I am surprised not to find a single response supporting restraint from publishing these codes. Is this community really that foolish? First, of course if there is a flaw, it should be studied and fixed inasmuch as possible. Reasonable people can debate whether it's appropriate to publish methods and flaws, though the free speech question is more murky here. However publishing the actual keys - as opposed to the methods - is madness.
Let's consider parallel situations not involving protecting rich peoples' luxury posessions, which seems to be clouding everyone's judgement here.
Some examples where an encryption key is discovered or reverse engineered, and a scientist wants to publish them:
- a key which can shut down every ventilator
- a key which can remotely control the throttle on high speed train
- a key which can explode a nuclear warhead
- the key to your bitcoin stash
- the google master ssl private certificate
There are an infinite number of such examples. I'm shocked and disappointed that the HN community finds publishing keys, as opposed to systematic flaws, acceptable.
Presumably the cognitive dissonance arises from a distaste for rich people. However even if this mostly results in mere car theft, it could also easily result in the innocent being harmed.
Free speech, even under the US first amendment, rather clearly does not apply to publishing private encryption keys, particularly ones that can cause grave harm.
Shame on the HN community.
What if the headline were:
Scientist banned from revealing codes used to control school bus brakes
Let's consider parallel situations not involving protecting rich peoples' luxury posessions, which seems to be clouding everyone's judgement here.
Some examples where an encryption key is discovered or reverse engineered, and a scientist wants to publish them:
- a key which can shut down every ventilator
- a key which can remotely control the throttle on high speed train
- a key which can explode a nuclear warhead
- the key to your bitcoin stash
- the google master ssl private certificate
There are an infinite number of such examples. I'm shocked and disappointed that the HN community finds publishing keys, as opposed to systematic flaws, acceptable.
Presumably the cognitive dissonance arises from a distaste for rich people. However even if this mostly results in mere car theft, it could also easily result in the innocent being harmed.
Free speech, even under the US first amendment, rather clearly does not apply to publishing private encryption keys, particularly ones that can cause grave harm.
Shame on the HN community.
What if the headline were:
Scientist banned from revealing codes used to control school bus brakes