On Sun, Jan 30, 2005 at 11:12:05AM -0500, John Kelsey wrote: | >From: Adam Shostack <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | >Sent: Jan 29, 2005 12:45 PM | >To: Mark Allen Earnest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | >Cc: cryptography@metzdowd.com | >Subject: Re: Simson Garfinkel analyses Skype - Open Society Institute | | >But, given what people talk about on their cell phones and cordless | >phones, and what they send via unencrypted email, they are acting like | >they think their communications are secure in the absence of any | >encryption. So I don't think adding some 'cryptographic mumbo jumbo' | >is going to change their sense of security in the wrong direction. | | One thing most people seem to miss about this, though, is that cellphones and cordless phones are *great* for privacy from other humans who live in your house or work in your office. When you don't want your children to hear a conversation, you can go take the call in the bathroom or in the car while you're driving alone. Everybody seems to miss this--cellphones and cordless phones don't diminish privacy, they just move it around. Sophisticated eavesdroppers can violate more of your privacy, but nosy family members, roommates, and office mates can violate a lot less. I thnk most people correctly evaluate which of these groups is more likely to do something unpleasant with what they learn by eavesdropping. | | It seems to me that VOIP pushes this in a somewhat different direction, because it's probably easy for your high-speed internet access (maybe a wireless hop to a router that talks to a cable modem) to be eavesdropped by moderately technically savvy nosy neighbors, and because there are a lot of criminals who are using more technology, and will surely target VOIP if they think they can make any money off it.
Hi John, That's a very interesting point. There are clearly times when it's the case. I suspect, with no data to back me up, that a form of hyperbolic discounting occurs here: The family member who is clearly present ends up dominating consideration, and the less likely/understood eavesdropping threat disappears. (As does the 'yell for attention, pick up another extension attack,' but that's another story.) Adam --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
