Denning@ISSS Expo '93

I was looking through the brochure for ISSS Expo '93, the Third Annual
International Security Systems Symposium and Exhibition, to be held in
Washington, DC Nov. 15-17. Convention topics: 

safeguarding proprietary info
opsec/intel/counterintel
computer/info systems security
competitive intelligence (translation: corporate espionage)
special topics 

Exhibits:
surveillance systems
counter-surveillance
detection systems
anti-terrorist/penetration
information security
transmission methodologies
computer and communications security
miscellaneous

One presentation in particular sounds rather ominous:

Encryption - The Law
(U.S. & International Implications)
Speaker: Dorothy "Skipjack" Denning

What do you suppose Denning will talk about? Perhaps she will point out
that, due to the government's overriding need to perform large-scale, cheap
monitoring, only very weak crypto can be exported. And that 40-bit keys can
be cracked not only by the government, but also by anyone with idle
workstations at night. Naturally, this is a problem for any multinational
which doesn't want to be a victim of "competitive intelligence".
 
She might even propose a solution: we can all standardize on Clipper, thereby
making the world safe from privacy, and restoring espionage to its proper
place as a government monopoly. She will probably forget to mention another
solution, however - one which is completely legal and which will be
available long before Clipper. A U.S. company can buy ViaCrypt PGP; the
foreign branch can use free PGP, and since no cryptographic software crosses
the border, no laws are broken.

Conference/exhibit info: (301) 986-7800

Exhibit attendance $20 or free with registration form.
Conference $595 business, $495 government/military.
Maybe some DC-area cypherpunks could show up for the exhibits and crash the
party with some highly subversive and seditious materials.

I've seen Denning's name on other security conferences, most recently several
weeks ago in DC. As usual, one can always make money by toading for the
government.

Phil