December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Another ActiveX hole (fwd)
by Ray Arachelian 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-------+..........................................................+------- + ^ + : Ray Arachelian : #include <std_disclaimer.h> :../|\.. \|/ : ray(a)earthweb.com :.....................................:./\|/\. <--+-->: ................ : My oppinions are my own and do not :.\/|\/. /|\ :voice: 212-725-6550 : neccesairly represent those of my :..\|/.. + v + :....................: employer. :....... .... http://www.sundernet.com ...personal.email sunder(a)sundernet.com ..... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 03 Feb 1997 13:26:44 -0500 From: Andy Breen <abreen(a)earthweb.com> To: yak(a)earthweb.com Subject: Another ActiveX hole hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... ------------------ DMK: An application of covert channels. From RISKS Digest Vol 18, Issue 80. Date: 1 Feb 1997 05:12:02 GMT From: weberwu(a)tfh-berlin.de (Debora Weber-Wulff) Subject: Electronic Funds Transfer without stealing PIN/TAN The Berlin newspaper "Tagespiegel" reports on 29 Jan 97 about a television show broadcast the previous evening on which hackers from the Chaos Computer Club demonstrated how to electronically transfer funds without needing a PIN (Personal Identification Number) or TAN (Transaction Number). Apparently it suffices for the victim to visit a site which downloads an ActiveX application, which automatically starts and checks to see if Quicken, a popular financial software package that also offers electronic funds transfer, is on the machine. If so, Quicken is given a transfer order which is saved by Quicken in its pile of pending transfer orders. The next time the victim sends off the pending transfer orders to the bank (and enters in a valid PIN and TAN for that!) all the orders (= 1 transaction) are executed - money is transferred without the victim noticing! The newspaper quotes various officials at Microsoft et al expressing disbelief/outrage/"we're working on it". We discussed this briefly in class looking for a way to avoid the problem. Demanding a TAN for each transfer is not a solution, for one, the banks only send you 50 at a time, and many small companies pay their bills in bunches. Having to enter a TAN for each transaction would be quite time-consuming. Our only solution would be to forbid browsers from executing any ActiveX component without express authorization, but that rather circumvents part of what ActiveX is intended for. A small consolation: the transfer is trackable, that is, it can be determined at the bank to which account the money went. Some banks even include this information on the statement, but who checks every entry on their statements... Debora Weber-Wulff, Technische Fachhochschule Berlin, Luxemburger Str. 10, 13353 Berlin GERMANY weberwu(a)tfh-berlin.de <http://www.tfh-berlin.de/~weberwu/

1 0

RE: My Departure, Moderation, and "Ownership of the List"
by Blanc Weber 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: Timothy C. May With no false modesty I tried awfully hard to compose substantive essays on crypto-political topics, often more than one per day. (Others did too, but they seem to be tapering off as well, leaving the list to be dominated by something called a "Toto," the "O.J. was framed!" ravings of Dale Thorn, the love letters between Vulis and someone name Nurdane Oksas, and the occasional bit of crypto news. Ho hum. I'm glad I'm not reading the list in e-mail, and thus can easily avoid replying to these inanities... .......................................... Your thoughtful contributions to the list are missed, Tim. As soon as I realized that you had left the list I suspected it had something to do with its moderation. However, I must protest the inclusion of Toto's posts as one of the "inane". His posts were intentionally formulated to cause to stand out what was, indeed, inane - as he said, to "hold up a mirror". And he continually decried the list experiment, pointing out the philosophical contradiction of a moderated "anarchist" forum. If the antidote to bad speech is more speech, then he certainly provided some, although not on the level or style as yourself. And you may say that some of these posts are not worth replying to, but didn't I see you respond to one of Dale's, regarding a photo of Jessica-the-pilot which he keeps above his desk? .. Blanc

1 0

GAK/KR spin
by Steve Schear 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Several months back there were discussions on the list regarding renaming the government's key escrow/recovery proposals (KRAP comes to mind). I think we need something that's catchy and simple (perhaps already familiar) to understand for the semi-litterate citizen units. I propose we encourage use of the terms "crippleware" or "crypto crippleware" when refering to the products limited to their weak crypto and/or key escrow/recovery. --Steve

1 0

Re: Filling Power Vacuums
by ichudov＠algebra.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

vovochka wrote: > timmy writes: > > <It's about "power grabs." > < > <You see, in any anarchic situation, where reliance on self-control and > <self-filtering is emphasized, there is always a _temptation_ for some to > <"fill the power vacuum" and grab power. > > ah, so what's the solution? Maybe there is a way to set up a structure that allows for no power to appear. In fact, I know one. > don't worry timmy, you'll feel better later after you've forgotten > that there was some deep lesson in all this. - Igor.

1 0

Information Warfare
by Peter Hendrickson 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The cypherpunks list has been under "attack" for some time. How have we managed it? Very poorly in my view. Some people have dismissed the idea that rogue governmental elements are behind some of our problems. Yet, there is no reason to rule out this hypothesis. The government has not always behaved well with regards to its perceived enemies in the last few decades. The FBI seems to infiltrate everything - even churches!. This is well documented. The CIA has worked hard on disrupting various political movements of which it did not approve using provocateurs and other conspiratorial dirty tricks. (I believe the FBI has, too, but I do not recall any documentation offhand.) We know that "Information Warfare" is the big thing in the defense establishment right now. It's all over their web pages. We see articles from the Kennedy School which seem to compare free speech with disease. Etc. Etc. We also believe that the things the Cypherpunks are interested in are on the radar screen. Maybe the Cypherpunks are, too. Is it unreasonable to ask whether some people are getting funding to experiment with disrupting "groups" like the Cypherpunks? I can easily picture people inventing all sorts of important sounding words like "psy-op" for what is little more than rudeness. Whatever the cause of the disruptions, the solutions are the same. Most of the proposals I've been hearing have to do with controlling the behavior of other cypherpunks and creating more structure. This is a mistake. It's clear that even the definitions of "spam" and "flame" are hard to nail down. The next idea will be to moderate on the basis of content. How will we decide what is content? Clearly that's much too important a question to leave to just one person. What we need is a committee to decide! What's next? Robert's Rules of Order? All of this detracts from the work we have before us. If you've ever been involved with a non-profit organization, you will know that enormous energy is spent on internal political scheming. That's a boring waste of time. Let's go down a better path. Let's think about the best way for each cypherpunk to manage disruptions. Please consider these suggestions: 1. Filter noise. I filter based on origin. If a kill file doesn't work, use a positive filter to read messages only from people who are worthwhile. It has been suggested that this doesn't work because some people post garbage, but also occasionally post something good. There's gold in the ocean, too. Why don't we retrieve it? If you don't want to manage a filter yourself, find somebody to do it for you. A number of people offer filtering services. Remember that in an open forum, noise increases with signal. The more worthwhile and interesting threads are on the list, the more worthless postings we are going to see, particlarly when people are consciously disruptive. 2. Post signal. Filters are useless when there is no signal. Signal comes from cypherpunks. You are a cypherpunk. 3. Birds of a feather flock together. When you respond to somebody, you mingle your on-line identity with theirs. Fly with the eagles. Peter Hendrickson ph(a)netcom.com

1 0

Re: My Departure, Moderation, and "Ownership of the List"
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

<* The mechanics of the announcement troubled me greatly. To be blunt, I was <seething with anger. I was mightily annoyed to read that John had made a <decision to appoint Sandy as his Moderator, with no discussion on the list. <I don't know if Eric Hughes and Hugh Daniel were asked their opinions, but <I certainly know I was not. I feel that as one of the two or three <founders, depending on how one is counting, and as a frequent contributor <to the list since its inception, and so on, I (and others) should at least <have been told of this plan. Better yet, have the plans discussed on the <list, as some good ideas may have been generated. hi timmy, a word to the wise: it amuses me that whenever I referred to a cypherpunk "community" my eyebrows were flamed off, by people who claimed there was no such thing. a community has certain properties, many of which I believe the cypherpunks "crowd" has always lacked. one aspect of the "crowd" that is lacking is LEADERSHIP. I have pointed this out again and again. the cpunks believe that leadership is no longer relevant in a digital society, somehow. the list is in the shape it is in because of POOR LEADERSHIP.. neither you nor EH care about what LEADERSHIP entails, or wish to exert the sacrifices that it requires. hence, you have, and have always had, a LEADERSHIP VACUUM. and now you are "mightily annoyed", "pissed off" etc. that as a "founder" you were not consulted? you weren't consulted because you weren't a leader in the true sense of the word. are you in or out? imho leadership does not merely entail writing posts and having a completely laissaiz fair attitude about every single issue under the sun, particularly those of dear importance to the list, such as how to deal with crappy signal to noise ratios, intentional provocateurs, people who seem to have ulterior agendas, etc. I think it is highly amusing for you to get a lesson about how your views about "anarchy" really work out. what does this anarchy thing mean, anyway? is someone else taking over the list your idea of what is represented by anarchy? imho anarchy is a power vacuum in which the events which have transpired, and that you perceive as unpalatable to say the least, are inevitable. <I'll have more to say about my problems with how things were handled. <Frankly, it smacked of the same kind of fait accompli decision John made <with the unsubscribing of Vulis. While John had (and has) every legal right <to do with his property as he wished, the effect was very negative. First, <Vulis found other ways to post (duh). Second, the list was consumed with <flames about this, many from Vulis, and many from others. Third, <journalists (who love sizzle over substance any day of the week) lept into <the fray with articles which gave Vulis the publicity he craved. Fourth, it <sent a message to enemies of liberty that "Even the Cypherpunks have found <it necessary to abandon their anarchic ways." "enemies of liberty"? hee, hee. anarchy was not a practical way of running the list, and never has been, and now that the REALITY of the situation is PROVING this to you in an inescapable existence proof, you find it impossible to confront the obvious message. timmy, a little tip: anarchy, as you seem to conceive it, doesn't scale well, and both usenet and the cypherpunks list are eminent evidence of this. <(I'm well aware of the issues with pests like Vulis, who seek to destroy <virtual communities like ours. But the solution John used did not work, and <generated more crap. As you all should know, it was John himself who coined <the wonderful saying, "The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes <around it." A delicious irony.) which should encourage people to understand that there is a subtle difference between censorship and moderation.. or does the distinction elude you? is there a difference in your opinion? you have plenty of financial resources to start a mailing list of your own, what makes you think it would be any more orderly than the one that is being run here? in fact, do you understand how "anarchy" and "order" are mutually exclusive, now that your own reality is shouting it to you? <* The proper solution to bad speech is more speech, not censorship. ah, so everyone should post 5 messages to the list, instead of 1, and those that are quite should post 3. quite an elegant solution. do you see how the silly rhetoric fails to hold up in reality? when will you get a clue about where your own views are really leading you? <* OK, even given that John had decided to censor "his" list, what about his <choice of Sandy Sandfort as the censor? "moderator"-- does the word mean anything to you? <(I count Sandy as a friend, but I'm just being honest here. Sandy is just <not a "Peter Neumann" (moderator of the "RISKS" list). you were free to propose another moderator. moderation is hard work. it takes a lot of time. who volunteered other than sandy? <* I would have had no problem had John announced that he was creating a new <list, the "Good Stuff" list, with Sandy has his Chooser of Good Stuff. <After all, both Eric Blossom and Ray Arachelian already offer just such <lists, and more would not hurt. < <But by making the _main list_ the censored one, this skewed things <considerably. anyone is free to subscribe to any list they choose, including the unfiltered one. how is the reality different than that which you write? are you suggesting that people are too lazy to make a coherent choose on their own? who are you to argue with what everyone themself chooses? <* The decision to "moderate" (censor) the Cypherpunks list is powerful <ammunition to give to our opponents, and Vulis is certainly gleeful that <his fondest wishes have been realized. And it won't work. People are <consuming even more bandwidth arguing the merits of John's decision, the <traffic is presumably being slowed down by the need for Sandy to wade <through the traffic and stamp "Approved" or "Rejected" on what he glances <at, and people are "testing the limits" of what they can say and what they <can't say. what's a better solution, in your opinion, besides ignoring it all and pretending there is no problem? <In any case, my several years with the list have taken a huge amount of my <time. Given the way this whole thing was handled, and the way the list is <degenerating even further, it looks like it's good that I'm moving on to <other things. ah, quite convenient excuse to bail out when no elegant solution seems possible. blame all the problems on faux-reasons rather than an opportunity for soul-searching. <- the decision to censor the list was made without any discussion on the <list, without any discussion with at least some of the longterm core <contributors, and was presented as a "fait accompli." by their own construction, all insisted that everyone be treated identically on the list, and that no such distinction be made about "longterm core contributors" but thanks for showing up and clarifying your position, timmy. what a tragedy not to routinely see your smiling face here. I for one have "taps" playing on my computer whenever I read the list as a suitable memorial to your past greatness. viva la cypherpunks!

1 0

Re: Moderation [Tim,Sandy]
by Peter Hendrickson 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 1:12 PM 2/3/1997, Lucky Green wrote: >At 12:28 PM 2/3/97 -0800, Peter Hendrickson wrote: >>At 11:38 AM 2/3/1997, Lucky Green wrote: >>> I am well aware of the name recognition and reputation capital associated >>> with CP, still I believe it best to *kill the list*. >> If you don't like the list, why not unsubscribe? > That won't solve the problem. The list has become counterproductive. It is > impossible for other lists to provide a real forum for the discussion of > the topics that this list used to be about while CP still exists. At the > same time, CP has long stopped providing such a forum. CP is draining > energy from its subscribers and the cause. Kill it! Kill it now! Who should do what to comply with your proposal? Should John shut down the list? Are you asking everybody to unsubscribe? I don't think "killing the list" is an option for you or anybody else. The List transcends all domains. Peter Hendrickson ph(a)netcom.com

1 0

Re: My Departure, Moderation, and "Ownership of the List"
by Adam Back 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

My main complaints about the `filtering' service forced upon the list readership are that: 1. It was done to the main list! If cypherpunks were left unchanged, and a `cypherpunks-edited' were created I wouldn't have a problem, it would be just another filtered list. However there are already several filtered lists, so the usefulness of this is limited anyway. Merely including details of these filtered lists in the sign on message, and posting a reminder every few weeks would suffice. I and apparently, most others didn't choose to subscribe to a filtering service. I object to this choice being over-ridden. OK, so I can re-subscribe to cypherpunks (cypherpunks-unedited), but many won't bother. (Actually I subscribe to cypherpunks-flames and cypherpunks, as the most efficient way of receiving all messages, and still being able to see the moderation results). 2. The impetus for moderating the main list seems to be as a result of a few posts by Dimitri. Really, if this is all it takes to destroy an unmoderated list, I've got to laugh at cypherpunks collectively. Why is it such a big deal to press the `n' key, if you don't like what Dimitri, or anyone else, has to say? If your time is too valuable to press `n' keys, what is wrong with subscribing to the existing filtered lists? Or with setting up a kill-file? Or maybe generating a bit of signal yourself? 3. It is even more funny that in my opinion Dimitri purposefully set out to raise the issue of censorship (after his own partial censorship), and has succeeded to this extent. The whole thing is just allowing yourself to be manipulated by his transparent efforts. 4. There is already a moderated forum for discussion of cypherpunks issues: cryptography(a)c2.net, why do we need another one? My vote is for renaming: `cypherpunks-unedited' -> `cypherpunks' and `cypherpunks' -> `cypherpunks-edited' and for moving all those still on the edited list to the unedited list. Post a note advertising the availability of a new filtering service called `cypherpunks-edited(a)toad.com', along with the references to the other competing filtering services. If at the end of the trial forced moderation period, John Gilmore doesn't have the bandwidth on toad.com to support all of `cypherpunks', `cypherpunks-edited' and `cypherpunks-flames', I suggest that a new home is found for `cypherpunks'. Or perhaps Sandy as proponent of his filtering service, would be able to find a home for `sandys-filtered-cypherpunks' service, as with the other filtering services. Personally, I am not in the habit of flaming people, or using the word `fuck', in general discussion, but I find the way this `filtering service' was foisted on the main list highly objectionable. Adam -- print pack"C*",split/\D+/,`echo "16iII*o\U@{$/=$z;[(pop,pop,unpack"H*",<> )]}\EsMsKsN0[lN*1lK[d2%Sa2/d0<X+d*lMLa^*lN%0]dsXx++lMlN/dsM0<J]dsJxp"|dc`

3 2

Re: Filling Power Vacuums
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

timmy writes: <It's about "power grabs." < <You see, in any anarchic situation, where reliance on self-control and <self-filtering is emphasized, there is always a _temptation_ for some to <"fill the power vacuum" and grab power. ah, so what's the solution? <I learned in my years at Intel how easy it was to start bossing people <around, and as I hired engineers and scientists, I built up quite a little <empire. But I didn't like what it was doing to me, as it distanced me from <the technology and also brought out "control freak" tendencies....I started <worrying about how my people were using their time ("my" time), and I <increasingly applied my own notions of what they should talk about and what <were suitable topics for laboratory chatter. In other words, I became a <censor. (Not a government censor, but a censor in the broader definition <I've already cited.) timmy, I encourage you to understand that leadership is not inherently evil. there are enlightened ways to lead people that leave the group better as a whole. you just fell into the trap of "negative leadership", the dark side of the force as you write. imho, however, there is a light side of the force that still involves leadership. <(I accept the role hierarchies play in corporations. They can't be built <with just people like me. They need leaders, controllers, power freaks, <etc. oops, a little bit of a glaring logical error there imho. leadership is not equivalent to a hierarchy imho. admittedly, it often translates that way. But a virtual community like the Cypherpunks group is not such a <heirarchical organization, and it needs few rules, leaders, etc. "We don't <need no steenking leaders.") yes, if you only want to be an ineffectual debate society with no significant power whatseover. <As this relates to Cypherpunks, I have steadfastly refused to consider any <"management role," so to speak, in how the list is run, the formal <policies, etc. I'm not saying there has been a call for management (though <Detweiler used to rail against us for not having a management heirarchy, <for not having rules and democratic procedures for "making decisions"), <just that the power vacuum in anarchies such as ours is often an open <invitation for someone to step in and "provide structure and guidance." I <resisted any thoughts of doing this, and argued against this sort of thing <whenever the topic came up in conversation. I chose to lead only by the <posts I wrote and the ideas I worked on. heh. perhaps "leadership" involves more than posting. perhaps there is a way to have "leadership" without hierarchy. perhaps "leadership" is not equivalent to "management". perhaps sometimes you win by losing, and lose by winning. perhaps water is so powerful because it is lower than all that which it flows around. <Now, of course, the message is being sent that Sandy Sandfort is in some <sense the de facto leader, being that he determines what traffic goes out <to the main list and what traffic gets bounced into the flames list. In <fact, I'll make a prediction: The media will see that he is the chief <censor and arbiter of worthiness and will increasingly contact him for the <Official Point of View on various items they are interested in. timmy, why are you so upset about the media angle? why do you give the slightest damn what the media thinks? answer: because you want to be the one they call when they want to know what the cypherpunks think. you want them to pay attention to the cypherpunks. in short, you would like to have the glamor of a leader, without any of the responsibility. <Namely, I realize that I don't want the karmic burdens of power myself, <preferring to lead only by the example I set and the ideas I generate. This <is why "market anarchies" (books, music, ideas, all things where "no ruler" <exists) appeal to me so much. I think you would be surprise at the realization that "leaders" exist in those so-called "anarchies" > And since I don't wish to assume the mantle <of leadership, hmmmmmmmmmmmm, it seems to me that reliquishing that burden might entail having decisions made that you do not agree with. <I am resentful and suspicious of people who _do_ step into the <"power vacuum" to lead and control. <Now I grant you that Sandy's form of leadership and control is relatively apparently in your brain, "lead" == "control" <Yes, I'm seething. Sandy is right about that. I saw a group I helped create <and spent thousands of hours on, writing articles and developing ideas <choose--by fiat from the owner of the machine the list was being sent out <from--to embrace the dark side, the control freak side. In the name of <"comity," Sandy's term for the bonhomie he thinks he can cultivate, we lose <our ideological purity. hee, hee. don't worry timmy, you'll feel better later after you've forgotten that there was some deep lesson in all this.

1 0

now we know why it was called altavista!
by nobody＠huge.cajones.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

... Cylink (CYLK) announced today that the government has approved export of the company's security products containing strong encryption. Likewise, Digital Equipment (DEC) has also won approval and plans to begin shipments of encryption-enabled networking and system software immediately. A third company, Trusted Information Systems, effectively had approval before January 1 because of its existing key recovery technology. ... http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,7575,00.html

1 0

concerning Ben Franklin
by Sean Roach 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I was reading one of the posts in the thread reguarding sone stolen object in Miami, the one reffering to the locks of the boxes, and it got me thinking. Ben Franklin was a revolutionary, scientist, inventor, publisher, statesman, and bookburner (according to F451). Perhaps he should be considered to be a cypherpunk, not that he necessarily knew anything about crypto, but because he was interested in many of the same ideals. It is my belief that were he alive today, he would be on this list. If the work of fiction referred to above, and in another recent post, is accurate in its reference to Franklin, then he would seem to have had the same solution to net pollution, burn it. Rather than considering Ben Franklin the first fireman, I would like to think of him as an early breed of cypherpunk. By this I consider cypherpunk to be interested in the subject, and its outcome, and a cryptographer to be just one faction of cypherpunk. Merely my opinion. Does anyone know whether or not Mr. Franklin may have played with code as well? All of my sources were assimilated into my understanding of the man several years ago, and at the time crypto was less in the public eye than it is now.

1 0

[PKP] Info please!
by winsock＠rigel.cyberpass.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Debauchery L[ethargic] Vilus K[unt]OTM likes to be the man in the middle, getting it both up the ass and in his mouth. ,/ \, ((__,-"""-,__)) `--)~ ~(--` .-'( )`-, Debauchery L[ethargic] Vilus K[unt]OTM `~~`d\ /b`~~` | | (6___6) `---`

1 0

Re: Editted Edupage
by winsock＠rigel.cyberpass.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

When Dimitri L[eisuresuit] Vulis K[arcinogen] Of The Month's mother gave birth to him after fucking with a bunch of sailors, she didn't know who the father was but decided to tell him that he was a Russian as the Russian sailor was the one who satisfied her the most. _ I I I~I I~I __ _ I~I _ . \ \ I_I/I-II-II \~~\' `-'`-'~I \_ ) ~\_ /~~ ) Dimitri L[eisuresuit] Vulis K[arcinogen] Of The Month \_ Y )' \ ^ / |~ ~| =====

1 0

now we know why it was called altavista!
by Huge Cajones Remailer 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

... Cylink (CYLK) announced today that the government has approved export of the company's security products containing strong encryption. Likewise, Digital Equipment (DEC) has also won approval and plans to begin shipments of encryption-enabled networking and system software immediately. A third company, Trusted Information Systems, effectively had approval before January 1 because of its existing key recovery technology. ... http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,7575,00.html

1 0

New X-Ray Imager
by azur＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

New X-ray gun trades privacy for safety Reported by Andy C Seen in The Nando Times on 13 August 1996 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Passive Millimeter Wave Imager can X-ray through clothing to "see" a concealed weapon, plastic explosives or drugs. A police officer can surreptitiously aim it into a crowd from as far away as 90 feet. The new X-ray gun is becoming a symbol for an unlikely alliance of civil libertarians and gun owners who fear the fight against crime and terrorism may be waged at the expense of personal freedoms. "I'm incredibly concerned," said John Henry Hingson, a past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, meeting here this past week. "The entire nation could become a victim of illegal searches and seizures and the law is powerless to protect them from these police abuses." But in these nervous times following the the crash of TWA Fight 800 and bombings at the Olympics, Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center, many Americans are now willing to trade some of their privacy and civil liberties for greater security. A poll last week by the Los Angeles Times found that a majority of people -- 58 percent -- said they would curtail some civil liberties if it would help thwart terrorism. Thirteen percent said it would depend on what rights were at stake. The poll didn't ask people to single out any rights. The Clinton administration has proposed increased wiretapping and other anti-terrorism steps, and is doling out research grants for cutting edge anti-crime technology that once may have been intended for only military use. Last year, the National Institute of Justice awarded $2.1 million to three companies to develop weapon detectors for airports, stores and public buildings. Two models are being developed of the Passive Millimeter Wave Imager, a creation of Hadley, Massachusetts-based Millimetrix Corp. The larger one, about the size of a shoebox, is mounted on a patrol car and pointed at the unsuspecting person. The gadget doesn't send out X-rays; instead, it picks up electromagnetic waves emitted by human flesh. Anything that stands in the way of those waves -- like a gun -- or anything that emits weaker waves -- like a bag of cocaine or a plastic explosive -- will show up on a little screen in the patrol car. Clothes emit no waves. Neither do walls, allowing the device to be used from even outside a room. A second model is a smaller, battery-operated version that an officer can operate by hand, like a radar gun. Millimetrix hopes to field test the larger model soon at a police agency. Hingson argues the device runs roughshod over bans against illegal searches and seizures. The law says police can stop and frisk a person only when an officer has a "reasonable suspicion" the person is armed or involved in a crime. Millimetrix points out that while the imager can see through clothing, it still leaves people some privacy. The device's display screen, the company says, "does not reveal intimate anatomical details of the person." Chip Walker, spokesman for the National Rifle Association, noted that devices like the imager threaten the legal rights of people in 31 states who are allowed to carry concealed weapons with proper licenses. "We certainly support efforts to disarm criminals, but we need to be careful that we're not painting with too broad a brush here," he said. Walker said that as troubling as terrorism is, people may be playing into terrorists' hands by giving up their privacy. "One of the broader issues is that if we start giving up certain civil liberties, that essentially means that the terrorists are starting to accomplish one of their goals," he said. Contact email address: acobley(a)mic.dundee.ac.uk --------------------- (From a TRW development program description) The Passive Millimeter Wave sensor detects thermal energy, which is radiated from objects and reflected from other objects such as the sky in the 94 Giga Hertz frequency band. The advantage of this frequency is that there is little attenuation of the energy by water particles in the air (fog). The camera operates very much like a television camera except that it operates at mm-wave frequencies (near 90 GHz) instead of in the visible spectrum. It has components analogous to a television camera: optics to focus the image, a readout device to convert the electromagnetic energy into electrical signals, signal processing electronics to prepare the signals for display, and display unit to view the scene. The optical system images the blackbody radiation emanating from the scene on the Focal Plane Array (FPA), which consists of an array of small antennas, each coupled to a very small MMIC W-band (90 GHz) direct-detection receiver. ---------------- >From a description of the National Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology Center/Northeast (NLECTC) at Rome Laboratory (more on that later). The Millimeter Wave Imaging Radar Consortium seeks development of a suitable technology and effective, affordable products for concealed weapon detection (CWD) and through-the-wall surveillance (TWS) application --- well-established objectives for both military operations other than war and civilian law enforcement agencies. Consortium members include Millimetrix Corp., South Deerfield, Mass.; Technology Service Corp., Trumbull, Conn.; and Riverside Research Institute of Lexington, Mass. They will contribute $2,035,087 to the research program, while the government's share will be $2,018,491. Military applications of the envisioned technology, in addition to operations other than war, would include use by military police and special forces personnel, all weather aircraft operation, shipboard and airborne missile warning, helicopter obstacle avoidance, battlefield surveillance, fire control, and missile seekers. Civilian law enforcement agencies would be able to use the technology in curtailing terrorist acts and juvenile handgun crimes that frequently involve the use of concealed weapons, bombs and other contraband that cannot be detected using currently available technology see <http://www.nlectc.org/E144T127/june.htm> --Steve

2 1

Your tax dollars at work
by azur＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

NIJ Opens Regional Technology Center in Rome: Representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice, state and local elected officials, and Air Force leaders officially opened the National Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology Center/Northeast (NLECTC) at Rome Laboratory. The Center will work with law en forcement and corrections organizations from 16 states --- stretching from Maine to Minnesota --- to determine operational requirem ents and identify, evaluate, develop, demonstrate and assess new or improved technology applications to meet those needs. The Center will also provide assessment of law enforcement products information, standards and testing. The Northeast NLECTC is co-located with Rome Laboratory within the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. Rome Laboratory is the Air Force's research and development laboratory responsible for command, control, communications, computer and intelligence technologies. The laboratory was selected as a regional technology center for the Justice Department's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in December 1994. It joins four other regional centers across the country that use existing facilities and resources to support the NI J's Office of Science and Technology and law enforcement and corrections organizations. The Northeast NLECTC will support law enforcement and corrections activities in the following states: Maine, New Hampshire, Verm ont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio Michigan, Wisconsin, Io wa and Minnesota. It will facilitate technical interchange between prospective users and developers or technology through regional symposia, exhibitions and workshops. Participants range from the law enforcement and corrections community to the Department of De fense and the commercial sector. Each of the five regional centers has a specific technological focus, with the Northeast NLECTC capitalizing on Rome Laboratory' s more than 40 years of expertise developing technologies that provided the vital eyes, ears and voices for the nation's military. The Rome Laboratory Law Enforcement Team will be working with the Northeast NLECTC to convert a variety of defense technologies to the benefit of law enforcement and corrections. At the current time, efforts are directed at transferring technologies in the foll owing areas: *** Sensors: concealed weapon detection, Over-the-Horizon radar, wall penetration surveillance, and passive location, tracking and tagging. *** Information Technology: image processing, natural language processing, and identification using optical correlation. *** Intelligence Exploitation: speech processing, timeline analysis, automated firearm identification, and forensic sciences. *** Communications: applications of high-speed networks, multiband multifunction radios, and rapidly deployable communications. *** Command and Control: collaborative planning, visualization techniques, and Joint Automated Booking Station. Over the past four decades, researchers at Rome Laboratory have developed a vast array of technological tools for the military to e mploy in our national defense. Within the shared framework of command, control, communications and intelligence, many of those tech nologies apply to the domestic law enforcement mission as well. As one of NLECTC's regional law enforcement technology centers, Ro me Laboratory will continue to make substantial contributions to the war on crime by developing technologies that meet the increasi ng needs of law enforcement. Rome Laboratory Signs Law Enforcement Technology Agreement with City of Rome Representatives of Rome Laboratory and the City of Rome signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRDA) to establ ish a formal working agreement for the purpose of testing and evaluating military technologies in a law enforcement setting. The C RDA signing was the first official action following a ribbon-cutting that opened the National Institute of Justice's Northeast Regi on National Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology Center at Rome Laboratory. Signing the agreement were Col. Ted. F. Bowlds, com mander of Rome Laboratory, and Rome Police Chief Merino J. Ciccone. During the five-year agreement, Rome Laboratory will supply a variety of technologies to the Rome Police Department. Police department officers and officials will then test, evaluate and report back to Rome Laboratory regarding the effectiveness of the test technologies. Some of the technical tasks to be performed under t he CRDA are enhancing the computing capability of the Rome Police Department, including improved access to law enforcement data bas es and access to the World Wide Web/Internet, as well as synchronization of 911 Emergency System, computer and alarm time clocks. Rome Police Department personnel will also gain access to advanced technologies such as the "sniffer alcohol detection flashlight," night-vision goggles and hand-held digital assistants. German Magazine interested in Rome Laboratory's Law Enforcement Efforts Dr. Frank Ochmann, a science editor for Germany's Stern Magazine, visited Rome Laboratory to interview engineers and managers involved in law enforcement technology. The interview was requested in light of the April issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, which carried an eight-page article covering a wide variety of C3I technologies developed by the Laboratory. Rome Laboratory Awards Funding to Research Consortia for Dual-Use Military and Law Enforcement Applications ROME, N.Y., June 25, 1996 --- Rome Laboratory has awarded funding totaling more than $5 million to three research consortia. Combined with investment by the consortia partners, the total amount of research will approach $17 million. Rome Laboratory will serve as the agent for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in managing the three research programs that were instituted under DARPA's Technology Reinvestment Project. The goal of all three programs is to develop new technologies with applications to both the military and commercial markets. The Quick Reaction Spoken Language Translator (QRSLT) Consortium seeks to develop a product prototype of a hand-held or body-mounted QRSLT that would allow military personnel in a hostile environment or civilian law enforcement personnel in an emergency situation to communicate with a non-English speaking individual using an easily portable, automatic translation device. The government is contributing $2,374,821 to the program, with consortium members sharing a cost of $3,632,852. Consortium members include Language Systems Inc., Woodland, Calif.; Entropic Research Laboratories Inc., Menlo Park, Calif.; and Eloquent Technology Inc. of Ithaca, N.Y. Language Systems Incorporated, developed the initial spoken language translation prototype under the direction and funding of Rome Laboratory, in support of military requirements. The QRSLT will accept spoken English input from a military or law enforcement user, translate the input into Spanish or Arabic, and generate the computer-spoken translation. The translator will also accept spoken Spanish and Arabic inputs and translate them into spoken English output. This will be an innovative advance over currently available "speaking translators," which produce speech based on typed inputs, which cannot accept spoken input, and which are not customized for military or law enforcement operations. The Millimeter Wave Imaging Radar Consortium seeks development of a suitable technology and effective, affordable products for concealed weapon detection (CWD) and through-the-wall surveillance (TWS) application --- well-established objectives for both military operations other than war and civilian law enforcement agencies. Consortium members include Millimetrix Corp., South Deerfield, Mass.; Technology Service Corp., Trumbull, Conn.; and Riverside Research Institute of Lexington, Mass. They will contribute $2,035,087 to the research program, while the government's share will be $2,018,491. Military applications of the envisioned technology, in addition to operations other than war, would include use by military police and special forces personnel, all weather aircraft operation, shipboard and airborne missile warning, helicopter obstacle avoidance, battlefield surveillance, fire control, and missile seekers. Civilian law enforcement agencies would be able to use the technology in curtailing terrorist acts and juvenile handgun crimes that frequently involve the use of concealed weapons, bombs and other contraband that cannot be detected using currently available technology. The Speaker Identification for Law Enforcement Consortium will be funded with $3.2 million, evenly divided between the government and consortium members T-NETIX Inc. of Englewood, Colo., and Dictaphone of Stratford, Conn. The goal of the consortium is to transfer previously developed speaker identification technology into commercial and military applications. With specific emphasis on minimal size, weight, power and cost, the technology is envisioned to have widespread civilian law enforcement surveillance applications. see <http://www.nlectc.org/E144T127/june.htm>

1 0

Re: Fighting the cybercensor
by Dale Thorn 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Sean Roach wrote: > At 08:15 PM 1/28/97 -0800, Steve Schear wrote: > >I think a hole in your thinking is to assume that the assasins have no > >motive other than financial gain. I would submit that there are those that > >have the skills, training and a political agenda coherent with the > >wagerers, lacking only the financial incentive to make the risks > >acceptable. These wetworkers won't consider accepting the bribe of the > >rich/powerful > This may be true, but the example was to show how easy a defensive line > could be thrown up around the powerful. For example, conventional body > guards could be included, ones with no real pay but with the fore knowledge > that they will be buried with the tyrant. These body guards could be ten > children out of each local village. Merely a human shield. [snippo] In Prizzi's Honor, Nicholson sez "If you try to hide in a submarine on the bottom of the ocean, we will find you". But it's not even that difficult. Lob a missile into the place and blow it up. Earth penetrators are getting better too, for the Sadaam types. And there's a zillion more. Does this "rich person" really want to spend his/her life living in a sealed tomb?

1 0

Re: Rejection policy of the Cypherpunks mailing list
by Dale Thorn 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

aga wrote: > On Tue, 28 Jan 1997, Dale Thorn wrote: > > aga wrote: > > > On Tue, 28 Jan 1997, Dale Thorn wrote: > > > > > > But seriously, I was just telling the folks over the weekend, if I > > > > > > had my hand on the button, a lot of people would die very quickly. > > > > > > As in The Day The Earth Stood Still, a single act of aggression would > > > > > > suffice to be immediately terminated. > > > No trial, huh? > > Good question. The law we have right now already assumes that there > > are situations where a criminal will not go peacefully, if at all. > > In some countries (years ago?) such as England, bobbies were known > > to not carry firearms for ordinary street duty. Am I right? But > > here in the USA, that would be unthinkable. > > So my proposal doesn't eliminate the responsibility portion of law > > enforcement. I'd say, if a target were eliminated thru negligence, > > malfeasance, or other wrongdoing under "color of law" or whatever, > > let the courts handle that as they do now. > Just who is doing the eliminating? > > My suggestion would give the law enforcers the ability to dispense > > the first level of justice expeditiously, which they cannot accomplish > > now due to all of the red tape and the corrupt legal system (lawyers > > specialize in getting chronic offenders off, particularly "traffic" > > offenses). By transferring a major portion of the bureaucracy to > > the pencil pushers, we can free up the street cops to do what they > > do best, namely bust or eliminate criminals. > Cops can never be trusted to "dispense justice," and half of the > cops are themselves criminals in what they do. Most cops steal > evidence and lie like crazy in Court. All they want is a conviction, > and it mattters not how it is obtained. All true. But I'm not suggesting the creation of anything new here. Cops already carry guns and kill people. All I'm suggesting is that they be empowered to kill when: 1) The crime is aggression against another person or persons; 2) The evidence is so solid (recorded?) that the officer (who risks being prosecuted if he kills unjustifiably) can carry out the enforcement without undue apprehension; 3) These things are reviewed by the elected representatives of the people, to make sure there's no hanky-panky going on. > > I dare say that the downside of this is much less pleasant than the > > virtual anarchy (in the bad sense) we suffer now. If the police get > > out of control, A.P. will arrive just in time to plug a few of those > > holes, so to speak. Ideally, future robotics should be able to > > provide something like Gort (sp?) to take the place of human officers, > > given advances in the kind of pattern matching needed to deter > > aggression and the like. Those who don't make it past the robots, > > well, the rest of us can learn to behave, and we'll be much better > > off when we do. > > I would trust robots more than humanoids. The Gort (sp?) robot is a perfect example, and I don't think it's all that many years away.

1 0

Re: Cats Out of Bags
by tmcghan＠gill-simpson.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

According to Duncan Frissell <frissell(a)panix.com> > "In an interview Tuesday, [David L.] Aaron [the Feds' Crypto Ambassador] disputed the {snip} > "When I talk to other governments," he said, "they still don't feel... ===(mis)quoted, paraphrased, and enhanced from current news reports=== The Clinton administration's newly named point man on encryption policy is citing international support for U.S. policies limiting use of encryption and called for industry cooperation. Speaking to the RSA Data Security Conference in San Francisco, David Aaron said that U.S. allies support the concept of lawful access by governments and the use of key recovery mechanisms. The White House's continued restrictions on encryption have been unpopular in the cryptography community and among major U.S. corporations and high tech companies because of the business disadvantage vis a vis foreign firms. Aaron alleges that U.S. trading partners have misgivings about the U.S. government's decision in October to allow 'moderately strong' 56-bit encryption, to be exported, under controlled circumstances, but were willing to cooperate on the policy. "As far as I can see, the international encryption market will not be a free-wheeling affair," he said, adding companies should consider that lawful access and key escrow capabilities may become "a growthe industry" In his speech, Aaron also listed cases where the U.S. government said encryption was used in terrorist plots, drug dealing, child pornography and espionage, adding the White House, "in no way seeks to expand law enforcement powers nor reduce the privacy of individuals." Independent experts strongly disagreed with Aaron's characterization of the international posture following his address here, and leading U.S. legislators said they would continue to push for further reform of the restrictions. "I just don't think it will work," Sen. Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican who has been behind the legislative effort to promote use of stronger levels of encryption, said of the White House encryption policy. "I think if bad people want to do bad things to good people, they certainly won't want to file their key (with any law enforcement authorities)," Burns said in a satellite conference. Marc Rotenberg, director of the Washington, D.C.-based Electronic Privacy Information Center, rebutted Aaron's suggestion that Washington has broad international support for its concept of lawful access by governments to the keys to encrypted files and communications. Rotenberg said at the recent Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) meetings on encryption policy, that was not the case, nor were a number of countries pushing for stronger controls, as Aaron said they had been. Germany, Australia, Japan and Canada all are advancing competing cryptography capabilities, according to Rotenberg. Thomas M. McGhan tmcghan(a)gill-simpson.com http://www.gill-simpson.com voice: (410) 467-3335 fax: (410) 235-6961 pagenet: (410) 716-1342 cellular: (410) 241-9113 ICBM: 39.395N 76.469W

1 0

encrypt_3.html
by Lynx_User＠linux.nycmetro.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Reuters New Media [ Yahoo | Write Us | Search | Info ] [ Index | News | World | Biz | Tech | Politic | Sport | Scoreboard | Entertain | Health ] _________________________________________________________________ Previous Story: Kodak To Buy Wang Software Business Next Story: Netscape Counts On User Upgrades In 1997 _________________________________________________________________ Wednesday January 29 3:26 PM EST U.S. Encryption Envoy Seeks Industry Cooperation SAN FRANCISCO - The Clinton administration's newly named point man on encryption policy is citing international support for U.S. policies limiting use of encryption and called for industry cooperation. Ambassador David Aaron, special envoy for cryptography, said on a speech to the RSA Data Security Conference in San Francisco that U.S. allies support the concept of lawful access by governments and the use of key recovery mechanisms. Key recovery would involve storing encoding keys in escrow so authorities could get access to them to unscramble data in an emergency, such as to uncover criminal activity. The White House's continued restrictions on encryption have been unpopular in the cryptography community and among major U.S. corporations and high tech companies, which argue the limitations put U.S. business at a disadvantage. Aaron said some U.S. trading partners have misgivings about the U.S. government's decision in October to relax U.S. export controls to allow export of moderately strong 56-bit encryption, but were willing to cooperate on the policy. "As far as I can see, the international encryption market will not be a free-wheeling affair," he said, adding companies should consider that lawful access and key escrow capabilities may become "a growing international requirement." In his speech, Aaron also listed cases where the U.S. government said encryption was used in terrorist plots, drug dealing, child pornography and espionage, adding the White House, "in no way seeks to expand law enforcement powers nor reduce the privacy of individuals." But some independent experts who monitor cryptography policy disagreed with Aaron's characterization of the international posture following his address here, and leading U.S. legislators said they would continue to push the White House to further liberalize the restrictions. "I just don't think it will work," Sen. Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican who has been behind the legislative effort to promote use of stronger levels of encryption, said of the White House encryption policy. "I think if bad people want to do bad things to good people, they certainly won't want to file their key (with any law enforcement authorities)," he told conference attendees over a satellite linkup. Burns appeared in the linkup with three legislative colleagues to stress that together they would push to put "get the administration out in front of the cryptography curve." Marc Rotenberg, director of the Washington, D.C.-based Electronic Privacy Information Center, rebutted Aaron's suggestion that Washington has broad international support for its concept of lawful access by governments to the keys to encrypted files and communications. Rotenberg said at the recent Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) meetings on encryption policy, that was not the case, nor were a number of countries pushing for stronger controls, as Aaron said they had been. In fact, countries such as Japan, Germany, Australia and Canada all have competing cryptography capabilities they are promoting, he added. The OECD guidelines are due to be published next month. Copyright, Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved _________________________________________________________________ Earlier Related Stories * Encryption Export Bill Backed In Senate - Wed Jan 29 9:54 am _________________________________________________________________ ________________________ ___________ Help _________________________________________________________________ Previous Story: Kodak To Buy Wang Software Business Next Story: Netscape Counts On User Upgrades In 1997 _________________________________________________________________ [ Index | News | World | Biz | Tech | Politic | Sport | Scoreboard | Entertain | Health ] _________________________________________________________________ Reuters Limited Questions or Comments

1 0

KOW_tow
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

1-28-97: "New Crypto Engines From Trusted Information Systems Allow Easy International Use of Strong Encryption " By supporting any application that calls for the use of algorithms such as DES, Triple-DES, or 128-bit RC2 or RC4, "this product will allow Windows users to use encryption as easily as they use a mouse. Previously, if developers wanted to use encryption in their products, they had to consider writing two different versions, dealing with changing export regulations, and so on. Now, they can write one version of the program and sell it worldwide, knowing that the CSP will handle the encryption legally and safely." "Two Companies Set to Offer Key Recovery Services Using Technology from TIS " SourceKey and Data Securities International (DSI) have applied for approval to operate Key Recovery Centers to support exported encryption products. TIS also announced today that it is in negotiations with the National Computing Centre, Ltd. of the U.K. and Philips Crypto BV of the Netherlands to license the first non-U.S.-based Key Recovery Centers for third party use. "Burns Prepares To Reintroduce Encryption Bill" "This time around," Burns said, "we intend to put a bill on the President's desk and find out if he is truly on the side of the users and providers of rapidly expanding high-tech goods and services." It would prohibit a mandatory system under which producers or users of hardware and software would be required to surrender a decoding "key" to a third party. ----- KOW_tow

1 0

Re: The Politics of Export Restrictions
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Agreed. It's the Republicans who are the most adamantly pro-crypto. They'd love to use it as a noose to hang Gore in 2000. If Gore switches positions -- which I think unlikely -- it'll just be another area where both parties agree. A minor point: since Gore has been the chief crypto-critic of this administration, if he switched he'd leave himself open to charges of waffling. Then again, some administration officials tell me they expect this debate to be resolved within a year, so go figure. -Declan On Wed, 29 Jan 1997, Greg Broiles wrote: > At 09:44 PM 1/29/97 -0800, Rick Hornbeck wrote: > > >Is it possible the unreasonable crypto export restrictions are simply being > >imposed at this time for the purpose of making Al Gore look good when he > >runs for President in 2000? > > I suppose it's plausible, but it's an opportunity open to both candidates, > and more plausibly (because of lack of collaboration) to the Republicans - > e.g., Dan Quayle and the "Crypto Freedom For Americans" platform, promising > to rescue Silicon Valley from those evil regulatory Democrats. > > If I were an evil politician trying to set up a trick like you suggest, I > think I'd want a scheme that my opponent(s) couldn't hijack and use against > me. > > -- > Greg Broiles | US crypto export control policy in a nutshell: > gbroiles(a)netbox.com | > http://www.io.com/~gbroiles | Export jobs, not crypto. > | > >

1 0

Re: Cats Out of Bags
by tmcghan＠gill-simpson.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

According to Duncan Frissell <frissell(a)panix.com> > "In an interview Tuesday, [David L.] Aaron [the Feds' Crypto Ambassador] disputed the {snip} > "When I talk to other governments," he said, "they still don't feel... ===(mis)quoted, paraphrased, and enhanced from current news reports=== The Clinton administration's newly named point man on encryption policy is citing international support for U.S. policies limiting use of encryption and called for industry cooperation. Speaking to the RSA Data Security Conference in San Francisco, David Aaron said that U.S. allies support the concept of lawful access by governments and the use of key recovery mechanisms. The White House's continued restrictions on encryption have been unpopular in the cryptography community and among major U.S. corporations and high tech companies because of the business disadvantage vis a vis foreign firms. Aaron alleges that U.S. trading partners have misgivings about the U.S. government's decision in October to allow 'moderately strong' 56-bit encryption, to be exported, under controlled circumstances, but were willing to cooperate on the policy. "As far as I can see, the international encryption market will not be a free-wheeling affair," he said, adding companies should consider that lawful access and key escrow capabilities may become "a growthe industry" In his speech, Aaron also listed cases where the U.S. government said encryption was used in terrorist plots, drug dealing, child pornography and espionage, adding the White House, "in no way seeks to expand law enforcement powers nor reduce the privacy of individuals." Independent experts strongly disagreed with Aaron's characterization of the international posture following his address here, and leading U.S. legislators said they would continue to push for further reform of the restrictions. "I just don't think it will work," Sen. Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican who has been behind the legislative effort to promote use of stronger levels of encryption, said of the White House encryption policy. "I think if bad people want to do bad things to good people, they certainly won't want to file their key (with any law enforcement authorities)," Burns said in a satellite conference. Marc Rotenberg, director of the Washington, D.C.-based Electronic Privacy Information Center, rebutted Aaron's suggestion that Washington has broad international support for its concept of lawful access by governments to the keys to encrypted files and communications. Rotenberg said at the recent Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) meetings on encryption policy, that was not the case, nor were a number of countries pushing for stronger controls, as Aaron said they had been. Germany, Australia, Japan and Canada all are advancing competing cryptography capabilities, according to Rotenberg. Thomas M. McGhan tmcghan(a)gill-simpson.com http://www.gill-simpson.com voice: (410) 467-3335 fax: (410) 235-6961 pagenet: (410) 716-1342 cellular: (410) 241-9113 ICBM: 39.395N 76.469W

1 0

cDc GD Update #21-1/97
by Swamp Ratte 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

_ _ ((___)) [ x x ] cDc communications \ / Global Domination Update #21 (' ') January 1st, 1997 (U) Est. 1984 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: sratte(a)mindvox.com CDC IS NEW FALLEN SNOW ON A BLEAK DESERT LANDSCAPE cDc communications is tittering with joy on the birth of this shiny new year to make two announcements. We are the proud parents of ten bouncing new articles in the continuing saga of the CULT OF THE DEAD COW publication. These feisty little rugrats will put a smile on the face and a Brussels sprout in the stomach with their hearty blend of entertainment and information. We also can now make public our "Good Times" virus hoax. The Good Times meme was launched by cDc to prove the gullibility of self-proclaimed "experts" on the Internet. Any chickenhead would see through the Good Times virus message as the merest wisp of smoke that it is, while the so-called experts ran around in circles, beside themselves in self-induced panic. Therefore, CULT OF THE DEAD COW claims FULL responsibility for the waves of nausea and unrest that have spread from AOL to CompuServe to Prodigy by the actions of egotistical 'experts' who roam the Information Superhighway like squeegee men, seeking to wring a buck or two from the poor souls they confront at every intersection and stoplight on the infobahn. We have far worse to unleash upon you, should you insist upon pontificating and spreading obvious falsehoods. Heed well the motto of the Hell's Angels: "Those who know, don't tell. Those who tell, don't know." We'd also like to take this opportunity to quell a nasty rumor: cDc has NOT been bought-out over the past few months to ANYONE. cDc, as always is 100% independently owned and operated and has no outside sponsors. Viacom and Ziff-Davis, puh-leeze. Coming soon: cDc presents AUDIO on the Internet via Tarkin Darklighter's Shockwave site. New releases from Weasel-MX, Gravelheaver, Tha Gates, Superior Products, Grey Man, and Crucified Goat are on the way. Also, The cDc Media List version 3 from Omega... something fresh for the spring '97 fashion season. _ _ the tedium is the message _ _ ((___)) INFORMATION IS JUNK MAIL ((___)) [ x x ] _ [ x x ] \ / _ |_|_ _ _|_ _|_ |_ _ _| _ _. _| _ _ \ / (' ') (_|_|| |_ (_) | |_ | |(/_ (_|(/_(_|(_| (_(_)\_/\_/ (' ') (U) (U) .ooM cDc communications .ooM deal with it NEW RELEASES FOR JANUARY, 1997: deal with it ________________________________/text files\________________________________ 321:"Nineteen Seventy-Seven" by OXblood Ruffin. It was a good year... Star Wars, The Sex Pistols, the Apple II, and the Death of Elvis. And you thought they weren't connected? 322:"Pariah '67" by Matt Brown. It's like _The Wonder Years_ with real blood. Like Diet Coke with real sugar. Who would've thought Paul would grow up to drum for Marilyn Manson? Gosh. 323:"CYBERsitter" by Peacefire. Overprotective parents are being led down the primrose path to potential pathos. This is an important press release from the Peacefire organization concerning their efforts against the makers of the CYBERsitter Internet filtering software. 324:"Painted Stranger" by Weasel Boy. Creepy-as-hell goth fiction. People with monochromatic wardrobes and Victorian affectations, incest, tragic young death, The Beast. You know the drill. Hup hup! 325:"Zen of Skateboarding, Part 3: Flowing Stream" by Thoai Tran. Skate and destroy. Death to false skating. The search for beauty and truth continues. 326:"The Great Southern Fire God" by John Crow. Everything would be great if it weren't for those DAMN YANKEES (nevermind The Nuge, this is _serious bidness_). Will the assembly please rise and join with me in singing "Sweet Home Alabama." 327:"Vulnerabilities in the S/KEY One-Time Password System" by Mudge. All that and a bucket of chicken wings. 328:"Pantslessness" by Mark Buda. I don't know about you, but every time I go outside without pants, the squirrels poke at my BARE-NAKED POSTERIOR with twigs. They ain't got covered rumps neither. Freaks! 329:"Quadro-Pounder" by Drunkfux. He wants lots of meat. Huh-huh. 330:"Happyland Cell Block 90210" by G. Allen Perry. "Where am I?" "You're in a cheap run-down teenage jail, that's where." "Oh my God!" -The Runaways Reading is FUNdamental! _______________________________/ - x X x - \________________________________ Fools better recognize: CULT OF THE DEAD COW is a publication and trademark of cDc communications. Established in 1984, cDc is the largest and oldest organization of the telecommunications underground worldwide, and inventor of the "e-zine." Every issue is produced on an Apple II for genuine old-school flavor. You thirst for our body of work, you know you do. Find it at these fine locations, among others: World Wide Web: //www.l0pht.com/cdc.html FTP/Gopher: cascade.net in pub/cDc Usenet: alt.fan.cult-dead-cow BBS: 806/794-4362 Entry:KILL For further information, contact: Email: sratte(a)mindvox.com Postal: POB 53011, Lubbock, TX, 79453, USA Sincerely, Grandmaster Ratte' cDc/Editor, Fearless Leader, and Pontiff "We're into telecom for the groupies and money." #### By THE NIGHTSTALKER and GRatte'. Copyright (c) 1997 cDc communications.

1 0

Re: Last nail for US crypto export policy?
by Bill Stewart 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 10:45 AM 1/29/97 -0500, Dan Geer wrote: >Steve is absolutely right on the money, particularly about the likely >happiness on the government side. I pretty much agree. On the other hand, Ian did a nice job on the radio (NPR, probably was All Things Considered) of pushing the "look, if a college student can break 40 bits in a couple of hours, it's really stupid for the government to limit us like this"; a couple of other people also contributed spin, and it came out pretty strongly against export restrictions. I think we do need to get some sort of push going for 3DES as a replacement for DES - it's strong enough, even though DES is showing its age, and it's an obvious transition from the current technology. It's slower and clunkier than IDEA or RC4/128, but still not bad. # Thanks; Bill # Bill Stewart, +1-415-442-2215 stewarts(a)ix.netcom.com # You can get PGP outside the US at ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto/pgp # (If this is a mailing list, please Cc: me on replies. Thanks.)

1 0