[pchelpers] News:Skype encryption stumps German police

Thu Nov 22, 2007 12:28pm EST

By Louis Charbonneau

WIESBADEN, Germany (Reuters) - German police are unable to decipher the
encryption used in the Internet telephone software Skype to monitor
calls by suspected criminals and terrorists, Germany's top police
officer said on Thursday.

Skype allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet from their
computer to other Skype users free of charge.

Law enforcement agencies and intelligence services have used wiretaps
since the telephone was invented, but implementing them is much more
complex in the modern telecommunications market where the providers are
often foreign companies.

"The encryption with Skype telephone software ... creates grave
difficulties for us," Joerg Ziercke, president of Germany's Federal
Police Office (BKA) told reporters at an annual gathering of security
and law enforcement officials.

"We can't decipher it. That's why we're talking about source
telecommunication surveillance -- that is, getting to the source before
encryption or after it's been decrypted."

More here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSL21173920071122
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John Durham
Site http://modecideas.com
Server hosted on Ubuntu 4.10
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