December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Standard Headers for Anonymous Remailers
by pierre＠shell.portal.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> I wrote: > Who qualifies whom, based on what info, and to eliminate whom? > Paul mentions organizational qualification methods > Douglas defends the rights of private groups, and anonymity Yes, I meant that as a pointer to further problems. I did not mean that it is very difficult to find organizational or technical solutions (although in practice, it may very well be), nor was I lashing back at an Orwellian suggestion. (I still get caught in the way email gets read, not that I have much more luck in person :-) Even though there may be technical solutions to "limited access" groups, it is not clear how compatible each of these is with anonymity. And at the same time it will become harder and harder to figure out whether somebody is using hir Real Name or some Assumed Name. The book publishing market surprises people because an author's pseudonym is not obviously a pseudonym. Any "limited access" policy has to address the problem of pseudonyms, and of individuals offering their pseudonym for un-accredited public access. But the problem at hand is not even that... In the case of io.com, and current remailers, the problem is netnews newsgroups that don't like anonymous abuse without really understanding how hard it could be to eliminate it... Netnews, until now, is here to provide open discussion and "publishing" space. The idea of qualification can be implemented via automatic moderation for example, but it has to contend with: 1) votes by the general public, and acceptance by sysadmins who will carry the traffic (although they don't have much of a say about mailing list traffic...) 2) superset groups and cross-posting. If a "qualify"-only newsgroup is created, then a super-set newsgroup could be created that copies everyhting from the "qualified" groups, and adds open traffic. That superset still carries interesting traffic from people who shun administrative overhead. Qualified people who want to pursue the thread they started now read the superset newsgroup. 3) If you publish, and expect email responses, you need to publish your email address. That makes you vulnerable to mail bombing. It does not matter if the newsgroups carries only filtered traffic. And thanks to Owen for posting the description of some of these net.wars. It will take me a while to go through that. pierre. pierre(a)shell.portal.com

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WE'RE UNDER ATTACK
by gtoal＠an-teallach.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

In article <9309180534.AA27719(a)longs.lance.colostate.edu> you write: >We must try to determine whose rules we are playing by. Is this a >customs investigation? Treasury Dept.? The situation with NSA is that >they don't really ever act directly, they always go through some other >henchmen to do the dirty work. This smells like them. But the case of >the NSA convening a grand jury does not appear to have a historical >precedent. What's going on here? Here's my guess: the NSA isn't actually behind this - it was just unfortunate that Grady was getting up their nose at the time. Let's imagine someone who is an arse-licking toady and wants to keep in well with the government. Let's suppose he's the sort of person who, to paint the personality type, would go around hassling ftp site managers getting them to remove pgp. Then imagine that the cheeky bastards promoting pgp taunt him by offering it loudly from sites outside the US and there's nothing he can do about it. What does this person do now? Has a quiet word with his friends in the US Customs (you never know, he might have some connection with the government and exporting, for all we can imagine...) and points out as a loyal concerned citizen that a cryptographic munition has been illegally exported. He maybe even forwards them some postings by Grady saying that he was planning to publish these programs (and Grady is well known to publish his Moby Words through the Austin Code Works - anyone who gets Byte can tell you that...) If such a drittsekk came to the US Customs with such a story, I think they'd be duty bound to investigate it; *especially* when all they'll have heard until now is this persons highly one-sided view of the matter. Now, *I* can't imagine for a minute that any of our cypherpunks or sci.crypt readers would do such a thing, but then I always do tend to overestimate the common sense of the net.educated public... G

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Future of the list
by habs＠panix.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

We (ExI) have offered the software now being used to operate the Extropians list to the operators of the cypherpunks list. Our software is not quite ready for prime-time, but it is a solid and interesting program. It allows for kill files by user, and subject (reg. exp.), and allows for retrival of messages by subject (reg. exp.) and full body text (agrep). It is very modular with one part of the program databasing all incoming messages and other modules actings as agents for various list members. Each agent can support one or more users (subscribers). In addition to kill files, all messages can be excluded and then specfic messages can be Included. I feel it or similar software will solve the programs that some members of this list are complaining about. (Mailing List vs. News Group). I strongly urge that a newsgroup NOT be formed. /hawk -- Harry S. Hawk ON Vacation

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Boy!
by Jiva De Voe 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Things got quite atround here *real* quick eh?

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Re: distributed autonomous networks
by catalyst＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>[stuff about possible power sources and transmission media] A television report on 'Beyond 2000' described meteor-bounce radio. The technique extends the idea of bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere (for distance), to bouncing off the atmospheric trails of micro meteors. Reported applications are economical (at least run-time economical, start-up cost was not discussed) weather telemetry stations in remote areas. A solar panel provides the power, a small computer is needed to direct transmission. I don't know how reliable 'Beyond 2000' is, but they did show both the alleged transmitters and telemetry stations using them. This technique may not be feasible in the context you are describing, but the telemetry application was parallel in that it also comprises many independent, self-contained transmitters. Scott Collins | "Few people realize what tremendous power there | is in one of these things." -- Willy Wonka ......................|................................................ BUSINESS. voice:408.862.0540 fax:974.6094 collins(a)newton.apple.com Apple Computer, Inc. 5 Infinite Loop, MS 305-2B Cupertino, CA 95014 ....................................................................... PERSONAL. voice/fax:408.257.1746 1024:669687 catalyst(a)netcom.com

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Re: Newbie question on PGP
by lear＠cp10.es.xerox.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Thanks all for the pointers (I came back from a meeting to find > 20 messages telling me where to go! Now that's response). Thanks all who responded. Russell.

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Re: TAL Press Releases
by Martin Janzen 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I had to reformat the TAL press releases to make them readable, so I thought I'd save others the trouble... TETHERLESS ACCESS LTD. ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC ALLIANCES FOR WIRELESS MAN DEPLOYMENT October 4, 1993, Fremont, California Tetherless Access, Ltd. (TAL), a leader in the development of user-provided wireless metropolitan area networks (MAN), today announced the formation of three separate strategic business and technology alliances. The alliances envision the provision of wireless access, applications development, packet radio hardware development and new services for wireless connectivity to the worldwide Internet. TAL has developed a "plug-and-play" interface for the Macintosh platform for the unlicensed operation of packet radio systems. The systems enable peer-to-peer wireless connectivity over AppleTalk networks within a MAN environment. The system software also provides transparent connectivity to TCP/IP networks and to services available on the worldwide Internet. User-provided wireless networking allows anyone within range of another system to automatically make a network connection. This "ad hoc" network means that each node not only generates its own traffic, but also relays the transmissions of nearby nodes. Each system owner becomes a "de facto" member of the network. The system provides a low-cost connectivity solution for community networks, libraries, schools, businesses, telecommuters, and an easily deployed communications infrastructure for developing countries. "In association with our strategic alliances we will deploy wireless MANs on a worldwide basis with a focus on providing access to the Internet" said Dewayne Hendricks, President of TAL. Pandora Systems of San Francisco, CA, a software development and network operations company, will design Internet-based wireless networking products and services. Pandora's principals have been involved in the establishment of PeaceNet, GreenNet, The WELL and have developed numerous Internet applications including Veronica, one of the most popular and useful navigation tools available on the Internet today. "The Internet and wireless communications are both experiencing dramatic growth. The combination of these environments offer unparalleled applications development opportunities" said Mark Graham, President of Pandora Systems. InterNex Information Services, Inc. of Menlo Park, CA, a provider of high bandwidth connectivity to the Internet, will provide wireline access points to the Internet for wireless MANs in major metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. InterNex and TAL will jointly market network services to businesses, educational institutions, communities and individuals. Cylink of Sunnyvale, CA, the leading worldwide supplier of commercial communications security products and spread spectrum wireless modems and systems, is cooperating in the supplying of spread spectrum radios for deployment in TAL's MAN packet radio systems on a worldwide basis. Cylink's founders are leading authorities in encryption and spread spectrum technologies, and the company currently services customers in over 40 countries. Tetherless Access, Ltd., based in Fremont, California, is a leader in the development and deployment of "plug-and-play" wireless metropolitan area networks. The company's products allow customers to achieve efficient, low-cost, flexible, high-quality wireless data communications in metropolitan network environments and to the worldwide Internet. TETHERLESS ACCESS, LTD. ANNOUNCES NET/MAC PRO WITH SUPPORT FOR POWERTALK October 4, 1993, Fremont, California Tetherless Access, Ltd. (TAL), a leader in the development of user-provided wireless metropolitan area networks (MAN), today announced NET/Mac Pro, a new version of its NET/Mac Internet Protocol application for packet radio environments. NET/Mac Pro adds support for a personal gateway that allows PowerTalk81 users to exchange mail with SMTP servers over a TCP/IP network. PowerTalk is Apple's new mail and messaging technology, built in to System 781 Pro. This combination provides convenient Internet access for Apple Macintosh users through wireless Metropolitan Area Networks. TAL's standard products have led the way for wireless TCP/IP network access on the Macintosh. Now, with System 7 Pro, this access is simplified even more by not having to use a separate SMTP client program to transfer mail. "The PowerTalk universal mailbox and drag send capability integrated with our NET/Mac Pro product allows our users to deploy wireless MANs on a worldwide basis with a focus on providing easy access to the Internet mail services" said Dewayne Hendricks, President of TAL. TAL has formed strategic alliances with InterNex Information Services, Inc. of Menlo Park, CA, Cylink of Sunnyvale, CA and Pandora Systems of San Francisco, CA. Together the four companies will provide hardware, software and services which can be used to provide low-cost MAN connectivity solutions for community networks, libraries, schools, businesses, telecommuters, and an easily deployed communications infrastructure for developing countries. "In association with our strategic alliances we will deploy wireless MANs on a worldwide basis with a focus on providing access to the Internet" said Dewayne Hendricks, President of TAL. Tetherless Access, Ltd., based in Fremont, California, is a leader in the development and deployment of "plug-and-play" wireless metropolitan area networks. The company's products allow customers to achieve efficient, low-cost, flexible, high-quality wireless data communications in metropolitan network environments and to the worldwide Internet. Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks and PowerTalk and System 7 are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

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Re: distributed autonomous networks
by wcs＠anchor.ho.att.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Obviously, if we do a radio solution, the equipment ought to be attached to cans marked W.A.S.T.E :-) At least in the US, you don't have to pirate radio frequencies; there are a few bands that are available for uncensored low-power use, though some of them may require spread-spectrum. Meteor Burst is real stuff, though the last time I knew a little about it the bandwidth was pretty low; e.g. you got 300 baud average throughput doing bursts of 4800 baud with really heavy-duty forward error correction, since it's a pretty sporadic medium. Power usage is really low, and typical applications are things like telemetry from snow-depth recorders out in the mountains, where line-of-sight is essentially unavailable. I don't know how much bandwidth or area you get out of it, or how traceable it is - our meteor expert retired years ago, and was looking at problems like how to build radio data networks that weren't bothered by nuclear explosions. If there's a spare satellite slot available, ALOHANET technology is a reasonably efficient way to use it.

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Re: The death of the list as we know it (tm)
by Pat Farrell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

In message Fri, 8 Oct 93 14:08:50 EST, Matthew B. Landry <mbl(a)ml7694a.leonard.american.edu> writes: > I really think that the powers that be should consider the > newsgroup idea. I have to comment. Many on this list believe strongly in privacy. This implies that no one admits to being a PTB (power that be). Others are anarchists and don't believe in PTB. And occasional person wants to be in charge of the anarchy movement. Options include: 1. get a rational mail reader (nupop, eudora, etc.) and a rational vendor (netcom, digex, world, well, etc.) and read at your leisure. 2. convert it locally to a local newgroup. then use rn, tin, etc. with kill files. 3. unsubscribe. 4. alternate plan X. I have no problem with the volume. The S/N ratio could be better, but so could my bank account. Pat Pat Farrell Grad Student pfarrell(a)netcom.com Department of Computer Science George Mason University, Fairfax, VA Public key availble via finger #include <standard.disclaimer>

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Re: POISON PILL
by gtoal＠gtoal.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

In article <9310011625.AA10686(a)snark.lehman.com> you write: >You know, if people are going to discuss breaking blowing up computers >and killing people, they could at least have the taste to discuss it >elsewhere. Myself, I'm not a believer in violence, and I don't think >this list is devoted to explosives. Newgroup alt.terrorism.techniques >if you insist. Much as it pains me to agree with Perry when he's in his traditional 'wet blanket' mode, I feel I ought to point out that the kid who's currently in jail under half a million bail is there because files on his system apparently suggested direct violent action against law enforcement officers. While I understand that the comments made here are in fun, I'd be willing to bet there are some tight-assed LE types reading this who don't see the joke, and that the people who suggested various forms of bombs as data protection devices are now in the list of people to bust first when the revolution doesn't come. By the way, all schemes that rely on your computer detecting some change are useless. Any half-intelligent cop raiding your machine is just going to take the drive out and put it on one of his own machines. The only thing you can do is encrypt the drive. And we'll find out soon enough how the land lies on divulging of encryption keys when prz ends up in court. If anyone seriously implemented a dead-man's-handle to destroy his data, I can promise you that all that will happen is that you'll accidentally destroy your own data. G

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