Indeed. It would appear all the necessary components for encryption are impossible to ban, by simple common sense if not by guarantees of very basic constitutional or charter rights.
1. public and private keys (criminalize the possession of large integers?)
2. transmission and reception (criminalize freedom to speak or write or read or hear large numbers or random-appearing text?)
3. encryption and decryption (criminalize, as you say, some relatively simple math operations?)
Anti-encryption governments and law enforcement don't want this simple breakdown understood by voters. They'll emphasize fear (<insert_threat>) and shame/virtue ("what do innocent people have to hide?") Weak arguments but they seem to press stronger emotional buttons than the more principled (IMO) philosophical math and speech arguments that should guarantee freedom to encrypt forever.
The weirdest part of this is criminals making child porn already break the law, why would the law stop them using encryption? It doesn’t actually make sense.
1. public and private keys (criminalize the possession of large integers?)
2. transmission and reception (criminalize freedom to speak or write or read or hear large numbers or random-appearing text?)
3. encryption and decryption (criminalize, as you say, some relatively simple math operations?)
Anti-encryption governments and law enforcement don't want this simple breakdown understood by voters. They'll emphasize fear (<insert_threat>) and shame/virtue ("what do innocent people have to hide?") Weak arguments but they seem to press stronger emotional buttons than the more principled (IMO) philosophical math and speech arguments that should guarantee freedom to encrypt forever.