December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Petition US Dept. of Commerce in support of NAME.SPACE
by info＠pgmedia.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hello All! The US Department of Commerce is soliciting comments on the future of domain names on the internet. We here at name.space believe that we have designed and implemented the most all encompassing solution for the good of the internet and in the interest of the public and free enterprise. This is a call to action in support of NAME.SPACE... Please go to: http://petition.name.space.xs2.net and "sign" the petition with your name and email address, then submit the form to the mailbot who will send it along to the US Department of Commerce. For those who choose to write their personal views, or otherwise comment on the name.space petition, please use the optional doit yourself form linked to from the petition page. All individual comments will be emailed to USDoC as well as be posted on the public forum on the NAME.SPACE website. Please take this time to make your voices heard! DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS IS AUGUST 18, 1997 so please don't wait! time is running out. For a preview, the full text of the petition appears below. If you know people who lack web access, please pass it along so they may participate via email. Such submissions should be sent to dns(a)ntia.doc.gov Please take a few moments to review the contents of the petition and please, do pass this info on to as many people as possible. Thank you for your time and for your support. Best Wishes, Paul Garrin name.space http://name.space http://namespace.xs2.net ----------------------full text of petition follows------------------ PETITION TO THE US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE IN SUPPORT OF THE NAME.SPACE(TM) SYSTEM OF GLOBAL DIRECTORY SERVICES (The New Paradigm for the Old DNS) I [YOUR NAME WILL BE INSERTED] do hereby support the design of the expanded toplevel Internet namespace which is currently operated by pgMedia, Inc.'s NAME.SPACE(TM) service, located on the internet at http://namespace.pgmedia.net (or http://name.space) The paradigm implemented by NAME.SPACE(TM) is the most pro-competitive, democratic and open system proposed so far with respect to opening up the administration and operation of the Domain-Name-System ("DNS"). The structure advocated by NAME.SPACE(TM) removes the artificial barriers to entry that exist today as a result of the monopolistic control over the domain name registration market exerted by Network Solutions, Inc. ("NSI"). The NAME.SPACE(TM) paradigm incorporates a fair, competitive structure which encourages investment and innovation by companies wishing to compete in the provision of this service which is essential to the operation and continued growth of the Internet. pgMedia, Inc. has created, through substantial private investment in research and development, its NAME.SPACE(TM) registry administered by thirteen toplevel root-directory servers located in five countries. The NAME.SPACE(TM) registry uses innovative and creative techniques which bring the old DNS out of the Cold War and into The 90'S. The NAME.SPACE(TM) system decentralizes the administration of DNS and enables open competition in the Public Domain Toplevel Namespace without regulation by any governments or quasi-governmental authority, nor does it require the enactment of new laws or regulations. Description of the NAME.SPACE(TM) service: On the NAME.SPACE(TM) system, name registrations are taken by registrars who administer client accounts under the given toplevel name categories (publicly shared toplevel namespace). All registrars must register their digital ID with a trusted third party/parties which authenticates and authorizes them to function as registries. The application process is administered by an independent company, similar to the process used by banks when authorizing merchant credit-card accounts, and the operation of secure servers used in commercial transactions on the Internet today. Registries update the database on demand based on the availability of a given name address using the IDSD system (IDSD=Integral Database Synchronizer Daemon), a secure protocol developed by pgMedia which is available, without limitation or charge. (A detailed description of the IDSD protocol can be found at http://namespace.xs2.net/IDSD) IDSD makes it technically feasible for ALL registries to share the toplevel namespace equally, eliminating any technical justification for "exclusive" control over any given toplevel name by a single registry, such as NSI currently enjoys with ".com". Registration is accomplished instantaneously through an interactive, form-based interface on the World Wide Web with online payment options via a secure server. During the registration process, a registrant establishes an account, a contact "handle" and, of course its "name". The registrant has the option to choose whether or not its personal contact information will be publicly listed. All other account information, of course, remains confidential. The registrant may then establish a Portable Address Record, over which it has full administrative access on the NAME.SPACE nameservers. This service allows a registrant to change service providers and easily take its "name" to a new host without delay or complications. Upon completion of the registration process by the registrant, the NAME.SPACE(TM) system immediately processes the information and creates the second level entry into the toplevel database, which is then distributed to all other root-servers via the IDSD protocol. The registration process and the creation of Portable Address Records are instantaneous, and function on the Internet within minutes, not days or weeks as in the current system. Issues and Answers Under the NAME.SPACE(TM) paradigm, the toplevel namespace functions as a Global Directory Service and would be managed within the competitive marketplace in the general interest of the Internet public through the various independent registrars. Each generic TLD ("gTLD") is administered by all registrars who wish to offer services thereunder with no exclusive claim of ownership of any toplevel name by any individual, corporation or government, subject to existing intellectual property law. These gTLDs may be added or removed based on public demand. Also, gTLDs may include languages other than English, limited only to the US ASCII character set, the English alphabet plus 10 digits and the hyphen for a total of 37 characters. All leading authorities are in agreement that there is no limit to the number of possible toplevel names, as there is no limit to the number of root directories under the UNIX file system. As NSI admits: "DNS is highly scaleable. There is no technical limit to the number of new top-level names that could be introduced. The original designer of DNS, Paul Mockapetris, has verified the scalability of DNS." (http://rs.internic.net/nic-support/nicnews/jun97/MYTHS4.html) Thus, any claim that expanding the toplevel namespace is technically not feasible is simply unfounded. The proponents of such claims seem to be guided by a desire to limit the potential market so as to create an artificial scarcity which translate into higher prices and profits. The use of arbitrarily defined and limited categories such as ".com" has forced many registrants to engage in verbal gymnastics, and to rely on unwieldy content-based search engines - this would be obviated by the full implementation of the NAME.SPACE(TM) paradigm. Thus, for example, Acme.computers and Acme.plumbing could both have a presence on the Internet without having to artificially pervert their names. The "byte-counter mentality," which has plagued us with the dreaded "Millennium Bug," was responsible for the initial constraints on the toplevel domain name nomenclature. The NAME.SPACE(TM) system simply recognizes that such limitations have long since been eliminated and are wholly artificial. With respect to intellectual property issues, no regulatory framework can assure the complete protection of holders of such rights against infringement by unauthorized parties. However, the potential for such infringement, which exists in all published media, should not be used as a basis to limit the free speech rights of the vast majority of law abiding users of the Internet, while protecting artificial monopolies. Furthermore, it is wholly inappropriate to empower any registrar to adjudicate the rights of holders of intellectual property, for that role must ultimatly reside with the courts. Fees for registration services should be dictated by the market. Waiver of fees and discounts should be considered for qualifying educational and non-profit organizations, as well as a selection of totally free categories (such as the Free.Zone provided currently by NAME.SPACE(TM)). In conclusion, NAME.SPACE(TM) has developed and implemented a new paradigm for the Global Directory Services on the Internet by bringing the function of the old DNS, a legacy of the Cold War, into sync with the current dynamic of the public, global, civilian and commercial Internet. The NAME.SPACE(TM) system is a reality today. The NAME.SPACE(TM) automated registry has been fully functional for nearly one year now and has proven its reliability and desirability as evidenced by the thousands of users who have been using the NAME.SPACE(TM) servers to resolve their DNS and those who have registered their names in NAME.SPACE(TM) . I fully endorse and support the endeavors of pgMedia, Inc. and the NAME.SPACE(TM) system and highly recommend that the U.S. Department of Commerce recommend and concur in its full implementation on the Internet.

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Bugs Recently Found in Department of Energy Facilities
by James M. Atkinson, Comm-Eng 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

TSCM-L Mailing List Wednesday, August 30, 1997 Volume 1997 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I've been a bit busy over the last few weeks and have been unable to get TSCM-L out until this week. Making good progress on the TSCM textbook, should have a draft copy available around the end of the year as planned. -jma ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Here is an extract of a DOE report regarding the various technical surveillance devices and other technical security problems found at DOE facilities within the United States recently. Bugs Recently Found in U.S. Department of Energy Facilities ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A telephone discovered in a DOE laboratory office was passing room audio while in the on-hook position. The phone was removed from the room by telephone maintenance personnel before an investigation could be initiated. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ During a TSCM survey of an office site for a DOE Operations Office, (previously occupied by DOE contractor management), a technical surveillance device was discovered. Workers removing the suspended ceiling tiles discovered a clandestine hardwired installation above the ceiling. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A contractor employee that police arrested was sitting in an illegally parked van equipped with electronic eavesdropping equipment. The man was seen using earphones and monitoring activities in the area of three restricted DOE buildings. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A LLNL research assistant was discovered in a restricted area after hours. An investigation revealed that the employee was installing a wired microphone system into the office of a scientist. The installation consisted of several hundred feet of wire carefully concealed behind a carpet tack strip along the floor. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A telephone repairman removed the cover of a telephone set to adjust the ringer and noticed a microphone mounted on the interior base of the phone. After the cover was removed, he also noticed a diode next to the lug terminals on the network block. Tests conducted on the instrument demonstrated that with the diode on the network circuit board, the telephone passed good quality audio with the handset in the cradle. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A similar telephone instrument was was also found that was passing very clear audio. This telephone was not connected to a line when discovered. There were no indications that classified discussions took place within the office identified. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Covert video cameras and microphones were found in a DOE womens shower and locker room area. An investigation revealed that video tapes from the cameras (of nude female employees) were being sold in local video rental stores in South Carolina. Investigators found that the recordings were being edited and sold by a DOE contractor employee. System was in place at least eight months. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sensitive meeting information at a DOE facility conference room was being passed to unauthorized personnel, possibly by way of a manipulated telephone or a listening device. Evidence at the site indicated the possibility that a hardwired microphone or tape-recording device had been removed just prior to examination. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ During a meeting with a DOE contractor employee, a Japanese national attempted to surreptitiously record the meeting. He was discovered with a body-worn tape recorder. The meeting, which was scheduled to cover reasons a specific Memorandum of Agreement was abruptly placed on hold. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A listening/recording device was discovered in a building at a DOE facility. The device was found in the administrative office of a shop manager, a contractor to the General Services Administration for DOE. The device was inappropriately removed by the office manager. Personnel involved in the discovery of the device thought it had been installed by a coworker who believed he was under investigation for possible theft of government property. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A DOE employee reportedly installed a telephone intercept device in a friend's apartment to determine if a privately owned countersurveillance detector was functioning properly. The device was hidden in the back of the living room couch located in front of the wall telephone jack. The DOE employee who resided in the apartment was unaware his friend had placed a device on the telephone line. He discovered the installation and immediately called the local police department, who responded and removed the device. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ During an physical audit of a classified DOE Local Area Network a spread spectrum repeater was found which was passing classified data between two SRS buildings without any type of encryption. The device had been inappropriately installed by a DOE scientist 18 months prior to allow access to "his old LAN from his new office". ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This material has been reviewed, and has been deemed not to contain any classified information, nor does it contain any SNSI/WNINTEL material. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ =========================================== TSCM-L Technical Security Mailing List Postings: TSCM-L(a)tscm.com Unsubscribe: unsubTSCM-L(a)tscm.com Subscribe: subTSCM-L(a)tscm.com Admin: jmatk(a)tscm.com =========================================== TSCM-L is published every two weeks by Granite Island Group, and is written by James M. Atkinson. This material will only be sent to you upon your direct request, either by email, and by signing up via our web page. Copyright 1997, James M. Atkinson ======================================================================== "For those who risk, life has a flavor the protected shall never enjoy." ======================================================================== James M. Atkinson Phone: (508) 546-3803 Granite Island Group - TSCM.COM 127 Eastern Avenue #291 http://www.tscm.com/ Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 jmatk(a)tscm.com ======================================================================== The First, The Largest, The Most Popular, and The Most Complete TSCM Counterintelligence Site on the Internet ========================================================================

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Never Pay for Advertising Again.
by extractor＠impactmarketing.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Since you are doing business on the 'net, you know that properly targeting your advertising messages can be pretty tough. And banner ads are still way too expensive Instead of paying for "impressions" to a general audience, wouldn't you rather know that you sent your message directly to the appropriate audience? US World News & Reports came out with an article on Monday May 12, 1997 finding that "70% of Internet users don't mind receiving commercial email messages - as long as they are targeted to their personal interests" I found that you are doing business on the net by using "Extractor PRO" commercial email software. You, too, can send commercial e-mail to those who are interested in what you have to offer, whatever it is - and it's so inexpensive! Once you own the software, you can build your very own Highly Targeted Mailing List, then send your ad out to your targeted mailing list at the push of a button. "You may never have to pay for other forms of advertising again!" "HotWired" Magazine says, "Extractor Pro simplifies the process of gathering and managing email addresses from AOL, Usenet, mailing lists, and other public sources." Feb. 11, 1997 Extractor PRO is loaded with targeting power, high-speed, a user-friendly feel, Online Wizards, Smart Help and Awesome Video Training via "CyberSchool". No other commercial email software is as easy to use and understand. Extractor PRO really makes advertising economical. Just check out the website - you'll be impressed! With your order before Aug. 15, 1997 you'll also receive a free website submission service, World Launch - we'll submit your website to over 200 of the hottest search engines, and also offer you 2000 Free Classified Sites AND Free powerful tips to get your site noticed by the search engines! ($40 value) For more information, simply point your WebBrowser to: http://www.impactmarketing.com http://www.e-offers.com Click here to download our movie! http://www.extractor.com/demo.exe Thank you for your time. ------------------ To be removed from this business list, simply reply to this message with the word, "Remove" in the subject heading, and Extractor PRO will automatically remove you from the list.

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Re: Shor's Algorithms: Mad, Bad and Dangerous (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 22:53:28 -0700 > From: Tim May <tcmay(a)got.net> > Subject: Re: Shor's Algorithms: Mad, Bad and Dangerous (fwd) > >The Many Worlds Hypothesis was developed by David Bohm and is an alternate > >way of looking at the Uncertaintly Principle, which gets its origin from the > >collapse of wave functions used to describe the potential states of a wave. > > I would give credit to Hugh Everett, a student of John Wheeler's, for > developing this interpreation. In fact, the Many Worlds interpretation is > also called the Everett-Wheeler-Graham Interpretation. This was back in > 1956-7. D. Bohm Phys. Rev., 85, 166-193 (1952) D. Bohm Phys. Rev., 89, 458-466 (1953) D. Bohm Quantum Theory, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1951 L. de Broglie, Electrons et Photons, Rapport au Ve Conseil Physique Solvay, Gauthier-Viliars, Paris, 1930 H. Everett Rev. Mod. Phys. 29, 454-462 (1957) W. Pauli, in Reports on the 1927 Solvay Congress, Gauthiers-Villiars, et Cie, Paris (1928), 280 ____________________________________________________________________ | | | Participation requires more than just bitching! | | | | _____ 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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Fahrenheit 451.2: Is Cyberspace Burning? -- ACLU on labeling (fwd)
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 22:18:06 -0700 (PDT) From: Declan McCullagh <declan(a)well.com> To: fight-censorship-announce(a)vorlon.mit.edu Subject: Fahrenheit 451.2: Is Cyberspace Burning? -- ACLU on labeling ---- http://www.aclu.org/issues/cyber/burning.html Cyber-Liberties Fahrenheit 451.2: Is Cyberspace Burning? How Rating and Blocking Proposals May Torch Free Speech on the Internet Executive Summary Introduction Is Cyberspace Burning? Free Speech Online: A Victory Under Siege Rethinking the Rush to Rate Recommendations and Principles Six Reasons Why Self-Rating Schemes Are Wrong Is Third-Party Rating the Answer? The Problems With User-Based Blocking Software in the Home Why Blocking Software Should Not Be Used by Public Libraries Conclusion Appendix: Internet Ratings Systems How Do They Work? ______________________________________________________________ Fahrenheit 451.2: Is Cyberspace Burning? How Rating and Blocking Proposals May Torch Free Speech on the Internet Executive Summary In the landmark case Reno v. ACLU, the Supreme Court overturned the Communications Decency Act, declaring that the Internet deserves the same high level of free speech protection afforded to books and other printed matter. But today, all that we have achieved may now be lost, if not in the bright flames of censorship then in the dense smoke of the many ratings and blocking schemes promoted by some of the very people who fought for freedom. The ACLU and others in the cyber-liberties community were genuinely alarmed by the tenor of a recent White House summit meeting on Internet censorship at which industry leaders pledged to create a variety of schemes to regulate and block controversial online speech. But it was not any one proposal or announcement that caused our alarm; rather, it was the failure to examine the longer-term implications for the Internet of rating and blocking schemes. The White House meeting was clearly the first step away from the principle that protection of the electronic word is analogous to protection of the printed word. Despite the Supreme Court's strong rejection of a broadcast analogy for the Internet, government and industry leaders alike are now inching toward the dangerous and incorrect position that the Internet is like television, and should be rated and censored accordingly. Is Cyberspace burning? Not yet, perhaps. But where there's smoke, there's fire. [...] Conclusion The ACLU has always favored providing Internet users, especially parents, with more information. We welcomed, for example, the American Library Association's announcement at the White House summit of The Librarian's Guide to Cyberspace for Parents and Kids, a "comprehensive brochure and Web site combining Internet terminology, safety tips, site selection advice and more than 50 of the most educational and entertaining sites available for children on the Internet." In Reno v. ACLU, we noted that Federal and state governments are already vigorously enforcing existing obscenity, child pornography, and child solicitation laws on the Internet. In addition, Internet users must affirmatively seek out speech on the Internet; no one is caught by surprise. In fact, many speakers on the Net provide preliminary information about the nature of their speech. The ACLU's site on America Online, for example, has a message on its home page announcing that the site is a "free speech zone." Many sites offering commercial transactions on the Net contain warnings concerning the security of Net information. Sites containing sexually explicit material often begin with a statement describing the adult nature of the material. Chat rooms and newsgroups have names that describe the subject being discussed. Even individual e-mail messages contain a subject line. The preliminary information available on the Internet has several important components that distinguish it from all the ratings systems discussed above: (1) it is created and provided by the speaker; (2) it helps the user decide whether to read any further; (3) speakers who choose not to provide such information are not penalized; (4) it does not result in the automatic blocking of speech by an entity other than the speaker or reader before the speech has ever been viewed. Thus, the very nature of the Internet reveals why more speech is always a better solution than censorship for dealing with speech that someone may find objectionable. It is not too late for the Internet community to slowly and carefully examine these proposals and to reject those that will transform the Internet from a true marketplace of ideas into just another mainstream, lifeless medium with content no more exciting or diverse than that of television. Civil libertarians, human rights organizations, librarians and Internet users, speakers and providers all joined together to defeat the CDA. We achieved a stunning victory, establishing a legal framework that affords the Internet the highest constitutional protection. We put a quick end to a fire that was all but visible and threatening. The fire next time may be more difficult to detect and extinguish. [...] Credits The principal authors of this white paper are Ann Beeson and Chris Hansen of the ACLU Legal Department and ACLU Associate Director Barry Steinhardt. Additional editorial contributions were provided by Marjorie Heins of the Legal Department, and Emily Whitfield of the Public Education Department. This report was prepared by the ACLU Public Education Department: Loren Siegel, Director; Rozella Floranz Kennedy, Editorial Manager; Ronald Cianfaglione, Designer. Copyright 1997, The American Civil Liberties Union

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Shor's Algorithms: Mad, Bad and Dangerous
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>From a WSJ nook review today of "The Fabirc of Reality," by David Deutsch (Allan lane, 390 pp., $29.95): Using something called "Shor's algorithm," a quantum computer can factor giant numbers and thereby break secret codes that no conventional computer could touch. The only way it could do this, Mr Deutsch argues, is by distributing its operations over many parallel universes. "To those who cling to a single-universe world-view," he writes with evident asperity," I issue the challenge: *explain how Shor's algorithms works.*" Combining the many-universes notion with quantum probablity, and adding elements of Darwinism and Karl Popper's theory of knowledge, Mr. Deutsch apsires to nothing less than a complete understanding of "the fabric of reality." Arrogant in tone and marred by leaps of logic, his book nonetheless bristles with subversive insights about virutal reality, time travel, mathematical certainty and free will. Intellectually speaking, Mr. Deutsch is mad, bad and dangerous to know.

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TEST [Ignore]
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

test

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Re: Clinton's threat of line-item veto affect crypto bill?
by geeman＠best.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Read my earlier post re: this. Clinton already said he'd veto SAFE. At 10:00 AM 8/5/97 -0700, stewarts(a)ix.netcom.com wrote: > >At 04:36 PM 8/4/97 -0700, Ernest Hua wrote: >>Does anyone have any idea whether Clinton's threat of using the >>line-item veto against portions of the big spending bill could >>be leverage against some pro-SAFE legislators? > >The line item veto doesn't eliminate the political games in the budget, >it just changes the details a bit. Sure, he could threaten to >veto their favorite pork-barrel projects for crossing him on crypto, >just as he could threaten to veto them if they don't support >his favorite pork. But as someone else said, he can threaten to >veto the crypto bill itself, or (perhaps worse) threaten to veto it >unless it's "balanced", by including controls on domestic cryptography >in return for letting Big Business export more products. > > ># 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 or news, please Cc: me on replies. Thanks.) > > >

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Re: Exit Remailer Suggestion
by John Smith 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

ACTIVE Maybe your remailing software could connect to a URL like this and imitate the action of typing in mail. But it might have to login first. Hotmail asks you to log out if you don't plan to use the system any more for a while. So it seems like it keeps some kind of record of who is logged in. A good project would be to make an exit remailer whose only job was to choose from a random list of hotmail accounts and redirect mail. It wouldn't have to have a lot of complicated cryptography, it would just be for the last step. "John ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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distributed data store, a la eternity
by Ryan Lackey 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

PGP message

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