to the NHS).
BBC News - Encryption: BBC news stories on encryption, including "UK Government dithers on encryption regulation".
Big Brother Incorporated: Companies which supply surveillance technology to non-democratic regimes.
Big Brother Inside Homepage: Privacy concerns about Intel's PIII processor ID (mis)feature.
Big Brother is watching: Echelon for do-it-yourselfers.
Brookings Policy Brief No.21.: Brookings Institute study of crypto policy (pro-GAK).
C to English and English to C translator: Translates crypto code into English to allow it to be exported, then translates it back into code afterwards.
CACIB: UK government tactics for deploying GAK.
Canada's export controls: Summary of the Canadian crypto export situation.
Cato Handbook for Congress: Freedom on the Internet and Other Computer Networks: Cato Institute study of crypto policy (anti-GAK).
Centre for Democracy and Technology Crypto Page: CDT information on current US crypto policy
CIPHR'99 Conference: Cryptography & International Protection of Human Rights: Conference on crypto and human rights.
Clipper Roadshow: US government policy laundering on key escrow.
CNET features - digital life - privacy in the digital age: Digital privacy (or more specifically, the lack thereof).
The Codex Privacy Site: Surveillance, stalking, privacy invasion, eavesdropping, and anything else related to these categories.
Comments on Encryption Transfers: Comments on new US export regulations.
Comments on Encryption Transfers - HTML: Easier-to-handle HTML versions of the above.
Confronting the New Intelligence Establishment: Lessons from the Colorado Experience: Article on NSA communications interception and attempts to have it stopped.
Coral: Traffic monitoring on an OC3 link using a Pentium PC - an example of how this sort of thing would be done.
Cracking DES: Cracking DES from the US (made available based on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the export controls violate the First Amendment).
Crime, Terror & War: National Security & Public Safety in the Information Age: The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
Crypto AG: Reports of Crypto AG rigging crypto hardware to allow NSA decryption.
Crypto AG - Der Spiegel (German): Allegations of intelligence agencies subverting Crypto AG product security.
Crypto AG: The NSA's Trojan Whore?: Possible rigging of Swiss-made crypto gear by the NSA.
Crypto-Controls Advisory Services: The one organisation making money out of US export controls.
Crypto Law Survey: A survey of crypto laws in various countries.
Crypto regulation in Europe: The state of crypto regulation plans in Europe as of May 1997.
Cryptography and Liberty 1999: 1999 EPIC report on crypto controls.
Cryptography's Role in Securing the Information Society: National Academy of Sciences report on cryptography policy.
Cryptography, Scientific Freedom, and Human Rights: American Association for the Advancement of Science page on crypto and human rights.
Cryptology: Law Enforcement & National Security vs. Privacy, Security & The Future of Commerce: Good analysis of crypto politics and export control issues.
Cyberspace Law for Non-Lawyers: Privacy laws and the Internet.
Das Ministerium für Wahrheit: Information and links on Echelon, Europol/Enfopol, and other wide-scale surveillance initiatives.
Development of Surveillance Technology and Risk of Abuse of Economic Information 1/4: European parliament report on computer-based industrial espionage.
DIE ZEIT Nr. 28/1998 Leichtes Spiel: German news report on NSA industrial espionage leading to $100M loss for German company.
DIE ZEIT Nr. 39 vom 17. 9. 1998: Hintertür für Spione: Another report on Enercon industrial espionage.
Distributing encryption software by the Internet: loopholes in Australian export controls: Examination of legal implications of electronic export from Australia. Conclusion: It's OK.
DTI/UK Encryption Policy: Reply to the DTI Consultation Paper on Licensing of Trusted Third Parties for the Provision of Encryption Services.
dtype.org - keyanalyze: PGP keyring statistical analysis.
E-commerce under threat from encryption deal: The Australian Financial Review on Wassenaar'98.
Echelon: Exposing the Global Surveillance System: Covert Action Quarterly article on wordlwide NSA surveillance.
ECHELON: America's Secret Global Surveillance Network: Free Congress Foundation report on Echelon surveillance system.
ECHELON Research Resources: Echelon resources and information.
Echelon--Rights Violation in the Information Age, by Don Lobo Tiggre: Article on Echelon.
Echelon Watch: ACLU site which tracks Echelon information.
EE Times - White Paper: White paper on hackers.
Ekstra Bladet: Danish newspaper's coverage of Echelon.
Emerging Japanese Encryption Policy: How Japan, Inc, handles encryption policy (a real contrast to the US governments attitude).
Encryption: Impact on Law Enforcement: FBI's "The sky is falling" speech, revised every year or so (it's been falling since about '92).
Encryption Policy and Market Trends: Dorothy Dennings 1997 GAK forecast.
Encryption Policy for the 21st Century: Cato Institute study on the future of encryption.
EPIC Cryptography Policy: EPIC information on current US crypto policy.
EPIC Privacy Links: EPIC privacy resources.
export-a-crypto-system sig: Diminuitive crypto hacks (well-known algorithms in a few lines of Perl, Python, or C) and how to use them to poke fun at export laws.
Export Licensing of Intangibles: Commentary on likely effects of UK proposal to license export of intangibles.
Exposing the Global Surveillance System: Extracts from Nicky Hager's book "Secret Power".
FinCen: Big Brother for financial information.
Former Secrets: Declassified US government machinations to ban/restrict crypto.
Framework for Smart Card Use in Government - FIPR Response: Why multifunction smart cards (and government plans for smart cards in general) won't work.
French Cryptology: the takeover by force of Jospin: Article given background details on the liberalisation of crypto in France.
FUD! Home Page - Crypto legislation: Contents of and discussion over various US crypto bills.
GILC -- Cryptography and Liberty: Survey of encryption policy worldwide.
Global Monetary: Electronic implants to "aggressively build a proprietary global system of exchange, customer tracking and profiling". Not sure if these people are for real or not.
GNN on Crypto: Global Network Navigator web review: The NSA vs The Net.
Government, Cryptography, and the Right to Privacy: Paper documenting the overt and covert regulation and restriction of cryptography by governments.
Good Privacy Test Sites: Links to sites which show how easy it is to get information on your and your activities on the net.
GR Design Principles: GAK-resistant crypto protocol design guidelines.
Gray Areas Magazine: Essays and articles on the computer underground (and all sorts of other things).
Green light for limited encryption exports: Australia's interpretation of Wassenaar'98.
Growing Development of Foreign Encryption Products in the face of U.S. Export Regulations: 1999 survey of non-US companies producing crypto products.
IFIP TC11 Position on Cryptopolicies: IFIP's (very sensible) position on crypto use and crypto regulation.
Information About PGP & Encryption: Information on the creeping takeover of GAK.
Interception: Technical details on large-scale GSM and ISDN interception techniques.
Interception Capabilities 2000: Comprehensive report on worldwide communications surveillance and interception practices.
International requirements for interception: The FBI exports CALEA to the rest of the world.
Internet Privacy Coalition: Attempts to ensure privacy on the internet.
Interview with David Herson - SOGIS: Interview on European crypto policy.
ITAR Civil Disobedience: Click on this form to become an international arms trafficker.
Key Recovery Study: The risks of key recovery, key escrow, and trusted third party encryption.
Liberalization 2000: President's Export Council Subcommittee on Encryption recommendations to pretty much remove export controls.
Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office: Information on large-scale illegal wiretaps in LA.
Menwith Hill letter from Ministry of Defence: There's nothing going on there... nothing to see... move along, move along...
Microsoft, the NSA, and You: Description of NSA backdoor inserted into every (recent) version of Windows.
NCSA HTTPd/Mosaic: Using PGP/PEM auth: Early attempts to incorporate PEM and PGP encryption into web browsers torpedoed by the NSA.
NSA and Crypto-politics: Huge (1/2MB) writeup on the NSA and crypto politics.
NSA's Influence on New Zealand Crypto Policy: NSA influence on New Zealand export policy.
No Chance for Key Recovery: Paper on key recovery (GAK) vs human and political rights.
NSA's keys: NSA and MS CryptoAPI CSP signing keys.
Paul Wolf's Echelon Links: Links to information on Echelon, media coverage, and other information.
PC Week: Lies and cryptography: "We've lately had reason to wonder if our nation's cryptography policy is being made by fools. It is a mixed blessing to learn that the people in charge are merely liars [...]".
PGP 6.0: Cat out of the bag: Wired article showing just how effective US export controls really are.
Phil Zimmermann: Letters to Phil about the use of PGP by human rights groups.
Phone Tapping: Information and resources on government phone tapping plans.
Pressemitteilung - 2. Juni 1999: Germany government statement affirming the right to use the strongest crypto possible.
Privacy, Inc.: Various resources related to the (lack of) privacy, including access to databases and online information search facilities.
Privacy International Home Page: Privacy reports, interntional agreements on privacy and human rights, surveillance technologies, ID cards, privacy-related conferences.
Privacy News: Privacy news, resources, and links.
Privacy on the Internet: Zola Times articles on Internet privacy.
Privacy on the Net: Practical Issues: Links and information on various privacy-related issues (cryptography, anonymity, secure communications).
q/depesche: Free crypto campaign logos.
Remailer list: List of anonymous remailers.
Report: U.S. Uses Key Escrow To Steal Secrets: Report on US using crypto restrictions to steal other countries economic secrets.
Roger Clarke's Privacy Page: Data surveillance and information privacy information publications, and legislation.
Roger Clarke's Public Interests on the Electronic Frontier: Paper discussing various freedoms and rights such as the right to privacy.
Roxen's General Export Application for Strong 128-bit Encrypted Denied: Swedish government refusal of export permit for 128-bit SSL.
RSA as a MIDI file: RSA encoded as a MIDI file. Technically this is a program and therefore unexportable from the US.
Self Incrimination and Cryptographic Keys: Richmond Journal of Law and Technology article on forced disclosure of crypto keys.
Services Available from Offshore Information Services Ltd.: Offshore internet services and accounts in Anguilla.
SOFTWAR Information Security: Declassified papers and resources on Clipper and key escrow, voice and mail encryption software.
Solitaire Encryption Algorithm: How to turn a deck of cards into an export-controlled item.
Special Investigation: ILETS and the ENFOPOL 98 Affair: FBI policy laundering: Persuade Europe to adopt wiretapping laws which failed in the US.
Stille, I svumpukler! Det er en andagtsfuld stund!: Information on crypto controls, Echelon, and related issues, from a Danish perspective.
Tapping into CALEA: Government surveillance server ("delivers intercepted call content and identifying information... capacity for up to 512 simulatneous call intercepts".
Telekommunikationsgesetz: East German surveillance state-style laws being applied in the unified Germany.
Telepolis Enfopol-Papiere: Documentation relating to EU telecoms surveillance plans (EU-Echelon).
The Age - Computers: DSD meddling in Australian crypto exports.
The European Surveillance Union: Story on European Enfopol massive-scale wiretapping initiative.
Threat and Vulnerability Model for Key Recovery: NSA report on why GAK is bad (yes, you read that right).
Tools For Privacy: Version 1: An online book covering threats to privacy, cryptography, PGP, and related issues.
TruePosition Wireless Location System Home Page: Cellular phone tracking.
UK Cryptographic Policy Discussion Group: ukcrypto mailing list archives.
Updated UK Proposals for Licensing Encryption Services: Critique of UK crypto licensing/GAK proposal.
U.S. Electronic Espionage: A Memoir: First exposure of the NSA and Echelon
US Spy Agency Confirms Secret Princess Diana Files: Echelon in action: APB story on NSA building up 1000+ page file on Princess Diana.
Walsh Report: Report on Australian crypto policy, originally suppressed by the government, then released in censored form after a judicial review, finally obtained as the full version by EFA. Provides most interesting reading since the bits they didn't want the public to see are now highlighted in red.
What your Browser is Sending: See what information your web browser is sending to remote servers.
Wiretapping Provisions of Anti-Terrorism Legislation: Comparison of surveillance measures proposed after the WTC attack.
World Wide Wiretapping Problem, Illegal Line Wiretapping and Network Eavesdropping around the World: Links to wiretapping information and news from around the world.