2026.06.19: EuroQCI Feedback
Daniel J. Bernstein critiques EuroQCI's reliance on Quantum Key Distribution, calling it insecure, expensive, and unnecessary. He argues that post-quantum cryptography offers better security and warns that EuroQCI risks wasting billions of euros.
Background
- Daniel J. Bernstein (djb) is a renowned cryptographer and computer scientist, known for creating Curve25519, ChaCha20, and the qmail software. He is a vocal critic of both NIST's cryptographic standardization and the NSA's influence on crypto.
- EuroQCI (European Quantum Communication Infrastructure) is an EU initiative to build a pan-European quantum-secure communication network, including satellite-based quantum key distribution (QKD).
- This post is djb's public feedback on the EuroQCI tender/specification documents (likely calling for proposals or defining technical requirements).
- The core critique: djb argues that EuroQCI's approach relies on unproven quantum-hardware assumptions instead of well-understood, conservative cryptographic algorithms (like his own), making the system vulnerable and expensive.
- The debate reflects a long-running schism: "classical" cryptographers favor math-based public-key crypto (e.g., lattice-based); "quantum" advocates favor physics-based QKD. djb belongs firmly to the former camp.