December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: "Hey Phil! Stop telling people *not* to use PGP!" (plu
by jfmesq＠ibm.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>I've received about 200 requests since Monday from people asking where to >find PGP, asking about similiar scripts for Windoze or Dos or Mac.... If anyone asks about OS/2, a good script is available at ftp.gibbon.com. FWIW. --JFM

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Why no action alert, coalition opposing S. 974?
by Paul Elliott 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- I have read the EFF analysis of Senate bill 974, which is designed to inhibit encryption on Networks. I think that it is a thoughtful document but I am concerned that there has been no action alert produced to tell people the most effective way to oppose this horrible Bill. People who are concerned about the bill need to know what Senators could most profitably be contacted. Also why has no coalition been formed to oppose this bill? I am aware that many people are busy opposing S314, but S974 is equally terrible as it attempts to suppress free expression. I could try to produce an action alert myself, but I would probably make errors as I am not up on the legal subtleties and the intricacies of Congress. Could some of the savvy people please write an action alert? Otherwise I will be forced to take a stab at it. - -- Paul Elliott Telephone: 1-713-781-4543 Paul.Elliott(a)hrnowl.lonestar.org Address: 3987 South Gessner #224 Houston Texas 77063 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6 iQCVAgUBMA10YfBUQYbUhJh5AQFMBAQAgUJAj1nNdG54IxIFAboCw+Q/E8WWOvEO 9Aazj9hjHK7VeHi+vpTY7eJRbQq7LyQq/ex41PE+QXu+mjWe3c1si8HmhherA22i CUGv3UI8L/Z43zLtN2TI9reJsizeYnmHlO3uUffP3vnhwBJm1G7EAlXvKFqikC90 q1DUqqgq7k4= =4yQ7 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Investigate Your Federal Building :)
by The Gate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Had problems with the original transmission... 21:22 EST July 17th, 1995 New Haven, CT Day One, Investigation Begins. Of course, I've been researching THE FACTS all my life, but never before have I gone to the FBI to ask for information. Also of course, they gave me none, or practically none, just this: (202) 324-3000. Can anyone guess? FBIHQ it says on the yellow post-it note. That's all she could give me. I have been incredibly scared these last couple of days, wondering exactly what I was doing, but I feel better this evening. Just going down to the Federal Building and poking around asking questions has not gotten me killed, and I don't think it will. Check. In a recent post to this list I said I was going to go to the Federal Building here in New Haven to begin a local investigation of Federal Events. So I put on my coat and tie, washed up a little (long-hair and beard couldn't be controlled, will not cut) and started walking, stopping off at Kinko's Copies to make a free local phone call to one of my partners and grab some note paper for the session. Then on across the green towards the courthouse, town hall and on Orange Street, the Robert N. Giaimo (sp) Federal Building. Of course, I'd been there before, to the post office, and it was always a rather non-descript affair. But now I was looking for something, and though I didn't find what I was looking for, I did find out a lot. Alot of it was disturbing, alot of it was funny, and alot of it was encouraging, especially the print of the original Declaration and Constitution/Bill of Rights, as well as the posted Code of Ethics for Government Service, Public Law 96-303, passed unanimously in Congress on June 27, 1980, signed by the President (Carter?) on July 3, 1980: Article One of Ten: "Put loyalty to the highest moral principles and to country above loyalty to persons, party or Government department." No problem, I thought, I'll keep that in mind. Article 9: "Expose corruption wherever discovered." Whoa, that's a tough one, where are you going to find corruption in the United States of America? Article 11:"Uphold the Constitution, laws and regulations of the United States and all governments therein and never be a party to their evasion." Well, the Constitution I can uphold, as it upholds me, but I don't know about all the other laws and regulations...I'm not sure everything signed since 1776 passes my muster. You? But though I had been to the Federal Building several times previously, I wasn't ready for what I encountered this time, as it had never before been present: heavy security presence. No secret service types, just rent-a-cops with a metal detector and baggage x-ray device. But they were bustling, somewhat loud, and definitely a presence. A humorous note: Usually the electro-magnetic energy that I generate because of meditation and honest emotional presence is enough to kick the metal detectors, but I thought if I took my belt off, I could get through. No such luck, and when I took my belt off, my pants, which were bought for my bigger brother, started to fall off. I don't wear underwear either, so I ended up walking through security holding my breeches up by hand. I thought, mmm the joy of security...of course, it was *my* costume (cover) that was falling apart, but I got back together without real embarassment. That's when I started to look around the building lobby. First I checked the directory. Yup, there it was, FBI, fifth floor, right underneath the penthouse cafe. BATF on the second floor, IRS third. Department of Protective Service (SS) first floor, though I saw no evidence of their lair or personnel. Bill Clinton and Al Gore on the wall, of course...Recycling bins for paper, cans, bottles and something else, perhaps newpapers. Nice touch I thought, it would be nice to see more of those. I wandered over to the bulletin board: Arson informants offered rewards $100,000 to $250,000 rewards offered to informers leading to convictors of international terrorists - mostly airplane and boat hijackers. The Code of Ethics for Government Service as mentioned above. Help for choking victims... (At this time, I was rushed by the closing of the computer center. The facts are flear though...) Anyway, on to greater heights... Elevator, fifth floor, get in, man there, looks like FBI, look at numbers in elevator, 5 already lit. A real live FBI agent and I in the elevator together, wow. Day already made, still only ten o'clock or so. Get off 5th floor. Man goes one way, I go another, meet another real live FBI guy, "Where's the receptionist?" "Through that door" came the warm reply from a brown-suited man with a pock-marked face. Hmm, definitely FBI. Into FBI visitor center, one small room, bulletproof glass, Time magazines, American Flag with gold tassels in corner, photos of Agents, woman behind the counter: "Uh, I'm something of a freelance reporter for Citizen's Television and Internet newsgroups, and I'd like to know if you can confirm whether or not someone worked for the FBI..." Polite no from FBI woman. "Is there a public information office?" No, then checks mind, goes to back to talk with all male contingent, at least seven agents in back room, including the one I saw on the elevator, all are rustled into alert by the inquiry from CTV producer and Searchnet Reporter. I can just hear them saying, by gosh they were right, the Internet really is spawning investigators... Then all I get back is the phone number, but it was a lot of fun. Down to the BATF? nah, enough for the day. Thoughts on the way to the library... Next time, maybe I'll deliver a message. Gotta run, Lee. ____________________________|||||||||||||||||||||______________________________ R. Leland Lehrman@The Gate, New Haven, CT. http://id.wing.net/~gate/gate.html God, Art, Technology and Ecology Research and Development >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Do you love the Mother?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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Re: (Cracking) Netscape (is) the Big Win
by Peter Trei 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> > Timothy C. May writes: > > Integration of crypto into Netscape is thus the Big Win. > Crypto *is* integrated into Netscape. Unfortunately, the crypto is SSL > -- a complete waste of time. >[snip] > Perry This is why it's imperative for cpunks to work on the SSL challenge recently posted. Cracking 40 bit RC4 will provide a strong industry incentive to move towards stronger crypto standards, and to pressure the government to relax ITAR. If the SSL crack looks like it will take a while to gear up, perhaps we should work on an interim project, cracking a straight 40bit rc4 encrypted message. If there is interest, I can create such a text, and escrow the key and plaintext in a PGP-encoded posting. While such a crack will not be as strong a blow against SSL and 40-bit crypto as cracking a complete SSL transaction, it will be a lot better then only being able to say 'Well, we didn't find a key, but we *did* sweep 40 bits of keyspace', which is all we have now. If need be, we can follow up with a crack of full-bore SSL. Disclaimer: I work on a competing product, but am posting this in my private capacity. We've bigger fish to fry than Netscape. Peter Trei ptrei(a)acm.org Peter Trei Senior Software Engineer Purveyor Development Team Process Software Corporation trei(a)process.com

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EVENT: NY-only, non-NY folks ignore (fwd)
by Ray Arachelian 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

=================================================================93======= + ^ + | Ray Arachelian | Amerika: The land of the Freeh. | \-_ _-/ | \|/ |sunder(a)escape.com| Where day by day, yet another | \ -- / | <--+-->| | Constitutional right vanishes. |6 _\- -/_ 6| /|\ | Just Say | |----\ /---- | + v + | "No" to the NSA!| Jail the censor, not the author!| \/ | =======/---------------------------------------------------------VI------/ / I watched and weeped as the Exon bill passed, knowing that yet / / another freedom vanished before my eyes. How soon before we see/ /a full scale dictatorship in the name of decency? While the rest / /of_the_world_fights_FOR_freedom,_our_gov'ment_fights_our_freedom_/ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 18 Jul 1995 01:12:41 -0400 (EDT) From: She Devil With A Modem! <redsonja(a)computel.com> To: sunder(a)escape.com Subject: EVENT: NY-only, non-NY folks ignore (fwd) Also Sprach Shabbir J. Safdar: >From shabbir(a)panix.com Mon Jul 17 23:51:37 1995 Date: Mon, 17 Jul 1995 23:45:32 -0400 From: "Shabbir J. Safdar" <shabbir(a)panix.com> Message-Id: <199507180345.XAA05923(a)panix3.panix.com> To: stop314(a)panix.com Subject: EVENT: NY-only, non-NY folks ignore ====================================================================== Campaign to stop the 1995 Communications Decency Act FREE NEW YORK WORKSHOP We encourage you to forward this to friends DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE AFTER July 22, 1995 ______________________________________________________________________ WORKSHOP DETAILS What: A free workshop on current online censorship legislation and the viable alternatives. When: Saturday July 22nd, 1-4pm Where: ACLU offices at Times Sq (132 West 43rd St at 6th Ave) Who: Everyone (teachers, librarians, businesses, everyone!) Agenda: Crash Course on the First Amendment and the New Censorship Legislation Questions and Answers About How the CDA Affects You and Your Business How to Lobby Your Representative Plans for the New York Lobby Day Against the CDA: Wednesday, July 26th ______________________________________________________________________ WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND THE WORKSHOP Are you interested in seeing our government become less intrusive, not larger, and less involved in personal decisions about what you read? Do you believe that Constitutionally-protected speech should not be regulated by the FCC (or any other Federal agency)? Do you believe that computer networks are a tremendously powerful tool for giving many more people in our society a voice, bypassing traditional forms of media? If you find the above three questions compelling, you should be concerned about the 1995 Communications Decency Act (CDA). Having already passed the Senate, the CDA is headed for the House and has favorable odds of passing there as well if nothing is done. The CDA was passed by the Senate 84-16. It was voted on by many legislators who not only never use a computer, but have never read email, logged onto a BBS, read Usenet news, or seen a Web page. They were simply voting with their gut reaction, unaware that they were disastrously affecting the future of American expression and the most explosive industry seen in the last ten years. It *doesn't* have to be that way. We as New Yorkers can't expect our elected officials to vote out of a vacuum. We need to tell our Representatives that online systems are a new medium, not the same as a telephone, nor the same as television. They need to understand that the Internet and bulletin boards aren't simply Dial-A-Porn lines, or adult cable channels. However they won't come to these conclusions themselves; they need your help. Come to this free workshop and learn what you can do to help ensure that online communication isn't restricted unreasonably. _______________________________________________________________________ SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS American Civil Liberties Union, College Art Association, Creative Coalition, Feminists for Free Expression, and the Voters Telecommunications Watch _______________________________________________________________________ FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information about the CDA Workshop on July 22nd, contact: Shabbir Safdar, Voters Telecomm Watch Email: vtw(a)vtw.org (718) 596-7234 Ann Beeson, American Civil Liberties Union Email: beeson(a)aclu.org (212) 944-9800 x788 For more information about the CDA, see: Web Sites URL:http://www.panix.com/vtw/exon/ Gopher Archives: URL:gopher://gopher.panix.com/11/vtw/exon Email: vtw(a)vtw.org (put "send cdafaq" in the subject line) ________________________________________________________________________ LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS In order to use the net more effectively, several organizations have joined forces on a single Congressional net campaign to stop the Communications Decency Act. American Civil Liberties Union * American Communication Association * American Council for the Arts * Arts & Technology Society * Association of Alternative Newsweeklies * biancaTroll productions * Californians Against Censorship Together * Center For Democracy And Technology * Centre for Democratic Communications * Center for Public Representation * Citizen's Voice - New Zealand * Computer Communicators Association * Computel Network Services * Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility * Cross Connection * Cyber-Rights Campaign * CyberQueer Lounge * Dutch Digital Citizens' Movement * Electronic Frontier Canada * Electronic Frontier Foundation * Electronic Frontier Foundation - Austin * Electronic Frontiers Australia * Electronic Frontiers Houston * Electronic Frontiers New Hampshire * Electronic Privacy Information Center * Feminists For Free Expression * First Amendment Teach-In * Florida Coalition Against Censorship * FranceCom, Inc. Web Advertising Services * Friendly Anti-Censorship Taskforce for Students * Hands Off! The Net * Human Rights Watch * Inland Book Company * Inner Circle Technologies, Inc. * Inst. for Global Communications * Internet On-Ramp, Inc. * Joint Artists' and Music Promotions Political Action Committee * The Libertarian Party * Marijuana Policy Project * Metropolitan Data Networks Ltd. * MindVox * National Bicycle Greenway * National Campaign for Freedom of Expression * National Coalition Against Censorship * National Gay and Lesbian Task Force * National Public Telecomputing Network * National Writers Union * Oregon Coast RISC * Panix Public Access Internet * People for the American Way * Rock Out Censorship * Society for Electronic Access * The Thing International BBS Network * The WELL * Voters Telecommunications Watch (Note: All 'Electronic Frontier' organizations are independent entities, not EFF chapters or divisions.) ________________________________________________________________________ End Alert ======================================================================== -- ()()()()() All that matters is that ]{ |BTCOMH|-| Eileen Tronolone -===========================]*\\\{O | (tm) | | System Administrator two stood against many... ]{ |______|-/ redsonja(a)computel.com

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Re: Is it legal for commercial companies to use PGP?
by tim werner 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>From stewarts(a)ix.netcom.com Tue Jul 18 02:51:50 1995 >Date: Mon, 17 Jul 1995 23:52:35 -0700 >At 09:07 PM 7/17/95 -0400, tim werner wrote: >>>... I was talking to one of the sys admins at >>>A-B, and he said that we weren't allowed to use PGP to encrypt our mail, >>>because Viacrypt owned the commercial rights. >Actually, it's less clear than that. >Selling software containing the code is pretty clearly commercial. >Non-commercial messages from your personal non-business machine are >clearly non-commercial. Providing a service of encrypting and decrypting >messages for people for money sounds like it's _very_ probably commercial. >Encrypting and decrypting messages to/from your business that deal with money >are a very gray area. Maybe "commercial company" is the wrong expression. All I meant was that my company is not non-profit, or a university, or a government organization. It is an engineering firm. What I have in mind is nothing to do with a commercial use of encryption per se. If they decided to put encryption into a product, that would be something else entirely. I doubt they would ever be using it to accept payment for the stuff they sell, although I don't really know much about the marketing aspect of the business. Basically, I have two potential uses for it: 1) I have some email pen-pals that I would like to be able to use PGP to talk with. All my other accounts (freenet, school) have mail forwarded to what I think of as my email "home address", which is my work address. I would like to use that work account to process my email. Is it legal to use PGP 2.6.2 for this purpose? I'd also like to be able to tell fellow workers that they can use it, and show them how. 2) It's entirely likely that people within the company may wish to get into the habit of transmitting company data in encrypted form. This is not a question of incorporating the encryption technology into a product, or even into the sale of a product -- it's just a question of keeping intra-company information transfers private. The first is the one I'm really concerned with. The second would be sort of a natural extension that, if legal, would be nice. I can't imagine that these uses are subject to the ViaCrypt license, but I need some reassurance/ammunition in order to be a little more open about getting it installed on the machines in my department. thanks, tw -- Well, Bust My Britches! Eggs Almondine and a Bottle of Beaujolais!

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Re: cypherpunk "Zen" victories
by H Keith Henson 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> 4) only *one* address was compromised on Julf's system. a small price > to pay for all this Just for what it is worth, there has been considerable speculation as to the fate of -AB-, whoes real login was tc(a)alumni.caltech.edu. The real world name was supplied by Caltech to the LAPD who, it seems, turned it over to the scientologists. Caltech has been trying to contact this person for some time now, after being presented with a very irregular written request to turn the backup tapes on this act over to the CoS reps. CoS upper management has long showed the willingness to kill (as exposed by affidavits) but has failed in the "execution" phase. It really makes me wonder if they managed it this time. Keith Henson

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Data Havens and Intellectual Property
by tcmay＠sensemedia.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Ahh, a meaty subject at long last! At 9:59 PM 7/19/95, Ray Arachelian wrote: >On Thu, 13 Jul 1995, Jon Lasser wrote: > >> How about "not respecting international copyright law, and not having >> extradition treaties with the US" ... set up a data haven, we now know >> why we need it soon... charge by the Kbyte, automate the billing, and relax. > >Seriously bad for my financial health. I write code for a living (though >I'm a Netware LAN Admin in this incarnation of a job.) Going somewhere >where I can't make money writing code because 10 billion folks will have >it after one pays is my idea of jumping out of the microwave oven into >the boiling lobster stew. :-) Agreed, things may be rough for the folks profiting from the current intellectual property laws. But many nations don't agree with our notions of what is one's intellectual property. ("Galombosians" believe one's _ideas_ are one's property, subject to collection of fees. "You mentioned "remailers"...please remit $1.33 to....") >If such systems would be maintenance free, it would be cool going around >place to place installing data heaven servers all over the place. > >Hell a 1Gb hard drive is only $350 or so. A cheap XT, or lap top hooked >upto such a drive, say 4Mb of RAM and a 28.8Kbps modem would be good enough. >Say some junky assed machine no more than $500 a pop... I think you're making the point: machines on the Net are getting much, much cheaper, which will make "Mom and Pop remailers" much more common. Importantly, these remailers will be common--someday, if not this year--in non-U.S. jurisdictions. The growth of Net and Web services has been astounding, even to me (someone whose first Arpanet account was in 1973). This will put Cypherpunks services into many more places. --Tim May .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)sensemedia.net | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-728-0152 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Corralitos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^756839 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. "National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Netscape the Big Win
by tcmay＠sensemedia.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Here is my experience with the last month of heavily using Netscape (1.1N), after several years of using a mix of Unix-based tools on a Unix shell account at Netcom (and several years of using Portal before that, beginning in 1988). (And intermittent Net use from 1973, when I had a very primitive account in college at UC Santa Barbara, on the "Arpanet," to the mid-80s, when I had various accounts while still at Intel.) * I use Netscape to read News. * I use Netscape to access the Web. * I still use Eudora to send and receive Mail. (Netscape can currently send mail, but not receive it. This is likely to change soon.) Why is this important? I believe, quite strongly, that we are headed toward a situation where the large majority of Net/Web users are using some variant of Netscape, or Mosaic/MacWeb/etc. (but probably Netscape, for various reasons). Integration of crypto into Netscape is thus the Big Win. I felt this was the case as far back as last fall, but my recent experiences tell me this is more important than ever. Integration of PGP and other crypto routines into Tin, Pine, Elm, Joe, Emacs, etc., is just not as important. IBM just paid nearly $3 billion for Lotus, largely for the "common platform" of Lotus Notes. I believe Netscape is an even more important common platform, and will displace Notes. I have been asked many times by various of you about investments, as I've been making my living the past decade through investments. The message here is my strongest statement about what to invest in. (I'm not saying one has to stand in line for the August IPO of Netscape Communications, but the overall market will favor the Web browsers, especially Netscape.) The relevance for Cypherpunks interested in writing code is that, in my carefully considered opinion, writing for Netscape and other Web browsers is the Big Win. Even over Windows (except Windows browsers, of course). --Tim May .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)sensemedia.net | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-728-0152 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Corralitos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^756839 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. "National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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PS/2 passwd bypassed at bootup?
by jon cameron 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I know that removing the battery in a PS/2 "disengages" the password. But can it be disengaged if a person has an administration-type of diagnostic/setup/boot-up floppy?

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