http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/06/20/censoring-science/ Security Research, Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:07:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/06/20/censoring-science/#comment-597 Martin Kochanski Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:59:20 +0000 http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2006/06/20/censoring-science/#comment-597 The control of research can be counterproductive in other ways too. I remember how at the beginning of public-key encryption Europe (and the rest of the world) received a boost from the American policy of banning the export of "munitions" such as encryption hardware and software. We could happily develop cryptography among ourselves, secure in the knowledge that there would be no US competition. In that case we had the added benefit that the key "RSA" patent was based on previously published research. It was therefore valid in the USA (constraining the activities of US companies) but invalid elsewhere. The control of research can be counterproductive in other ways too. I remember how at the beginning of public-key encryption Europe (and the rest of the world) received a boost from the American policy of banning the export of “munitions” such as encryption hardware and software. We could happily develop cryptography among ourselves, secure in the knowledge that there would be no US competition.
In that case we had the added benefit that the key “RSA” patent was based on previously published research. It was therefore valid in the USA (constraining the activities of US companies) but invalid elsewhere.

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