RE: [Discuss-gnuradio] "A scanner with a digital output" address@hidden pwright.com: @stake wows the wireless rubes...]

[Ettus, Matt]

>       And given the description of the two classes of Blackberry
> customer, I cannot help but wonder if LEAs and TLAs had 
> something to do
> with the decisions involved - clearly very few if any corporate
> customers with BES systems and the whole 9 yards inside their 
> firewalls
...
  Thus keeping the rf link completely open helps the
> watchers watch, and is something that they can be presumed to have
> quietly pressured to have happen.


The obvious reason there is no encryption in the cheap version is that it's
cheap.  Thus, the expensive model's price is justified to those who want
privacy.  If every feature were in the cheap one, why would you buy the
expensive one?

If the TLAs had wanted people not to have encryption, none of the models
would have it.  

All of the "easy" encryption models you describe are only effective against
casual eavesdroppers, as you state.  Certainly the TLAs you fear would be
considerably better equipped.

Making blanket paranoid accusations does nothing to help further the cause.
It only pisses people off and takes credibility away from all those
legitimately fighting for the cause of privacy.  It makes it easier for the
TLAs to make us all look like tinfoil hat wearers.

Matt