The MYK-78 Clipper chip

1993

The actual NSA-designed MYK-78 'Clipper' chip, photographed and released CC BY by researcher Travis Goodspeed. Announced in 1993, Clipper would have encrypted phone calls while escrowing a key for law enforcement. Matt Blaze found a flaw in its LEAF checksum in 1994 and public opposition killed it, setting the terms of every backdoor debate since. The subject dates from 1993; the photograph itself is later.