December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Shot 'Round the World
by Black Unicorn 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Mr Davis: >You may authenicate the NSA manual via confirmation by the phone numbers >listed in it. Consider this the shot heard round the world in the >Electronic Revolution. Well, this certainly helped the "cause." If I were a media person recieving this mail, I'd get a good laugh, then hit delete. I don't see anything nifty, wonderful, or unusual in the manual. I've held a Secret clearance doing work as a Defense contractor, and the requirements aren't abnormal. They're stricter, but given that the clearance level is higher and it's in the intelligence community, it's not unusual. I would seriously doubt the manual is of much interest to the media. If you want to help, mail the media about privacy, and what Clipper is going to do to it. This kind of mail just makes the online community look like fanatical crackpots. Bob (I'm an EFF member as well. What does that have to do with your message?) -- Bob Snyder N2KGO MIME, RIPEM mail accepted snyderra(a)dunx1.ocs.drexel.edu finger for RIPEM public key When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl. <- I tend to side with Mr. Snyder here. I would add that Mr. Davis has probably attracted a good deal of attention to himself for little gain. Distributing the manual anonymously would have made more sense, and in the event that the manual becomes an issue of contention or a torch for a witchhunt, Mr. Davis would be an interesting martyr in the quest to test the security of remailers and anonymous distribution. I fail to see how this is an important step for the cause. The manual was already in active distribution, the media will probably be the first to jump on the "electronic risks" bandwagon by noting how easy it would have been for an individual to spread a much more damning document. This brings up a curious point. If the cause is thawarting intelligence agencies, the next Clipper will be much less open, perhaps even black. My take on the point of cyberpunks was to make the technology available, organize the positive societal impacts, and prevent the government regulation of information and technology. How can the reckless distribution of (admittedly moderate) intelligence information serve these goals? As much of an anti-estlablishment movement as cypherpunks might associate themselves with, since when has treason been on the agenda? (Obviously I don't label Mr. Davis a traitor, but I'm not in authority in this matter.) Even Mr. May, who I most respectfully place on the heavy side of anti- estlablishment, has often noted that the goal is to allow society to evolve into the technology that is available. Freedom of information, and nil transaction cost in anonymous settings is key in empowering the individual and securing individual rights. Obviously the goal will conflict with modern intelligence agencies that seek to attempt domestic monitoring, but I think everyone here needs to address the role of such agencies in the grand scheme of things. Is the cypherpunk position a lawless one, or one promoting the evolution of law? I will be the first to assert that the manual was basically non-damning, I did in fact assert so some days ago. But consider, what if it had indeed been a revelation in the security methods and practices of the intelligence agency? That would be a significant compromise, and cost mass sums of money in modified security efforts by the agency. Not to mention the fact that it stands to endanger lives. Consider the recent attack on the CIA. I doubt that even this would have prevented the wild distribution of the manual however, prompting me to wonder about the place of responsibility and restraint in the realm of freedom of information. Who would be the bidders on BlackNet for such information? No one who wanted to know simply for academic purposes I'll wager. Issues like this seem to add to the Pro-Clipper arguements. The current pathalogical obsession with anti-crime measures can only be fueled with incidents like this and the MIT piracy case. If anon.penet.fi was not really used in this case, we see how the media will capitolize on these events to feed the headlines, and in this case that means anti-crime positions. Most media people will pass up the manual, just as someone suggested they might. What concerns me is the radical right reporter who asks, "Just who is this guy and why does he have this manual?" -uni- (Dark)

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Re: Shot 'Round the World
by snyderra＠dunx1.ocs.drexel.edu 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 6:21 AM 4/9/94 -0700, Jeff Davis wrote: >*** Here's the follow up *** > >To whom it may concern, > >You have been emailed an authentic National Security Agency Employee's >Manual. I as an Electronic Frontier Foundation member, acting purely >on my own initiative, and solely accountable for my actions, have emailed >this information, as well as John Gilmore's FOIA attack on the current >Clipper Chip proposal for key escrowed encryption, to every media source >with an email adress listed in EFF's _Big_Dummies_Guide_to_the_Internet_ >on the entire planet. > >You may authenicate the NSA manual via confirmation by the phone numbers >listed in it. Consider this the shot heard round the world in the >Electronic Revolution. Well, this certainly helped the "cause." If I were a media person recieving this mail, I'd get a good laugh, then hit delete. I don't see anything nifty, wonderful, or unusual in the manual. I've held a Secret clearance doing work as a Defense contractor, and the requirements aren't abnormal. They're stricter, but given that the clearance level is higher and it's in the intelligence community, it's not unusual. I would seriously doubt the manual is of much interest to the media. If you want to help, mail the media about privacy, and what Clipper is going to do to it. This kind of mail just makes the online community look like fanatical crackpots. Bob (I'm an EFF member as well. What does that have to do with your message?) -- Bob Snyder N2KGO MIME, RIPEM mail accepted snyderra(a)dunx1.ocs.drexel.edu finger for RIPEM public key When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl.

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CPSR petition to oppose Clipper
by Senator Bedfellow 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Does anyone know how many signatures this eventually got? Thanks Ben. ____ Renegade academician. They're a dangerous breed when they go feral. -James P. Blaylock in "Lord Kelvin's Machine"

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'mostly for crypto and stuff'
by bart＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I know c'punks strays, on occasion but hows this: From: nick.konidaris(a)accbbs.com (Nick Konidaris) Newsgroups: sci.crypt Subject: Hydrogen Fuel Cells Date: 3 Apr 94 23:14:00 GMT Distribution: world Organization: Advanced Computer Concepts BBS, New Rochelle, NY 914-654-1981 I know this conference is mostly for cryptography & stuff but I want to know if there is anyone out there who knows about the Hydrogen Fuel Cell. I think that I understand how the Cell works yet, I find that something does not make sense. My basic question is: 1. Is a salt/ion bridge required? 2. If so what crosses the salt bridge? [ie. H2 and O2 protons, electrons, what?] 3. What is the best way to make a working fuel cell? Thanx -Nicholas Konidaris II

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keywords
by Erich von Hollander 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

yes, my remailer does insert keywords, and you can expect that i will continue refinining the keyword insertion system so that it will be harder to automatically filter out. some people have said that keywords should be an option, not a default. i rejected this idea, because keywords are useless unless they are widely used. there is safety in large numbers. from the cypherpunk perspective, ideally, all or most net communications would consist of encrypted text, with the only plaintext being keywords, i think. if the keywords really do bother you, you can use some other remailer. also, if you have good keywords lists, please send them to me. i might have missed something. e

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Key Servers
by fhalper＠pilot.njin.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Could someone send me a list of the keyservers or which ever one is the largest. Thanks, Reuben Halper -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.3 mQCPAi16KosAAAEEAMUwRni4a9+GbuAhHDLcBWK60hCJUYxhr2hYokpELAhx0ejp 2fq61Tu9Hjn051CN8Xy5nu6sv2ODfG/t59l4DJSb5pirQaII3zaX0rMX0ydwGDoW YakL4ow1lNY+d/k14KpIuUW404+fNuNhIGSkdVLQIfbOgh0preK7/P44AKvdABEB AAG0JlJldWJlbiBIYWxwZXIgPGZoYWxwZXJAcGlsb3Qubmppbi5uZXQ+iQCVAgUQ LXorceK7/P44AKvdAQEUxwQAoffTibRlwE5tNQVGvrulh1OQgXNhTRec9vUaUwPy U64FIZ+KnmdfYgiJYXtcItA90EB9MDexazKeqJzMOPShVNOfyiwy2yUlnQs425f8 DxBvM//zuvj6s4/mXDTPUZtG9PP0HVaEGTJY15JdfRqtj/w+HHnsHlgCnj0NnIhX TW8= =D9UX -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

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ILF: Encryption Plan Gets Gov't Nod
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Brought to you by the Information Liberation Front Reproduced without permission from Communications Week Encryption Plan Gets Gov't Nod By Sharon Fisher WASHINGTON Encryption users and industry observers have said they are unhappy with the Clinton administration's endorsement of a comprehensive interagency review of cryptographic technology. The review was initiated last April and overseen by the Na- tional Security Council. It was scheduled to have been complet- ed by mid-October of last year. As part of the Feb. 4 release of the report, the administration said it has approved the Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES) as a voluntary Federal In- formation Processing Standard. The EES, known as both the Clipper proposal and Skipjack, was announced last April. The administration also said that the National Institute of Stan- dards and Technology and the Automated Services Division of the Treasury Department would be charged with storing the escrowed keys. The procedures for gaining access to the keys were also announced. The ESS proposal has been heavily citicized because of the escrow proposal, which gives law enforcement agencies access to the encryption keys via a warrantmuch like a wiretap. Industry observers have said an algoithm with such keys is inherently insecure. They voiced concern at the government's plans to keep the algorithm classified (Comm Week, Jan. 3). Critics said the ESS is a first step toward outlawing other forms of cryptog raphy, but the administration reiterated at the announcement that it had no such intention. Industry groups such as the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, both based here, immediately launched grassroots protests against the announcements. Both groups have citicized the proposal since it was first announced. -

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ILF: What 4th Amendment? Here Comes the Clipper Encryption Plan
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Brought to you by the Information Liberation Front Reproduced without permission from Communications Week WHAT 4TH AMENDMENT? HERE COMES THE CLIPPER ENCRYPTION PLAN YOU'RE A CRIMINAL. That person sitting next to you is a criminal, too. All of the people you work with are criminals. How do I know this? I get it straight from the federal government. In fact, the federal government is so certain you're a criminal that the executive branch has just announced a new way to pry into your affairs, steal your correspondence, read your electronic mail, and listen in on your most private conversations. Not only that, but the Clinton administration wants you to pay for the privilege of having the government keep tabs on you. The administration claims that it's doing all of this as a way to fight crime, and since you're the one its targeting, apparently the Clinton administration has decided you're a criminal. By now, of course, you probably know what I'm writing about, but in case you've been in a cave for a couple of weeks, here's a summary. Earlier this month, the administration announced that the government was going ahead with its plans to start using the infamous Clipper chip -- that's the one that encrypts information, but includes a government-sponsored backdoor -- for the Justice and Defense departments. You're going to pay about $2,000 for each of the initial 50,000 or so Clipper-encrypted phones and similar terminal devices the government buys. Once the government starts using Clipper equipment, the plan is for these agencies to require anyone dealing with them to use it also. Meanwhile, you must provide a way for the government to listen in to your telephone system. You get to pay for the new or modified equipment. Finally, sources tell us, the adminis- tration plans to outlaw any form of encryption other than that approved by the government. You get to pay for any changes these new systems require, too. No doubt you're thinking that the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is supposed to prevent your papers and effects, among other things, from un- reasonable search and seizure. Is it reasonable to be required to hand over materials in a form the government wishes so that it can search you conveniently? It's not unlike being required to carry on your phone conversations in English for the convenience of government listeners who may not understand, say, pig latin. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. In his debate on the ratifiation of the Constitution, Patrick Henry predicted that the gov- ernment'may, unless the general government be restrained by a Bill of Rights ". . . go into your cellars and rooms, and search, ran sack and measure everything you eat, drink and wear. They ought to be restrained." Of course, Henry didn't know computers would exist, but he knew of their analogue at the time-a person's papers and effects and that's why he fought successfully for an amendment to restrain the government. Now it appears that the government would slip its restraints. Apparently, in this new world of technology and digital communications, prying into one's affairs has become difficult. It's inconvenient to search an office, after all. It requires work. Instead, the government wants to read your electronic papers and effects, and it wants you to pay for it. The Bill of Rights? I guess that's become inconvenient, too. ------------- Wayne Rash Jr. is a Washington-based networking systems integrator. He can be reached on MCI Mail as WRASH on CompuServe at 72205,221 and on the Internet at rash(a)access.digex.com. The opinions expressed are his own.

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ILF: E-Mail Destination - Black Hole, White House
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Brought to you by the Information Liberation Front Reproduced without permission from Communications Week Editor's View E-MAIL DESTINATION: BLACK HOLE, WHITE HOUSE Is the Clinton adminisration really an ally of the communications and networking community, or are the politicians only jerking our strings? The answer to this imortant question seems to vary day to day. A few weeks ago I received four elecronic-mail communiques from the White House Office of Media Affairs. This caught my attention for several reasons. First, the administration is not in the habit of communicat- ing with the trade press so I was impressed with this outreach. (Cool move, guys.) Next, the messages were targeted at key journalists using the preferred medium du jour: electronic mail. (Very cool!) Finally, all four messages were dispatched the same day. I was most interested in a message detailing the administration's efforts to communicate over electronic networks. The Clinton administration's Electronc Public Access Project has achieved some important milestones during its first year. According to the project's press release: lt has received over 100,000 E-mail messages to the president and the vice president since it started on June 1, 1993; It established Internet addresses and accepts E-mail from the public; It has electronically processed over 220,000 requests for information since September 1, 1993; 1,600 public documents were published electronically last year; It established forums on America Online, CompuServe, GEnie and MCI Mail. The project plans this year to publish the national budget and other public documents on CD-ROM. It also plans to refine existing electronic com munications techniques via the Internet. I applaud the administration for these innovations. But I also have some reservations. For one, it's looks great on the surface that the administration has set up so many channels for communication. Yet this is the key question: Is anyone really listening? E-mail questions do not get electronic replies from administration officials. Questioners (if they are lucky) get back a letter -- via the U.S. Postal Service. This sounds more like a black hoel than a viable communications process. The president did respond at least once via E-mail -- to a group of fifth-graders in Oxford, Ohio, last spring. At best the opinions of communications and networking experts seem to be ignored; at worst they have been rejected by the president. An example is the president's recent adoption of the socalled "Clipper Chip." This encoding/decoding scheme was devloped by the National Security Agency to assist government agencies to evesdrop on digital communications. Virtually every major computer and communications company, opinion maker, and civil rights group opposes the use of this technology. apparently, however, the president doesn't care what we think. This action has jilted our enthusiasm for the administration's avowed embrace of communications technology. It's beginning to look more like a charade to keep techies playing with their toys instead of a mature partnership in molding our technological future. Send reactions to 542-9851(a)mcimail.com on MCI Mail or the Internet, or by fax, 516-562-5055

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by 68864320＠canma.dyn.ml.org 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

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