December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

export rules obsolete, says U.S. official
by nobody＠huge.cajones.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/info/061197/info12_13274.html ______________________________________________________________________ Supercomputer export rules obsolete, says U.S. official __________________________________________________________________________ Copyright ) 1997 Nando.net Copyright ) 1997 The Associated Press WASHINGTON (June 11, 1997 5:56 p.m. EDT) -- A Commerce Department official denied that Clinton administration export policies let U.S. supercomputers be used by hostile nations for weapons and said old controls are now unworkable. The president's 1995 decision to loosen export controls on supercomputers and other high-tech products recognized that technology is advancing at lightning speed and already is available throughout the world, William A. Reinsch, Commerce's undersecretary for export administration, said Wednesday. Harsher restrictions on the export of the most powerful computers would be of limited benefit, he said. "Efforts to control at lower levels will not only be unsuccessful, they will limit our ability to widely disseminate American standards and software and damage our companies economically," Reinsch told the Senate Governmental Affairs subcommittee on international security, proliferation and federal services. "When President Clinton took office he was urged by congressional leaders of both parties to make long-overdue reforms in this area," Reinsch said. "I believe our efforts to do that have been a model of good government decision making." Sen. Thad Cochran, subcommittee chairman, retorted that Russia's premier nuclear weapons labs have five American supercomputers, and at least 46 are used in China. "The good news is that some of these major scientific technological institutes across China may not be involved in developing weapons of mass destruction and missile delivery systems for China and its clients. But some surely are," Cochran, R-Miss., said. "And they're doing this work courtesy of what appears to be, at best, a deeply flawed U.S. export-control policy." The United States restricts export of fast-calculating supercomputers to nonallies. Military uses to which supercomputers can be put are testing nuclear weapons, building accurate missiles and developing code-breaking technology. Reinsch said the Justice Department is investigating three sales of supercomputers overseas, two in Russia and one to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The sales are suspected of violating U.S. regulations designed to keep U.S. technology from falling into the wrong hands. Commerce officials also are checking into whether U.S. supercomputers sold to customers in Dubai have been resold to Iran, he said. Two Republican House members, Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois and Rep. Tillie K. Fowler of Florida, have demanded a Justice Department investigation into sales of sensitive equipment to China as part of its inquiry into foreign campaign contributions to Democrats. In a May 22 letter to Attorney General Janet Reno, the lawmakers said the situation raises questions about whether campaign contributions from Asian donors led to the sales. In response to a question from Cochran, Reinsch said he didn't think the Commerce Department had been asked to turn over information as part of such an investigation, "but we will certainly turn over to them whatever they ask for." By CASSANDRA BURRELL, Associated Press Writer _________________________________________________________________ [ Global | Stateside | Sports | Politics | Opinions | Business | Techserver | Health & Science | Entertainment | Weather | Baseball | Basketball | Football | Hockey | Sport Server | MAIN ] _________________________________________________________________ Copyright ) 1997 Nando.net Do you have some feedback for the Nando Times staff?

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Re: [CNN] Stolen Laptops and lame 'solution' (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi, Forwarded message: > From: "Raymond Mereniuk" <raymond(a)wcs.net> > Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 17:22:48 +0000 > Subject: Re: [CNN] Stolen Laptops and lame 'solution' > theft. But, the eventual buyer is indirectly responsible for the > initial theft of the notebook. Bullshit. That is like saying the person being raped is responsible for the rape. This is plain and simple victim-speak. ____________________________________________________________________ | | | _____ The Armadillo Group | | ,::////;::-. Austin, Tx. USA | | /:'///// ``::>/|/ http:// www.ssz.com/ | | .', |||| `/( e\ | | -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- Jim Choate | | ravage(a)ssz.com | | 512-451-7087 | |____________________________________________________________________|

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IRS T-Pole Surveillance
by Michael F. Reusch 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>Commerce Business Daily, June 11, 1997 >Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, >6009 Oxon Hill Road, Suite 700, Oxon Hill, MD 20745 >Surveillance Systems SOL TIRNO97R00049 DUE 073097 >POC Contract Specialist, Steve VanderLinden, FAX (202) 283-1514 >The Internal Revenue Service requires enclosed surveillance systems >configured as transformers for mounting on telephone poles.... http://www.ld.com/cbd/archive/1997/06(June)/11-Jun-1997/58sol002.htm Still laughing. Made my day!

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Can you say anti-trust? [CNN]
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > CNN logo > > MICROSOFT, NETSCAPE JOIN FORCES IN WEB PRIVACY BATTLE > > June 11, 1997 > Web posted at: 1:56 p.m. EDT (1756 GMT) web graphic > > WASHINGTON (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. and Netscape Communications > Corp., two of the Internet's biggest rivals, Wednesday announced a > stunning alliance aimed at more tightly controlling the personal > information that businesses collect about World Wide Web users. > > The teaming of the two software competitors reflected the heightened > concern in the business community that government regulators may > impose rules to crack down on privacy intrusions by Internet > companies. ____________________________________________________________________ | | | _____ The Armadillo Group | | ,::////;::-. Austin, Tx. USA | | /:'///// ``::>/|/ http:// www.ssz.com/ | | .', |||| `/( e\ | | -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- Jim Choate | | ravage(a)ssz.com | | 512-451-7087 | |____________________________________________________________________|

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Re: Thoughtcrime (Re: My War)
by lucifer＠dhp.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

tzeruch(a)ceddec.com wrote: > On Tue, 10 Jun 1997, Steve Schear wrote: > > I find lust to be a noble urge. > > Then you probably find rape a noble deed. I do not. If you are referring > to the acts our net.loon often posts to this list, I hope you enjoy > placing yourself at his level. My ideas originate above my limbic system. You forgot to add, "...and your mother wears army boots!" before your attempted "guilt by association" slur and the placing of your esteemed self on an intellectual pedestal. I have noticed in the list's dick wars and pissing contests that those with the shortest dicks put themselves on pedestals in order to compensate for their physical shortcomings and those with the smallest bladders use the largest dictionary in hopes that extra acidity will compensate for lack of volume. It is my contention that those who enjoy "mental masturbation" also "find lust to be a noble urge." Of course, I'm Chinese...I could be Wong. A thousand monkeys spanking typewriters and purporting to be: TruthMonger

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Mapquest From The Road
by fromtheroad＠mapquest.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

MapQuest is pleased to present: ========================================================== From The Road http://www.mapquest.com/fromtheroad June 9, 1997 ========================================================== >From The Road is a members only newsletter published by MapQuest. Issues will consist of a brief email like this, linked to a Web version of FTR. Check out FTR on the Web at: http://www.mapquest.com/fromtheroad or read on. At MapQuest, we are strong believers in online communities, and have long hoped for a way to introduce our members to each other. We hope to accomplish that by sharing the best MapQuest stories with all of our 1,000,000+ members. Each issue will contain the following regular features: ============================== *NEW FEATURES DETOUR* There's more to MapQuest than meets the eye. Do you love Paris in the spring? Let us help you find your way around the highlights of Europe. ============================== *FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT* MapQuest member stories from TRW (the real world). This issue's story From The Driver's Seat story takes us to the freeways of Southern California. Read how one member uses MapQuest on the job. You don't want to be late for this meeting! ============================== *MAP SIDE STORY* Personal maps and the stories behind 'em. Here's a unique CONTEST for all the avid mapmakers out there who have created personal maps. We want to show off the best personalized maps and the stories behind them. If your map really has personality, let us know. All of our winners will receive a prize from MapQuest. ============================== *NEWS AND VIEWS* A friendly fireside chat, only without the fireplace. Join us for a moment of commentary as we discuss the growth of online travel services and the benefits to you, the consumer. ============================== *THE WINNER'S CIRCLE* Enter our Road Trip From Hell contest! Tell us about your worst driving trip ever and you could WIN great prizes such as a weekend in San Francisco! Just click and enter at http://www.mapquest.com. We hope you enjoy From The Road and decide to share your stories with us. Bon Voyage! ========================================================== If this newsletter was passed on to you and you wish to subscribe, simply become a MapQuest member by visiting http://www.mapquest.com. A click on "Personalized Maps" will take you to our free member registration page. Each MapQuest member automatically receives >From The Road. If you do not wish to receive From The Road email announcements you may unsubscribe by sending us an email at fromtheroad(a)mapquest.com, with the subject line of the email reading: UNSUBSCRIBE. Even if you unsubscribe, you will remain a MapQuest member. No hard feelings. ;-) ==========================================================

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Unleashing Micro Viruses on Networks (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi, Forwarded message: > Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 13:57:00 -0400 > From: John Young <jya(a)pipeline.com> > Subject: Unleashing Micro Viruses on Networks > 6-11-97, Janes' Defence Weekly: > Thumbnail-sized micro-robots, known as `microbots', will > also be unleashed by micro-air vehicles and naval guns. These > parasites will creep into electronic equipment, attach > themselves, and keep themselves alive by draining generator > power. > > Once the electronics system's energy is depleted, the fully > charged microscopic vermin will search for a new victim. > > The main problem will be that they are too small to carry > identification equipment and so they infect indiscriminately. > As such, they must be deployed far away from allied > equipment. > > However, packages of microbots can be destroyed remotely > as allies prepare to invade enemy territory. Check out: Bug Park James P. Hogan ISBN 0-671-87773-9 $22.00 hardbound ____________________________________________________________________ | | | _____ The Armadillo Group | | ,::////;::-. Austin, Tx. USA | | /:'///// ``::>/|/ http:// www.ssz.com/ | | .', |||| `/( e\ | | -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- Jim Choate | | ravage(a)ssz.com | | 512-451-7087 | |____________________________________________________________________|

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Re:Texas Driver's License database on the web
by lucifer＠dhp.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Marshall Clow wrote: > >On Wed, 11 Jun 1997, Peter Trei wrote: > > > >> Did Psychos-R-Us request this site? "Could you create a database so I > >> don't miss anyone when I go on a killing spree on the 900 block of > >> Rosewood?" > When my libertairan streak is in full flood, I think that since > this information was collected by government employees and > paid for by tax dollars, that it should be availiable to anyone > who wants it, for (minimal or) no cost. > > Of course, the better solution is to not collect the information > at all. (Not selling it just means that people can buy it on the > black market, or in the case of TRW, etc; buy legislatures) It amazes me that in an age when government and corporations have access to untold mountains of information about all of us, that we seem to get upset when Joe Average is given access to that same information. The end result of this is that those with the most authority (access to information) are able to exert power and control over those with less access to the same information. Dateline NBC just did a show about a Health Insurance company whose refused to tell a potential client that the blood test they did on him was positive for HIV (even though they shared this information with other insurance companies). I will wager that if a few dozen Joe and Jane Average citizens knew of this and knew they could contact the man through the Texas DPS database that one of them would have had the decency to call the man and inform him of the life-threatening disease. The Machine feeds off of us by taking away our rights of self expression and self defence and then convincing us that the Machine is our benefactor and protector while our fellow humans are a threat to us and should be feared. Thus we end up fearing people with different religious views instead of the Machine that launches a murderous assault on the men, women and children who are a threat to our mainstream views. We end up fearing the janitor at the insurance company who may well do volunteer work for good causes instead of fearing the Machine that lets us die and infect our family members while sharing our private information with other parts of the Machine. Yes, you may get attacked by some wacko who targets you and finds your address from a database. Or, you may get attacked by some wacko who targets someone else but can't find their address from a database so they pick you as a random target. The Information Age is upon us, for better or worse. If all parts of the Machine are going to know all my personal data, then I also want for myself and Joe and Jane Average to have access to the same data. If the BATF wants to look me up at home through use of a database, then I want Timothy McAverage to be able to look all of them up through the same database. The Machine will make certain that every instance of some wacko using accessed information to abuse someone gets front-page press. No doubt the weak of wit will cry out for the Machine to protect us from abuse of access to information. This makes as much sense as asking to be protected from education and knowledge because of the potential for abuse. We have citizens who decry the fact that information on explosives should be freely available so they demand that the Machine which produces nuclear weapons censor that information. God forbid that someone would make a pipe bomb that wipes out a nuclear weapons factory. Instead of "Give me freedom or give me death." we now have a nation which cries out for security even if it means imprisonment. In our desire for ultimately unattainable levels of safety and security we allow (and even beg for) the Machine to imprison our bodies, our minds and our spirit. Instead of putting child pornographers in prison we will put cryptographers and remailer operators in prison. Instead of confiscating the assets of drug czars will confiscate the assets of people who have a kid who smokes a joint once a week. Instead of censoring legislation which limits our freedom and privacy we will censor literature which proposes democratic assassination of those who oppress us. Personal data privacy is history, for the most part. The focus of those who wish to retain privacy in certain areas of their life and their communication should be on technologies which will allow them to *personally* keep those things private. To continue to leave public information only in the hands of the corporate and government Machine is to continue to empower the Machine and weaken the power of the citizen. TruthMonger

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Re:Texas Driver's License database on the web (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 22:17:24 -0400 > Subject: Re:Texas Driver's License database on the web > From: lucifer(a)dhp.com (lucifer Anonymous Remailer) > It amazes me that in an age when government and corporations have > access to untold mountains of information about all of us, that we > seem to get upset when Joe Average is given access to that same > information. I at least have a contractual relationship with both of them that provides me at least some promise of fair arbitration. Something I don't have with Joe Average implicitly. > The Machine feeds off of us by taking away our rights of self > expression and self defence and then convincing us that the > Machine is our benefactor and protector while our fellow humans > are a threat to us and should be feared. The Machine takes the rights we give up willingly for a long-term loan on a 40" television and another $10k a year. > Thus we end up fearing people with different religious views > instead of the Machine that launches a murderous assault on the > men, women and children who are a threat to our mainstream views. Not just religious views, but skin color, sex, etc. This is a function of all social animals (in fact the society wouldn't work if it wasn't) and in particular primates. To draw the conclusion that this somehow flows from our contractual agreements based on impatience and greed is illogical. ____________________________________________________________________ | | | _____ The Armadillo Group | | ,::////;::-. Austin, Tx. USA | | /:'///// ``::>/|/ http:// www.ssz.com/ | | .', |||| `/( e\ | | -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- Jim Choate | | ravage(a)ssz.com | | 512-451-7087 | |____________________________________________________________________|

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Um, I'm probably already in trouble for the last one.
by Rick Osborne 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded from 0xdeadbeef (inline tabs converted): ----- Michael Strelitz <mstrelitz(a)cix.compulink.co.uk> wrote: > >> But not every bra has a cryptographic function. Most are used for ASCII >> armor or for compression. Some are even designed to make the plaintext >> stand out and more enjoyable to read. > > Touche, but I believe what we have here is a clear case of steganography. Yikes. I think that we should hammer down some definitions before this whole thing gets out of hand. Cryptography: Building an difficult-to-unhook bra. Steganography: Building a flesh-colored bra, or one whose unhook mechanism is hidden somewhere unexpected (Man: "How the Hell...?" Woman: "It unhooks in front." Man: "Damn those steganographers.") Public-Key Cryptography: Building a bra that anyone can put on, but that only Alice can remove. Watermarking: Building a bra that stays on even after smoothing, compression, and rotation. Also, Bob should not be able to put his own bra on over Alice's and claim ownership of her body. Fingerprinting: Um, I'm probably already in trouble for the last one, so I'll just skip this. Signatures: Building a bra with a nametag ("Property of Alice, machine wash warm...") such that bras with Alice's name only fit Alice's body. Bob could in theory remove Alice's bra and replace it with his own, but there's no real reason for him to do so. All-or-Nothing Disclosure Of Secrets: Alice transforms her bra into a duffle bag, and either (a) shows Bob how to open it, or (b) shows Bob how she made it into a duffle bag. Alice repeats the procedure until Bob is satisfied (perverted freak). One-time Pad: Kleenex. NSA: An organization that wants women to go back to wearing corsets and chastity belts. Oh, and Bill Clinton gets to keep all the keys. [looks up at what's written so far and sighs] I'm so damned juvenile. I'm going to go do something more constructive and serious. Well, happy Monday. -Caj [**!!Oh, and these are not the views of my employer!!**] _________ o s b o r n e @ g a t e w a y . g r u m m a n . c o m _________ Haha.. you fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is: Never get involved in a land war in Asia. Only slightly less well know is this: Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

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