November 1992 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Update on Crypto Session at Hackers
by Paul E Baclace 03 Nov '92

03 Nov '92

Sounds good--too short, of course, so it is going to be challenging to prevent digressions. The "Crypto" stamp sounds like a good way for people to follow up on details/questions after the session. Paul

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another service
by norm＠xanadu.com 03 Nov '92

03 Nov '92

I think that there is an even easier time stamping service than that described by Eric Hollander. It too requires a trusted service with a trusted clock. It has just two key pairs, A and B. The protocol is that you send it a message, perhaps with payment under public-A. It returns the message joined with the time provided by its clock under key private-B. The returned message provides evidence in the future that you held the original message at the time indicated in the returned message. This protocol requires no data base of keys. It was once the practice (perhaps still) to mail oneself (US mail) a certified envelope with information that one might want to prove that he had had at some earlier date. One would then keep but not open the delivered envelope.

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Update on Crypto Session at Hackers
by tcmay＠netcom.com 03 Nov '92

03 Nov '92

Here's the semi-final information on the Crypto Session at Hackers this coming weekend: (Note: These inputs and volunteered talks came in over the past several days. There may be some changes of course. I'd like to see us get together---anybody who is reading this message---on FRIDAY NIGHT, in the refreshment room at MIDNIGHT, so we can plan, make any schedule changes, etc. This is of course up to you folks. I'll post a message somewhere prominent reminding you and listing time and location, if different from above.) * Time: Saturday afternoon, probably 3:00--4:30 (check the schedule!) (in an earlier update I mistakenly said we had only an hour) * Format: 7-10 minute talks by 4-5 people, followed by open discussion, questions, debate, etc. * Schedule: - Opening comments, groundrules, settling down, etc. (5-10 min), Tim May (I'll point people to a glossary posted on the wall and ask them not to interrupt the speakers with questions about the basics of crypto, such as whether DES has a trapdoor, etc.) - PGP, Fidonet, and Mail....Tom Jennings - Diffie-Hellman key exchange for rlogin, etc....John Gilmore - Anonymous remailers and DC-Nets....Eric Hughes - Digital time-stamping....either Stu Haber or W. Scott Stornetta - Open discussion, debate, etc. (45 minutes) I'll be the moderator, to keep folks to their time allotment. * If you have "poster" material, please bring it * We can also suggest that the discussion be continued later that evening, in one of the ad hoc sessions around midnight. Maybe some new topics can be be planned for a late night session. * Eric Hughes has suggested we stamp our badges with my red "CRYPTO" stamp, so that we can know ourselves (sort of a crypto oxymoron, eh?). See me and I'll stamp you, if you wish. Thanks for all of your excellent suggestions. I think this could be one of the best sessions at Hackers. --Tim May, 408-688-5409 -- .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^756839 | PGP Public Key: awaiting Macintosh version.

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request
by SIVAI%FRSAC11.BITNET＠pucc.Princeton.EDU 02 Nov '92

02 Nov '92

Hello , I wish i knew the internet address , if any , to which one should ask so to subscribe to the 'sci.cryp' usenet's bb . I'd like to know either what cypherpunk stands for ? I'm interested in mathematical processing of datum ( well datas or datum....a key issue no doubt ) . Anyway i thank you in advance . Regards Louis Safer

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Privacy etc.
by George A. Gleason 02 Nov '92

02 Nov '92

Definitely agreed with Tom's take on calling it "privacy" instead of "encryption." Connotations are entirely positive, tie in with modesty and domestic comfort and other nice things. Privacy and it's opposite: The following quote comes from the novel _We_ by Eugene Zamiatin, who wrote it in the USSR in the 20s only to see it banned and himself exiled to Paris. _We_ was also a primary source of inspiration for Orwell's _1984_, and is definitely worth reading. "Normally we live surrounded by transparent walls which seem to be knitted of sparkling air; we live beneath the eyes of everyone, always bathed in light. We have nothing to conceal from one another; besides, this mode of living makes the difficult and exalted task of the Guardians much easier. Without it many bad things might happen." Transparent walls with nothing to conceal. And of course, people who live in glass skyscrapers don't throw stones... -gg

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Public image...
by Tom.Jennings＠f111.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG 01 Nov '92

01 Nov '92

Another crosspollination from PUBLIC_KEYS. Just something to think about. It refers to Keith Henson's article I ran in FidoNews (apparently the file was corrupted, but that's another story.) This is in no way to imply that the story is bad, nor that I didn't like it (I did), nor that this is even a common opinion. I actually received a few thanks for running it. It's just something to consider. And implies that Keith's article/story is doing it's job! A message from Tom Jennings to all was released into the bitstream 20 Oct 92 12:51. TJ> re: PUBLIC RELATIONS, hell, substance too -- TJ> If what we're doing here is ensuring PRIVACY, let's call it PRIVACY. TJ> Calling it encryption simply drops us into the same category as TJ> crackers and criminals. TJ> This isn't apologia; it's infowar. The "anti abortion" people calling TJ> themselves "pro life" is a good example (regardless of what you think TJ> of the subject, please, I don't want to know, not even in netmail!) TJ> Naming is powerful, especially when names have content. "PRIVACY" is TJ> age-old, and crosses all boundaries, and is inherently anti-statist. TJ> ENCRYPTION is cloak'n'dagger, late night movies, WWII, espionage, etc. Speaking of which, the story by Keith Henson in this week's FidoNews probably set us back ten years. Now data encryption's indelibly linked with saboteurs, criminals and terrorists. :-( Well, maybe not _everyone_ reads FidoNews... :-) Cheers, Rich -- Tom Jennings - via FidoNet node 1:125/555 UUCP: ...!uunet!hoptoad!kumr!fidogate!111!Tom.Jennings INTERNET: Tom.Jennings(a)f111.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG

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PGP vs RSA
by Jim McGrath 01 Nov '92

01 Nov '92

The other day someone mentioned that PGP uses a patented algorithm. If this is the case, then what is the difference between using it and the also patented RSA. From the little reading that I have done, it sounds like RSA is a better protocol from the point of view of authentication etc. etc. So, the question is, apart from the fact that PGP exists, and an RSA implementation is not yet available, (to the best of my limited knowledge) is there any reason why we shouldn't use it? Jim McGrath I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

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