5 ms·

They couldn't, as this video explains https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G8dPAdmyss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G8dPAdmyss If two people really wanted to co

by gtf21 11y ago

They couldn't, as this video explains https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G8dPAdmyss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G8dPAdmyss If two people really wanted to communicate, they could still do the encryption on paper, and transmit the garbled messages.

Joeboy 11y ago
Spoiler: The video shows two people using a one time pad to communicate. It doesn't show any reason the government can't ban people from doing that, or stop WhatsApp using good encryption in the UK, or throw people in prison for using PGP. Admittedly that's not going to happen in the UK in the near future, but contrary to popular belief there's no reason you can't make maths illegal.
- gtf21 11y ago
  But it's really quite hard to make using a one-time pad illegal, and even harder to make maths illegal, so practically, while they could install all the backdoors in the world, they would struggle, practically, to prevent people ever encrypting anything.
  - Joeboy 11y ago
    I doubt they're that bothered about people using one-time pads on paper. I think they're bothered about encryption becoming sufficiently normal that the stuff they want to see is indistinguishable from cat photos. There are measures they can take (legislative and otherwise) to prevent that scenario happening.
dharma1 11y ago
Paper aside, I don't see how it would be viable for UK to try to enforce back doors all electronics, ban the import of non-back doored electronics, or enforce a ban on encryption software. You can make it illegal but it won't stop people from using it
- Joeboy 11y ago
  There's also no way they can stop all drug deals, bank robberies and murders, but they still legislate against those things, and I believe that legislation affects people's behaviour. People will probably always be able to get together in secret underground clubs where they play with one time pads for kicks. This is not what the government / MI5 are seeking to prevent.
  - dharma1 11y ago
    If they are trying to prevent major crime or acts of terror with this, it seems like it's doomed to fail - those people will not care whether encryption is legal or not

by gtf21 11y ago

Joeboy 11y ago

Spoiler: The video shows two people using a one time pad to communicate. It doesn't show any reason the government can't ban people from doing that, or stop WhatsApp using good encryption in the UK, or throw people in prison for using PGP. Admittedly that's not going to happen in the UK in the near future, but contrary to popular belief there's no reason you can't make maths illegal.

gtf21 11y ago
But it's really quite hard to make using a one-time pad illegal, and even harder to make maths illegal, so practically, while they could install all the backdoors in the world, they would struggle, practically, to prevent people ever encrypting anything.
- Joeboy 11y ago
  I doubt they're that bothered about people using one-time pads on paper. I think they're bothered about encryption becoming sufficiently normal that the stuff they want to see is indistinguishable from cat photos. There are measures they can take (legislative and otherwise) to prevent that scenario happening.

dharma1 11y ago

Paper aside, I don't see how it would be viable for UK to try to enforce back doors all electronics, ban the import of non-back doored electronics, or enforce a ban on encryption software. You can make it illegal but it won't stop people from using it

Joeboy 11y ago
There's also no way they can stop all drug deals, bank robberies and murders, but they still legislate against those things, and I believe that legislation affects people's behaviour. People will probably always be able to get together in secret underground clubs where they play with one time pads for kicks. This is not what the government / MI5 are seeking to prevent.
- dharma1 11y ago
  If they are trying to prevent major crime or acts of terror with this, it seems like it's doomed to fail - those people will not care whether encryption is legal or not