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I dont think cryptographers have anything to be worried about here unless they are directly involved in designing a crypto-system for a person they know or coul

by Nrsolis 14y ago

I dont think cryptographers have anything to be worried about here unless they are directly involved in designing a crypto-system for a person they know or could reasonably suspect would be involved in doing something illegal. This individuals biggest problem was that he had more than a casual association with people that he could have reasonably suspected were involved in something illegal. If he had stopped having anything to do with the people who had the 800k hidden, he'd be a free man now. If he had tipped off the cops that he saw a car with 800k hidden in a secret compartment, he'd very likely have won the accolades of the entire police department along with buying himself some very welcome immunity from prosecution. He chose sides and lost.

john_b 14y ago
And if the people who worked with the two guys who had the 800k hidden had found out he'd snitched, then what? The bottom line is that you shouldn't have to "choose sides" every time you see something suspicious. Most seemingly suspicious occurences are innocent, and calling the police on someone every time you see one is childish and naive.
- Nrsolis 14y ago
  How about not dealing with sketchy people who need hidden compartments in their vehicles? Why is that not an option from the outset? I hate to say it, but I find the range of "legal" uses for a hidden compartment in a moving vehicle to be vanishingly small. I'd put them in the same range as legal reasons to wearing a full facemask/helmet in a bank.
betterunix 14y ago
I see this case as being no different from that attack on Phil Zimmerman in the 90s, except that Zimmerman is still a free man. Anaya did not "choose sides," he provided a legal service to willing customers without prying, no different from a cryptography expert who helps people deploy and use cryptosystems. This man was prosecuted to intimidate others like him -- other people who might make such modifications to cars. The goal was to ensure that such compartments do not become commonplace. Zimmerman was attacked in the 90s out of an effort to keep email encryption from becoming commonplace. If a technology makes law enforcement more difficult, the creator of that technology should expect to be prosecuted. Nobody "chose sides" in this case. Anaya is the victim of an vastly overpowered law enforcement system, one that has resulted in the United States having an order of magnitude more prisoners than any other country.
wnight 14y ago
Who's safe to design crypto for then? We've just seen the US, UK, and Canadian governments participate in the slaughter of innocent people and try to hide the evidence with cryptography. And we've seen the good guys use the same systems to hide from the governments while they leaked these facts.

by Nrsolis 14y ago

john_b 14y ago

And if the people who worked with the two guys who had the 800k hidden had found out he'd snitched, then what? The bottom line is that you shouldn't have to "choose sides" every time you see something suspicious. Most seemingly suspicious occurences are innocent, and calling the police on someone every time you see one is childish and naive.

Nrsolis 14y ago
How about not dealing with sketchy people who need hidden compartments in their vehicles? Why is that not an option from the outset? I hate to say it, but I find the range of "legal" uses for a hidden compartment in a moving vehicle to be vanishingly small. I'd put them in the same range as legal reasons to wearing a full facemask/helmet in a bank.

betterunix 14y ago

I see this case as being no different from that attack on Phil Zimmerman in the 90s, except that Zimmerman is still a free man. Anaya did not "choose sides," he provided a legal service to willing customers without prying, no different from a cryptography expert who helps people deploy and use cryptosystems. This man was prosecuted to intimidate others like him -- other people who might make such modifications to cars. The goal was to ensure that such compartments do not become commonplace. Zimmerman was attacked in the 90s out of an effort to keep email encryption from becoming commonplace. If a technology makes law enforcement more difficult, the creator of that technology should expect to be prosecuted. Nobody "chose sides" in this case. Anaya is the victim of an vastly overpowered law enforcement system, one that has resulted in the United States having an order of magnitude more prisoners than any other country.

wnight 14y ago

Who's safe to design crypto for then? We've just seen the US, UK, and Canadian governments participate in the slaughter of innocent people and try to hide the evidence with cryptography. And we've seen the good guys use the same systems to hide from the governments while they leaked these facts.