Outlaw Quantum Encryption?
Department:
Quantum Technology
Teaser:
"A new effort to ensure that the government can gain back-door access to encrypted messages could thwart one of the most promising applications of physics for digital security"
Source:
Scientific American Download time: Oct 2 2010 9:16 AM ET
The nascent industry of quantum communications could suffer a fatal blow if the U.S. enacts sweeping new regulations to provide wiretapping access to law enforcement.
The weirdness of quantum mechanics makes it possible for two parties to share an encryption key and be sure that no one else can copy it. Any attempt to eavesdrop on the communication of the quantum key would irreversibly disturb its quantum state, thus revealing that the channel is being wiretapped.
In recent decades, the development of quantum communication and encryption has motivated significant advances in basic research in mathematics, physics and engineering. …
See Scientific American for links to further info.
