December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Remailer thoughts
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi Adam, Forwarded message: > From: Adam Shostack <adam(a)homeport.org> > Subject: Re: Remailer chain length? > Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 22:57:10 -0500 (EST) > > Jim Choate wrote: > > | > I don't think multiple remailers at the same site help anything. > | > > | > | I agree completely. If traffic analysis is going to be done on a single box > | it isn't going to matter how many remailers are there. The monitor will > | simply grab them all. At this point it simply maps them thusly: > > | incoming message > remailer #1 > .... > remailer #n > outgoing > | > | > | That this really maps to is obvious: > | > | > | incoming message > remailer #1-#n > outgoing > > Analyzing the traffic through three remailers is more > difficult than analyzing the traffic through one. One remailer with > three N messages per day is more secure than an equivilant remailer > with N mesasges. Not if they are on the same box, simply treat the box itself as the remailer. The internal mechanics are for the most part irrelevant to this issue. N messages go in, N messages with (number of remailers)(# of cover traffic/real message) messages of cover. My contention is that it does not matter how many remailers are on a single box. It is the number of connections in and out of the box available. The above equation is clearly linear and therefore not what I would consider computationaly challenging. If I may introduce some terminology (unless their is an existing stnd.), x number of messages y message multiplier N#() remailer number # R#() number of remailers on machine # C() number of cover messages/original messages E# number of connections on machine # T() total traffic through remailer system $i() cost per message, incoming $o() cost per message, outgoing C fixed cost items of operation (eg rent) Note: each of these represent a family of functions. My contention: T(R#(n)) is equivalent to T(R#(N1(x), N2(x)..., Nn(x))) Where, T() = R#(n)(2N#(x) + C(yN#(x))) The term 2N#(x) represents the number of valid messages the remailer handles. x incoming & x outgoing, hence 2x. The total income of such a remailer: $(T(x))=$i(x)-$o(T(x)-x)-C It is important to recognize the profit dependancy on the input/output message ratio. If it gets too high, you got nothing to spend on yourself. Your contention (if I may translate): N1(3x) is more secure than N1(x), assuming identical remailer configuration. Do you consider N#(ax) equivalent to aN#(x)? May I inquire into your reasoning? > [much good thought deleted.] > > | 5. Automaticaly limits spamming unless a remailer allows cloning > | AND all recipients share a commen private key. > > Or unless the remailer mails to a mail to news gateway. This is a limitation of the mail-news gateway and not of the remailer technology. What it points to is a serious shortcoming in mail-news gateway software. The technology required for truely efficient newsgroup handling is something sorely in need of work. > | 6. It maps 1:1 onto the physical remailer model with the same limits > | on information at each stage. This allows one to directly apply > | the current history of precedence involving anonymity and > | physical remailers. > > With physical remailers, you can open the inner envelopes and > read the message, leaving the end user to wonder where the post office > lost the message. With 'real' remailers, the lost message can't be > read, only not delivered. If the encryption technology is secure. The point I am making here is that the encryption envelope is 'secure' only so long as nobody is trying to crack it. Sooner or later somebody is going to decrypt your message, if not the entire encryption system. This is synonymous with the physical model. The paper envelope is secure as long as somebody isn't breaking the law by tampering with the mail. > | This is the basic model that the Austin Cypherpunks are working on at the > | currrent time. The big problem we have right now is determining if the body > | is actualy encrypted. We have done some basic tests of encryption-spoofing > | using pgp and it is looks to be a thorny problem. It simply is not trivial > | to look at a block of characters and determine if they are actualy > | encrypted. You can't rely on the wrapper around the data put there by the > > I'm not sure I see why this matters? If you check that the > message is not obviously readable, why not assume that its well > encrypted? You're rarely required to contort yourself to ensure your > customers are obeying the law (weaponsmiths, cryptographers, and banks > excepted.) Ok. Let's for a moment assume that to send a message to 'president(a)whitehouse.gov' with 'Die Bill!' is a crime. Would it not be a crime to foil a packet of encryption by inserting 'Die Bill!' messages in clear text in the encryption block? To date, provided no attempt at actual decryption is attempted, there is nothing in the standards that prevent this other than digital signatures. And again, a specific program has to be executed. A person might very well look at it as plaintext w/o ever running digital signatures (or they just assume its always right). Would this also be a crime? Jim Choate "Reality is observer dependant" \ \ \\///// | | (.) (.) ===========================oOO==(_)==OOo========================== Tivoli an IBM company CyberTects: SSZ Customer Support Engineer SOHO Consulting/VR/Robotics 9442 Capitol of Texas Highway North 1647 Rutland Suite 500 #244 Austin, TX 78759 Austin, TX 78758 Email: jchoate(a)tivoli.com Email: ravage(a)ssz.com Phone: (512) 436-8893 Phone: (512) 259-2994 Fax: (512) 345-2784 Fax: n/a WWW: www.tivoli.com WWW: www.ssz.com Modem: n/a Modem: (512) 836-7374 Pager: n/a Pager: n/a Cellular: n/a Cellular: n/a ===================================================================

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E-Data Systems ~ patent #4,528,643
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I think this has made the rounds here, already. If it hasn't, any comments? Cheers, Bob Hettinga --- begin forwarded text Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 15:53:52 GMT X-Sender: jnferree(a)postoffice.worldnet.att.net Mime-Version: 1.0 To: Robert Hettinga <rah(a)shipwright.com> From: "J. Neil Ferree" <jnferree(a)worldnet.att.net> Subject: E-Data Systems ~ patent #4,528,643 Has anyone else received the *Amnesty* documentation from E-data Systems of Secaucus, NJ regarding their patent on: ... system for reproducing information in material objects at a point of sale location ... "The patent generally describes the system and methodology whereby products composed of digital data are purchased and embedded electronically at a point of sale location from a host computer. The products are typically delivered in usable form only after payment is made. The purchaser requests delivery after the money requirements are satisfied and authorized for the delivery is granted. In today's vernacular, the patent covers on-demand electronic distribution". [taken from the accompanying brochure] Their licensing agreement (with fee schedules) addresses; 1) Content providers; Owners and sellers of products which are sold and delivered electronically by the provider or through a distribution network owned by another within the scope of at least one of the E-data Systems patent claims. 2) Resellers; Distributors who provide a distribution network for content providers to sell products within the scope of at least one of the E-data Systems patent claims. 3) Service providers for Electronic Distribution Applications; Providers of various services, (ie) encryption, locking, unlocking metering, etc. who provide applications for content providers and/or resellers within the scope of at least on of the E-data Systems patent claims. Contact information for E-data Systems regarding how to obtain a license .... Tele 800-406-1668 Web www.3wnet.com/corp/edata e-mail gift(a)planet.net --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert Hettinga (rah(a)shipwright.com) e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "If they could 'just pass a few more laws', we would all be criminals." --Vinnie Moscaritolo The e$ Home Page: http://www.vmeng.com/rah/

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Re: Anonymous stock trades.
by frantz＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 10:52 AM 6/7/96 -0400, Perry E. Metzger wrote: >... As >any free market economist would tell you, the way to stop a resource >from being destroyed is not to pray that people won't buy it but to >assure that someone has an ownership stake in the resource, thus >assuring that their investment would be destroyed if the resource >vanished. Thats why, for instance, timber companies happily clear cut >government land that they have leased (after all, not clear cutting >would mean that they wouldn't extract maximum value for their lease >under the idiotic terms that the leases are made under) but will >almost never clear cut their own lands, because that would reduce >their long term value. I find this analysis a bit superficial because it does not consider the difference between short-term and long-term value. To use Perry's example of the timber industry. Before the late 1980s, the lands owned by Pacific Lumber were managed for long-term production. When the company was taken over as part of the "maximize present value" movement in the late 1980s, the management goals changed to increase timber production without regard to long-term production. (I seem to remember that the takeover was one of Michael Milken's deals.) My conclusion from this example is that if your interest is in the long-term preservation of ecosystems, you need institutions that are structured so they take a long-term view, and can not be subverted by short-term trends in markets. As far as I can tell, the US National Park Service, for all its faults, does as good a job of preserving ecosystems as any other institution, and better than most. (If you disagree, please provide examples of institutions that do as well.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bill Frantz | The CDA means | Periwinkle -- Computer Consulting (408)356-8506 | lost jobs and | 16345 Englewood Ave. frantz(a)netcom.com | dead teenagers | Los Gatos, CA 95032, USA

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Re: NSA/CIA to snoop INSIDE the U.S.???
by declan＠well.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

This is a fucking big story. Allowing the CIA and NSA to snoop domestically, and using only a handful of suspicions and anecdotes about cybernastiness and evil cryptohackers to justify this major policy shift -- well, it's fucking amazing. Nunn's proposal, unfortunately, was more than a "suggestion." But Rory's right. DC *is* in the throes of Internet fever, and it'll just get worse as the summer gets hotter and hotter. It's almost 80 degress right now. -Declan >What?! What the *@#!! is wrong with the people who supposedly smart >people representing us?! > >Ern > >-------- From SJ Mercury: > > NET FEVER ON THE HILL > > Published: June 6, 1996 > > BY RORY J. O'CONNOR > Mercury News Washington Bureau > > WASHINGTON -- The White House wants a coordinated task force to fight > terrorism on the Internet. Some senators think the CIA should be > allowed to work hand in hand with the FBI to fight computer crime on > U.S. soil. Meanwhile, the federal courts are deciding a major First > Amendment case that might ban certain information from the Net. > > The nation's capital is in the throes of Internet fever. > > For the past several months, the condition has become acute, and by > the end of the year the Internet itself may look far different as a > result: more tightly regulated, more carefully monitored and more > expensive. > > The latest symptom: a suggestion Wednesday for the elimination of laws > that prohibit U.S. intelligence agencies -- notably the National >>>> Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency -- from snooping <<< >>>> on home soil. The reason: The potential for computer crime and <<< > terrorism is so great, and the Internet so decentralized and > international, that police and the FBI must combine forces with spy > agencies in order to successfully analyze the threat and investigate > criminal activity. > > ''If we're going to live in this kind of world, we're going to have to > link the intelligence world with law enforcement,'' said Sen. Sam > Nunn, D-Ga. > > For many people in government who work on computer and law-enforcement > issues, the course of the disease seems painfully slow. They often > describe the Internet as the Wild West that's sorely in need of a good > marshal. But for many people who use the Internet, the government's > efforts are moving far ahead of any real knowledge of a technology > that, two years ago, almost nobody had heard of. > > ''There are not dead bodies in the street,'' said Donna L. Hoffman, a > professor at Vanderbilt University who studies the Internet. ''It just > doesn't make sense to rush into legislation.'' > > [ SNIP ]

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Re: E-Data Systems ~ patent #4,528,643
by Yanni 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> I think this has made the rounds here, already. > > If it hasn't, any comments? > > Cheers, > Bob Hettinga yea, we got a couple of them from those guys... whatever... how can you claim a patent on that stuff? geeezzz... -jon Jon (no h) S. Stevens yanni(a)clearink.com ClearInk WebMagus http://www.clearink.com/ finger pgp(a)sparc.clearink.com for pgp pub key What I just wrote is beta. Please report all bugs directly to me.

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I swear I am not making this up. (rec.music.white-power)
by ezundel＠alpha.c2.org 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: bb748(a)FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Milton Kleim) Newsgroups: news.groups,alt.skinheads,alt.politics.nationalism.white, alt.politics.white-power Subject: Statement Regarding rec.music.white-power Date: 6 Jun 1996 23:10:41 GMT Organization: The National Capital FreeNet Lines: 48 Sender: bb748(a)freenet3.carleton.ca (Milton Kleim) Message-ID: <4p7ohh$mq2(a)freenet-news.carleton.ca> NNTP-Posting-Host: freenet3.carleton.ca Now that the results for our newsgroup proposal have been issued, we wish to make a statement concerning our objectives. Three objectives were sought in the rec.music.white-power project: #1: Generate mainstream media publicity for the Aryan Resistance Movement and disseminate the Holy Cause of the 14 Words -- "We must secure the existence of our People and a future for White children." #2: Encourage revelation of Enemy activists' identities to facilitate counter-espionage and prevent many instances of "anti-racist" activism against the 14 Words. #3: Create a newsgroup for discussion and promotion of Aryan music. On objective one, we succeeded beyond all expectations. No informed North American is not now unaware of our existence on the Internet. National Public Radio, _USA Today_, the _St. Paul Pioneer Press_, and Minnesota Public Radio, to name a few media organs, gave us priceless free publicity for our ideas and our Holy Cause. On objective two, we also succeeded well. We now have a comprehensive list of Enemy agents who are active on the Net. Aryan Corps Counter- intelligence is now undertaking a classification and cataloguing project which will make our counter-espionage efforts much more effective. On objective three, we obviously failed, but this was expected. Nonethe- less, benefit has been gained from this defeat. The Aryan Corps succeeded in organizing hundreds of Aryan Resistance Movement activists toward a constructive goal, increasing the "esprit de corps" of our ranks. We would like to thank all individuals who, for whatever reason, voted in the affirmative for our group. A special thanks is extended to Mr. Michael Handler, our vote-taker, for his herculean efforts to process the massive results for our proposal. We wish him well. -- Milton John Kleim, Jr., Proponent, rec.music.white-power; Chief Organi- zer, Aryan Corps -- White Wolf (RH), Deputy Organizer, Aryan Corps And on behalf of the entire Aryan Corps Network.

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New type2.list/pubring.mix
by John Perry 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

PGP message

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Internet Police
by caal＠hopf.dnai.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Has anyone seen this yet? Looks like it's two weeks old. Internet Police! >[BizWire] 5/20/96 > > (SUN/PSI-INTL)(SUNW) PSI International, Sun partner, unveils Java- > based Internet solution for law enforcement agencies; "Internet in > Blue" Police Internet/Intranet Application Suite Available in July > 1996 > > Business Editors/Computer Writers > > Highlights: > -- Internet in Blue, one of the first Java-based solutions aimed > at fighting crime, is being introduced by PSI International, a > strategic partner of Sun Microsystems Federal, and includes other > Sun products. > > -- Internet in Blue combines the power of Java and Netra servers > to enable law enforcement agencies and police departments to quickly > leverage the capabilities of the Internet and intranets. > > -- This solution is the latest evidence of Sun taking advantage > of the significant market opportunity for crime prevention > technology. Last year, Sun Federal announced a dedicated Criminal > Justice Operation, which is working with police departments and law > enforcement agencies around the world to help them use technology in > fighting crime. > > MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- May 20, 1996--One of > the first Sun(TM) Java(TM)-based solutions aimed at fighting crime > was introduced today by PSI International, a strategic partner of > Sun Microsystems Federal, a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems, Inc. > > Called Internet in Blue(TM), the solution combines the power of > Sun's Java technology, its Netra(TM) Internet servers, its Java > WorkShop(TM) development tools, and PSI's relational database > software. This solution fully leverages the capabilities of the > Internet for the benefit of law enforcement agencies because of the > inclusion of Java, the revolutionary Internet platform from Sun that > makes possible fast, easy, operating-system-independent use of the > Internet. > > To be offered by PSI, Internet in Blue will enable police > departments and other law enforcement agencies to leverage the > latest Internet technology to fight crime and promote citizen > involvement and community-based policing. From a citizen's > perspective, having a local police force with an Internet presence > gives people the opportunity to report problems online and play a > more active role in fighting crime in their neighborhoods. > > Besides utilizing the Internet, the PSI solution also allows > local police to build an "intranet," which is a greatly enhanced > internal information network to handle departmental processes as > well as to speedily access any internal database of interest. > Examples of these databases include local crime data such as > patterns of crimes, gang affiliations, data on previous suspects and > arrests. Currently, many police departments must locate such data > via a paper trail, which is very inefficient. > > "Law enforcement agencies are quickly realizing the power of the > Internet and intranets as strategic tools in fighting crime," said > John Marselle, president of Sun Microsystems Federal. "The Internet > in Blue solution from PSI -- based on Sun technology -- takes > advantage of Java's security features, platform independence and > database access capabilities. It should make it much easier for > police departments and other criminal justice organizations to get > online and to leverage the capabilities of the network." > > With Java WorkShop, a visual development environment for Java > that can be included as part of the Internet in Blue solution, > police departments can design, test, deploy and maintain Internet > and intranet applications based on Java with speed and simplicity. > Java WorkShop runs on the Sun Solaris(TM) environment and Windows > 95/NT. Using Java, the PSIBase relational database management > system can access Web browsers across any hardware platform. > > "The Internet is the next frontier in the development of law > enforcement information systems," said Paul Wormeli, program > director for law enforcement at PSI. "Our Internet in Blue solution > will enable law enforcement agencies to quickly exploit the latest > technologies like Java." > > Internet in Blue includes the following: > > A starter kit with a Sun Netra Internet server and PSI software > and services needed to set up a site on the World Wide Web, as well > as technical assistance from PSI for developing content and training > for a Webmaster. > > A full set of applications to create a police intranet providing > secure internal access to selected crime information, standard > operating police procedures and other infrastructure services. > > An interactive, community-based communications medium to > facilitate crime reporting over the Internet and community-based > policing. > > Suggestions for services that law enforcement agencies can > develop in order to offset the cost of the Internet project, such as > providing online crime reports and accident report information to > authorized outside organizations including legal firms and insurance > companies. -0- > > The Internet in Blue product will be available in July, 1996. > Pricing will vary depending on customer needs. > > PSI International, Inc. has provided systems integration and > services for over 14 years to federal, state and local governments. > The company specializes in law enforcement and public safety > solutions, consulting services, and integration of software and > hardware. With a staff of over 250 professionals in the information > system and services industry, PSI has a team of people that have > both technical and industry knowledge of public safety and justice > applications, including computer aided dispatch, records and > investigative management, imaging, telecommunications, and mobile > computing. > > Sun Microsystems Federal, Inc., headquartered in Vienna, > Virginia, is a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun Federal's > charter is to develop, deliver and sustain markets for Sun products > in governments worldwide. > > With annual revenues of $6 billion, Sun Microsystems, Inc., > provides solutions that enable customers to build and maintain open > network computing environments. Widely recognized as a proponent of > open standards, the company is involved in the design, manufacture > and sale of products, technologies and services for commercial and > technical computing. Sun's SPARC(TM) workstations, multiprocessing > servers, SPARC microprocessors, Solaris(Tm) operating software and > ISO-certified service organization each rank No. 1 in the UNIX(TM) > industry. Founded in 1982, Sun is headquartered in Mountain View, > Calif., and employs more than 16,000 people worldwide. -0- > > Note to Editors: Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, Java, Java > Workshop, Netra and Solaris are trademarks or registered trademarks > of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and in other > countries. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are > trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in > the United States and other countries. Products bearing SPARC > trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun > Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United > States and other countries exclusively licensed through X/Open > Company, Ltd. > > Internet in Blue is a trademark of PSI, International and is > properly written in boldface italics, all lower case. > > Press announcements and other information about Sun Microsystems > are available on the Internet via the World Wide Web using a tool > such as Netscape or NCSA Mosaic. Type http://www.sun.com at the URL > prompt. > > --30--css/sf* > > CONTACT: Burson-Marsteller (for Sun) > Jane Rauckhorst, 212/614-4880 > or > PSI International > Martha Hill, 703/352-8700 > > KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA > INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED > INTERACTIVE/MULTIMEDIA/INTERNET PRODUCT GOVERNMENT > > 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 >

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NTT Chips Beat Cops
by jya＠pipeline.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The Economist, June 8, 1996, p. 65. Encryption Silence of the bugs Spare a thought for America's professional snoops. For decades the FBI and others have counted the telephone wiretap among their favourite weapons against crime, as countless mafiosi can (and did) testify. Now, software in a computer or digital telephone can scramble a message so effectively that no law-enforcement agency can read it. For years, the government has fought back by restricting the use of encryption, to the fury of privacy advocates on the Internet, where rampant eavesdropping makes encryption essential. Now a bit of silicon and a stack of paper have apparently ended the battle: the cops lost. The bit of silicon is actually two chips that can encrypt data transmissions so that they are in effect uncrackable. Had the chips been developed in the United States, the government would have classified them as "munitions" and banned their export. But they were developed in Japan, by NTT, the telephone giant, and the Japanese subsidiary of RSA, an American encryption company, which revealed their existence early this week. They can therefore be used around the world, and even imported into the United States. There seems nothing the American government can do about it. As if that were not bad enough, America's restrictive encryption policy took another hit last week when a report, commissioned by Congress and compiled by the prestigious National Research Council (NRC), concluded that the policy had hurt Americans far more than it had helped them. For the past few years, the White House has been offering a purported compromise: give the government (or a mutually trusted third party) a key to read your encrypted e-mail, and you can scramble it all you like. The problem with this so-called "key escrow" proposal was that it smacked to many of Big Brotherism. The computer industry rejected it out of hand, and fell back instead on weaker encryption that was not regulated, even though this can be cracked over a weekend with a home PC. Up to now, the government's response to cries for better encryption for all has been to fall back on its responsibility to protect the citizenry. The NRC panel rejected this, together with the "if only you knew what we know" argument the government has usually trotted out. Composed of former security officials and encryption experts, this panel did know what the government knows, and was still not convinced. Now the NTT chips seem to sweep away the whole debate. NTT has already sold the chips in 15 countries, and they should soon be incorporated in products. Stewart Baker, the former general counsel of America's National Security Agency, concedes that the chips have probably killed encryption controls in America, but argues that the battle will continue to run in Europe, where countries such as France limit their use. For the rest of the world, these bits of silicon may indeed make it harder for police to protect citizens. But they will also make it easier for citizens to protect themselves. --

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Re: It tolls for thee
by jim bell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 09:42 AM 6/7/96 -0700, Timothy C. May wrote: >At 7:29 AM 6/7/96, jim bell wrote: > >>Even so, given how much noise we've been hearing out of DC on the subject >>of the Internet, digital cash, and good encryption, I'd say SOMEBODY is >>getting a bit worried. I haven't exactly been keeping this stuff a secret: >>What do you think their reaction has been, so far? When those >>government-types start considering various scary scenarios, what do you >>think they are imagining? > >I don't think any significant amount of the current stuff coming out of >Washington has anything to do with my words, your words, or the words of >anyone on this or any other forum I know about. Okay, I was not trying to suggest that any particular source is followed. What I'm noticing is the almost uniformly "pessimistic" (as to the fate of the government) views I've read on the various computer networks, and the uniformly hostile reactions to government proposals. This can't be reassuring to the people in power today. >Rather, the reasons for their actions and hyperbole about the Net, the Web, >online porn, money laundering, the "information highway," and all that >trendy stuff is because they can see many of the same trends we see. > >While I have a certain amount of pride that my single-page "Crypto >Anarchist Manifesto" essentially nailed a bunch of trends which have become >obvious to all in the 8 years after I issued it, I don't for a picosecond >think anything I wrote then or since has had any significant effect on >proposed leglislation. Don't be so sure. Legislators, alone, don't have the smarts to figure out why they "needed" a Clipper-chip proposal, or the capacity to tap 1% of the phone calls, or other recent government proposals. Government is usually very good at ignoring problems long after they become problems. The fact that they're so hot to control the Internet suggests to me that somebody has been talking to them about what is going to happen. Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

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