December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

UK Crypto regs?
by Simon Spero 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Anybody got a trip report for the IEE meeting yesterday? I phoned the IEE press office, but no-one there seemed to have any briefings, and there didn't seem to be any coverage Simon --- Cause maybe (maybe) | In my mind I'm going to Carolina you're gonna be the one that saves me | - back in Chapel Hill May 16th. And after all | Email address remains unchanged You're my firewall - | ........First in Usenet.........

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Re: Crack for DOS
by Bill Stewart 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 06:17 PM 6/27/96 -0700, you wrote: >2. If you were looking to compare single key block ciphers like Blowfish, >DES, 3xDES etc. Which one would be considered the best for implementation in >a software security package, assuming maximal key lengths irreverant of the >governmental restrictions. "Best" really depends on your criteria for goodness.... DES has been thoroughly explored, and people have a good idea of how strong it is and how easy it is to implement well in software. It's not strong enough (you can do a bit better than 2**55 brute force tries, and 2**55 isn't enough given modern computers), but you can take care of that by using Triple DES, preferably the 3-key form, which is strong enough for the forseeable future. It's also annoyingly slow in software form, having been designed for bit-twiddling hardware, but there are well-optimized versions on the usual archive servers. Blowfish is new, so perhaps there are flaws that 10-20 years of analysis will find. But it's pretty good - it's small, fast in software, and has an annoyingly slow key-schedule which makes it difficult to use brute-force crackers on. It's got variable key lengths. RC4 and RC5 are also new, fast, have variable key lengths, and appear to be quite strong if used with adequate choices of parameters. RC5 is patented; RC4 was a trade secret, since leaked, and you may get flak for using the _name_ RC4 in a commercial product. 40-bit keys make it exportable but easily brute-forced; 128-bit keys are quite strong. # Thanks; Bill # Bill Stewart +1-415-442-2215 stewarts(a)ix.netcom.com # http://www.idiom.com/~wcs # Distract Authority!

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Re: MS-Mail Security
by Bill Stewart 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Leo WONG Wing-yan <wywong2(a)cs.cuhk.hk> > In> I would like to gather informations of whether the MS-Mail server > In> is secure or not, is anyone heard of somebody, say, disguise > In> as other user or read other user e-mail? You have to look at the whole environment. MSMail typically runs on MS-DOS / Windows PCs, on a network using Microsoft file server protocols over TCP/IP, so it has all the vulnerabilities of that environment. (It can run over Novell Netware instead, which has a somewhat more secure file server, but the system is still vulnerable.) The easy attack is to use a sniffer or other ethernet eavesdropping software to listen for MSMail messages on the LAN - they're not sent encrypted. It also runs over dialup, and the dialup and LAN versions rely on a user-typed login name and password for security, but don't require that the password meet any minimum standards for length (empty passwords work just fine.) MSMail is typically used for two different kinds of business applications - a purely internal mail system that doesn't connect to the outside world, or gatewayed to SMTP or UUCP to connect to other locations. I don't know how secure the gateways are, but the places I've seen them used they certainly haven't been reliable, and generally have been heavily hacked on by the users to make them do what the users want, which probably doesn't add to either the reliability or the security. The mail client has its own set of problems, such as choking on messages with more than 30KB of message body. My purely personal non-official opinion is that it's the third worst mail system I've ever used. (IBM PROFS is the worst, and I watched someone use the original Prodigy 1200-baud 24x40 lines with advertising on every page nonsense as well.) harka(a)nycmetro.com >I'd also like to know how secure the MS-Mail files are (*.mmf). >They are password protected and should be encrypted but >does anybody know how secure? For those of you who aren't familiar with MSMail, the .mmf file is the big hulking file that MSMail keeps all your mail in, including new mail and mail filed in folders (you _can_ split it so your Inbox resides in one .mmf on a mail server and all your other mail folders are in one file on your PC.) The main effects are - if the file gets corrupted (perhaps by a bad disk block, or because the "operating system" crashed while you were using MSMail), you can't read the undamaged pieces, - if you received a message that the MSMail client can't handle, like a large text message, you can't read it directly from the mail file using a text editor like Emacs. I haven't tried to crack it, but the experience of people who've cracked other Microsoft Office encryption (e.g. Word, Excel) has been that it's been pretty wimpy. It does prevent casual users of your PC or server from reading your email by looking at the file with an editor or by using the MSMail client without the password, but I'd be very surprised if it kept out a professional who wanted to take the time to attack it carefully. # Thanks; Bill # Bill Stewart +1-415-442-2215 stewarts(a)ix.netcom.com # http://www.idiom.com/~wcs # Distract Authority!

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GA law, spam, su etc.
by Deranged Mutant 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

So wait... if I'm on a Unix box in Georgia and I use the 'su' command, am I breaking the law? It would seem a 'better' law would outlaw the use of false identitity when comitting a crime, as is (supposeldy) the case in certain discrete carribbean islands... which begs the question, since a crime is a crime, and using a false id to commit a crime is just icing on the cake (and doesn't need to be outlawed anyway). Rob. --- No-frills sig. Befriend my mail filter by sending a message with the subject "send help" Key-ID: 5D3F2E99 1996/04/22 wlkngowl(a)unix.asb.com (root@magneto) AB1F4831 1993/05/10 Deranged Mutant <wlkngowl(a)unix.asb.com> Send a message with the subject "send pgp-key" for a copy of my key.

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`` Cyber - Times ``
by `` Cyber - Times `` 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

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Policy Post 2.26 - Sen. Crypto Hearing; SAFE Forum Cybercast; CDT on C-SPAN; more
by editor＠cdt.org 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- _____ _____ _______ / ____| __ \__ __| ____ ___ ____ __ | | | | | | | | / __ \____ / (_)______ __ / __ \____ _____/ /_ | | | | | | | | / /_/ / __ \/ / / ___/ / / / / /_/ / __ \/ ___/ __/ | |____| |__| | | | / ____/ /_/ / / / /__/ /_/ / / ____/ /_/ (__ ) /_ \_____|_____/ |_| /_/ \____/_/_/\___/\__, / /_/ \____/____/\__/ The Center for Democracy and Technology /____/ Volume 2, Number 26 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A briefing on public policy issues affecting civil liberties online ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CDT POLICY POST Volume 2, Number 26 June 28, 1996 CONTENTS: (1) Senate Encryption Hearing - Sea Change in Policy Debate (2) First Ever "Cybercast" of Congressional Hearing (3) SAFE Forum Live Online -- Join Us July 1st! (4) CDT Deputy Director Janlori Goldman on C-SPAN - 7/1/96 (5) How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe (6) About CDT, contacting us ** This document may be redistributed freely with this banner intact ** Excerpts may be re-posted with permission of <editor(a)cdt.org> ** This document looks best when viewed in COURIER font ** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) SENATE ENCRYPTION HEARING ILLUSTRATES SEA CHANGE IN POLICY DEBATE On Wednesday June 26, 1996 the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to consider legislation designed to encourage the widespread availability of strong, easy-to-use, privacy and security technologies for the Internet. Wednesday's hearing illustrated that a sea change has occurred in Congressional attitude towards the encryption policy debate. While members of the Subcommittee noted the complex law enforcement issues raised by the encryption policy debate, the Senators also recognized that because of the global nature of the Internet, top down regulations such as export controls and centralized government mandates like the Clipper schemes will not address the needs of individuals, business, and even law enforcement in the Information Age. In addition, several Senators noted that future of electronic commerce, privacy, and the competitiveness of the US computer industry should not be held hostage to law enforcement considerations. This change in Congressional attitude towards encryption policy is significant and extremely encouraging. Wednesday's hearing was also significant because it was the first ever Congressional hearing cybercast live on the Internet. Details on the Cybercast are attached below. The hearing, chaired by Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT), was called to consider the Promotion Of Commerce Online in the Digital Era (Pro-CODE) legislation, which would relax current regulations restricting the export of strong encryption. Witnesses testifying before the panel included: * Phil Zimmermann, Inventor of PGP * Whit Diffie, Sun Microsystems, Father of Public-Key Cryptography * Phil Karn, Qualcomm Inc, Cryptographer * Marc Rotenberg, Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center * Jerry Berman, Executive Director, Center for Democracy and Technology * Matt Blaze, Lucent Technologies Cryptographer, * Barbara Simons, Chair of US Public Policy Committee, ACM * And 135 Netizens (http://www.crypto.com) CDT Executive Director Jerry Berman also testified before the Subcommittee. Noting that the current US encryption policy has left individual Internet users without adequate privacy and businesses without necessary security, Berman urged Congress to instead move forward to reform US policy based on the following principals: * THE INTERNET IS NOT LIKE A TELEPHONE SYSTEM: The traditional approach to wiretapping cannot simply be extended to the Internet. This new medium encompasses a range of social functions far beyond simple two- way voice communication. These broad activities demand a heightened capacity for uses to protect their security and privacy online. * THE INTERNET IS A GLOBAL, DECENTRALIZED MEDIUM: Efforts to impose unilateral national policies -- such as export controls or key escrow proposals -- are unlikely to be accepted widely. Decentralized user choice solutions to privacy problems are preferable to and more effective than centralized, governmental mandates (such as the Clipper proposals). * ON THE INTERNET, THE BILL OF RIGHTS IS A LOCAL ORDINANCE: Constitutional guarantees of privacy and free expression to U.S. Citizens whose communications regularly cross national borders. Policies should be designed to protect Americans outside the shelter of U.S. law. Berman expressed CDT's strong support for Congressional efforts to reform US Encryption policy, and urged Congress to act quickly to liberalize export controls and provide American Internet users with the strong security and privacy they so badly need. Audio transcripts of the Hearing, copies of the prepared statements of the witnesses, and other background information is available at CDT's encryption policy web page: http://www.cdt.org/crypto/ HEARING SHOWS NEW SENSE OF URGENCY AND FOCUS IN CONGRESS The clearest example of the emerging frustration in Congress with the current export restrictions came in an exchange between Senator John Aschroft (R-MO) and Phil Karn, a cryptographer with Qualcomm and a plaintiff in a case challenging the export restrictions: Sen. Aschroft: So for all other countries, the world is the market, but for American companies, America is the only market and the rest of the world is off limits? Karn: You've got it. Sen. Aschroft: Mr. Chairman, I think that's one of the reasons we need to look very carefully at the bill (Pro-CODE) we are looking at here today... Sen. Aschroft: In all our discussions about whether it (cryptography) is good or bad, we ignore the fact that it's THERE, and it can be available to Americans by American companies, it cannot be available to anyone else by American companies, but it can be available around the world by a company in any other country. This exchange, as well as strong statements in support of the Burns Pro-CODE bill from Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), who made the unusual move of coming to a Senate hearing, show that Congress is finally giving the need to reform US encryption policy serious support. A hearing of the full Senate Commerce Committee, chaired by Senator Larry Pressler (R-SD) is expected in mid July. Representatives from the Administration and Law Enforcement agencies are expected to testify. CDT is working with Senator Burns' and Senator Pressler to bring that hearing live online. Check CDT's "Congress and the Net" Web Page at http://www.cdt.org/net_congress/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (2) FIRST EVER CYBERCAST OF CONGRESSIONAL HEARING SHOWS CONGRESS' GROWING DESIRE TO REACH OUT TO THE INTERNET COMMUNITY Wednesday's hearing was the first Congressional hearing to be cybercast live on the Internet. The cybercast, coordinated at the request of Senator Burns by the Center for Democracy and Technology, HotWired, DIGEX, and the Voters Telecommunications Watch, provided Netizens around the world with the opportunity to be a part of the Congressional debate on an important Internet policy issue. By reaching out to the net.community and providing netizens with an opportunity to participate in the hearing (Senator Burns asked several questions posed by the online audience), the cybercast marked an historic moment in the evolution of the net.community as a political force. In addition to a live audio feed from the hearing, approximately 40 netizens participated in a simultaneous discussion of the hearing in a chat area on HotWired. A member of Senator Burns' staff also joined the discussion from inside the hearing room, providing insights into the proceedings, answering questions from the audience, and delivering audience questions to Senator Burns. The goal of the hearing cybercast, as well as other recent CDT sponsored online discussions with members of Congress, is to bring the net.community and Congress together on critical Internet policy issues in order to encourage a constructive dialogue and mutual understanding. CDT is pleased to have been a part of this historic event, and looks forward to bringing the next Senate Encryption hearing tentatively set for mid-July online. Audio transcripts from the hearing are available at: http://www.cdt.org/net_congress/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (3) SECURITY AND FREEDOM THROUGH ENCRYPTION FORM -- JULY 1, STANFORD CA The Security and Freedom through Encryption (SAFE) is set for July 1 in Stanford, California. The event will bring together members of Congress, privacy advocates, cryptographers, and industry leaders for a discussion on the need to reform US encryption policy. A complete list of speakers and the program schedule is available at the URL below. HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SAFE FORUM * The Forum is free and open to the public. You can reserve your free ticket by visiting http://www.crypto.com/safe SPACE IS LIMITED AND YOU MUST REGISTER BY 12:00 MIDNIGHT EDT/9:00 pm PDT SUNDAY June 30. * The SAFE Forum will also be CYBERCAST LIVE ON THE NET! For information on how you can join, visit: http://www.crypto.com/safe/cybercast.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (4) CDT DEPUTY DIRECTOR TO APPEAR ON C-SPAN'S WASHINGTON JOURNAL MONDAY JULY 1 7:45am EDT / 4:45am PDT CDT Deputy Director Janlori Goldman will appear on C-SPAN's interview program "Washington Journal" on Monday July 1 at 7:45am EDT / 4:45am PDT. She will be discussing privacy issues on the Internet. The program will also highlight CDT's Privacy Demonstration and Online Privacy Clearinghouse. CDT's Privacy Demonstration and Privacy Issues Page can be accessed at: http://www.cdt.org/privacy/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (5) SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Be sure you are up to date on the latest public policy issues affecting civil liberties online and how they will affect you! Subscribe to the CDT Policy Post news distribution list. CDT Policy Posts, the regular news publication of the Center For Democracy and Technology, are received by nearly 10,000 Internet users, industry leaders, policy makers and activists, and have become the leading source for information about critical free speech and privacy issues affecting the Internet and other interactive communications media. To subscribe to CDT's Policy Post list, send mail to policy-posts-request(a)cdt.org with a subject: subscribe policy-posts If you ever wish to remove yourself from the list, send mail to the above address with a subject of: unsubscribe policy-posts ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (6) ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY/CONTACTING US The Center for Democracy and Technology is a non-profit public interest organization based in Washington, DC. The Center's mission is to develop and advocate public policies that advance democratic values and constitutional civil liberties in new computer and communications technologies. Contacting us: General information: info(a)cdt.org World Wide Web: URL:http://www.cdt.org/ FTP URL:ftp://ftp.cdt.org/pub/cdt/ Snail Mail: The Center for Democracy and Technology 1634 Eye Street NW * Suite 1100 * Washington, DC 20006 (v) +1.202.637.9800 * (f) +1.202.637.0968 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- End Policy Post 2.26 6/28/96 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

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BW: E-commerce
by caal＠hopf.dnai.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> (KPMG-PEAT-MARWICK-STUDY) American companies forecast huge growth in > electronic commerce, but study uncovers concern about the impact of > ambiguous state tax laws > > Business Editors > > NOTE: The following news release replaces > BW1109, which was upheld by KPMG Peat Marwick. > This revised version is for immediate release. > > NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 27, 1996--An overwhelming nine > out of ten financial executives at American companies currently > engaged in buying and selling goods or services over the Internet > caution that government must clarify the associated state and local > tax implications if this new method of doing business is to reach > its full potential, according to a study conducted on behalf of KPMG > Peat Marwick LLP. > > "This study shows that electronic commerce is taking off," said > Kent Johnson, National Partner-in-Charge of KPMG's Sales and > Transactions Tax practice. "But it also reveals the frustrations of > corporate America as it tries to cope with the murky environment > created by applying old tax laws to new ways of doing business." > > Johnson continues: "Taxation of electronic commerce varies from > state to state so determining what's taxable and who is responsible > for paying those taxes becomes very complex." > > Survey respondents appear to agree. Almost seven out of ten > respondents (67%) say that state and local tax laws governing > electronic commerce are ambiguous, while more than half of those > polled (51%) say that this ambiguity is already inhibiting their > involvement in electronic commerce. Furthermore, 50% say they are > "not very" or "not at all" familiar with the sales and transaction > tax implications -- twice as many as those who say that they are > "very" or "extremely" familiar with the tax issues. In fact, 20% > of the financial executives surveyed do not know if their companies > are even subject to sales and transactions taxes for the sale of > products and services over the Internet. > > Johnson says that these statistics are particularly distressing > because several states and municipalities have already begun taxing > certain Internet services. > > "The huge growth potential of the Internet has undoubtedly > caught the attention of state tax administrators who are eagerly > looking for ways to apply existing tax laws and capture some of the > revenue this business generates," said Michael H. Lippman, > National Partner-in-Charge of KPMG's State and Local Tax Technical > Services. "On the other hand, companies are saying that tax law, in > its present form, cannot be applied to the new world of electronic > commerce. They are calling for, at the least, a rewrite of the > statutes and many contend that the states should give electronic > commerce time to develop before imposing taxes." > > Companies' concerns about taxes, however, go beyond those > related to the bottom line. More than half of those surveyed (53 %) > think taxing electronic commerce has the potential to become a > significant threat to privacy. Other specific areas of concern > include: "the crafting of equitable laws from state to state and > across industries" and "fear that state taxing authorities will take > a very aggressive approach in determining whether a company is > taxable in its state." > > Said Johnson of KPMG's Sales and Transaction Tax Practice: "Even > though companies are saying they're concerned about the impact of > state and local taxes on electronic commerce, very few have been > proactive in working with taxing authorities to help ensure > equitable rules." Nearly seven out of 10 companies (68%) say that > they are "not very" or "not at all" involved with efforts to > affect state and local tax policy, compared to only one in 10 > companies that are "very" or "extremely involved." However, > exactly half of respondents (50%) claim they do intend to become > involved in industry group discussions and debates in the future. > > Looking at taxation of electronic commerce from an international > perspective, Jeff Stein, National Partner-in-Charge of KPMG's > International Services, notes that the impact of ambiguous tax laws > on electronic commerce is even more heightened as companies expand > their sales and operations overseas. > > "Electronic commerce has the potential to fuel the engine for > future growth of U.S. exports," notes Stein. "In fact, 83 percent > of study participants believe that electronic commerce will be a > major vehicle for U.S. exports." > > About one-third of companies believe that state and local taxes > imposed on electronic commerce diminish their international > competitiveness. Indeed, some companies even said that that they > would consider moving their Internet activities offshore to escape > state and local taxes in the future. But, KPMG cautions, such a > move might not provide the anticipated tax haven because > jurisdictions around the world are revenue-starved and will be just > as aggressive as individual states in imposing taxes on companies > engaged in electronic commerce. > > "There are a great deal of unknowns when it comes to electronic > versus traditional commerce. We've been advising our clients to > develop a multi-level, flexible approach that positions them for > sudden changes in policies. At the same time we'll continue to work > with regulators to help clarify how current tax laws can be fairly > applied to business in the 21st century," said Lippman. > > Editor's note: The KPMG Study was executed by Clark, Martire & > Bartolomeo, Inc. during June 1996. Results of the study will be > available through KPMG's State and Local Tax Practice World Wide Web > Site at HTTP:\WWW.US.KPMG.COM\SALT\ or by calling Patricia Neil, > KPMG's director of State and Local Tax Marketing & Communications at > 212/872-6570. > > For the purpose of this survey, electronic commerce is defined as > buying or selling products or services over the Internet. The > survey was conducted among 291 companies with gross revenues in > excess of $50 million. They span four industry groups: publishing; > software/business services/ advertising; communications; and > manufacturing/distributing/retail. > > KPMG Peat Marwick LLP is the U.S. member firm of KPMG, The Global > Leader among professional services firms. Worldwide, KPMG has more > than 6,000 partners as well as 76,000 professionals servicing > clients throughout 1,100 offices in 837 cities in 134 countries. In > the U.S., KPMG partners and professionals deliver a wide range of > value-added consulting, assurance and tax services in five markets: > financial services; manufacturing, retailing and distribution; > health care and life sciences; information, communications and > entertainment; and public services. > > --30--bk/ny* > > CONTACT: Pat Neil > KPMG Peat Marwick LLP > 212/872-5506 > E-mail: pneil(a)kpmg.com > or > Jackie Kaldon/Constantine Theodoropulos > Shandwick USA > 212-420-8100, ext. 213, 217 > 800-223-2121 > E-mail: jkaldon(a)shandwick.com > > KEYWORD: NEW YORK > INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELECOMMUNICATIONS GOVERNMENT COMED > > REPEATS: New York 212-752-9600 or 800-221-2462; Boston 617-236-4266 > or 800-225-2030; SF 415-986-4422 or 800-227-0845; LA 310-820-9473 BW > URL: http://www.businesswire.com > > > > Copyright 1996 BusinessWire. All rights reserved.

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Re: MS-Mail Security
by AwakenToMe＠aol.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

In a message dated 96-06-27 21:39:21 EDT, harka(a)nycmetro.com writes: >I'd also like to know how secure the MS-Mail files are (*.mmf). They are >password protected and should be encrypted but does anybody know how secure? > >Harka >___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30 [NR] > > as far as I know.. the encryption used on them is weak. I think ive seen a generic cracker for these on the internet. I dont think MS is going to put the time into a good VERY secure encryption for this.. because then aftermarket things wouldnt be bought!!! hehe

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Another free speech victory
by Anonymous User 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Just read that the Supreme Court "struck down provisions of the 1992 Cable Act that require local cable companies to either ban indecent shows from appearing on leased or access channels or place all programs deemed indecent on a single channel and block it. Those provisions violate free-speech rights, the court said. But the court said Congress lawfully can permit cable operators to choose not to broadcast such programs on leased access channels." [NYT] Looks like the gov't will lose if it decides to appeal the CDA decision. Medea

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secure WWW on UNsecure servers
by Kevin Q. Brown 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I know several people who want to share private information on some web pages but do not trust any publicly-accessible web server not to leak the information on those pages. The normal IP address or password-based web page protection mechanisms thus are not sufficient since they assume that the server is secure from non-web-based mechanisms for retrieving the pages. Also, encryption schemes such as SSL will not solve the problem because they protect only against interception between the server and the client, not at the server itself. Instead, it looks like the web pages must reside on the server in encrypted form. How might one arrange for these encrypted web pages residing on an (unsecure) server to get decrypted only at the client's machine? This should work as transparently as possible for the user; except possibly for a userid/password query it should look like a normal web browsing session. For now, we can assume that the decrypted web pages contain only HTML and images in .gif format. Might this best be done with some combination of special MIME types and helper applications or plug-ins? Has someone already done it? Thanks. Kevin Q. Brown kqb(a)c2.org

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