December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

The Microsoft Provocateur
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The New Yorker of May 12 has a long profile by Ken Auletta on Myhrvold, "The Microsoft Provocateur": "For a decade, Nathan Myhrvold, Bill Gate's corporate gadfly, has been writing copious, bombastic, brilliant, and confidential memos for his boss. To read them is to understand a lot about Microsoft -- and the future." ----- http://jya.com/myhrvold.htm (56K)

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US Citizens doing crypto work overseas
by C Matthew Curtin 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Does anyone have any idea how extensive the legal entaglements might be for a US Citizen to accept work overseas developing crypto software for a foreign company? Someone at a company in Australia is interested in hiring some crypto-clued folks, and has asked me if it's even worth pursuing any US citizens. advTHANKSance -- Matt Curtin Chief Scientist Megasoft Online cmcurtin(a)research.megasoft.com http://www.research.megasoft.com/people/cmcurtin/ I speak only for myself Death to small keys. Crack DES NOW! http://www.frii.com/~rcv/deschall.htm

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Hackers! <ooh, do it again> Hackers!
by Rick Osborne 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

"the Net" Magazine, #6 for June 97 page 96, has a blurb entitled "NetSurfer Archetypes: Seven Frightening Case Studies", one of which is of course "The Hacker". It says: The Hacker alias: :parasite: modus operandi: Breaks into Procter & Gamble's main database, and inserts a script that sends a free home pregnancy test to every man, woman, and child in North America. identifying marks: Pacific Bell lineman's uniform ("Hank from the Central Office sent me. You fellas got the security keys we requested?) favorite Web site: 25 Real-Life MacGuyvers philosophy of life: "43NytRoPH" _________ o s b o r n e @ g a t e w a y . g r u m m a n . c o m _________ DOS Tip #17: Add DEVICE=FNGRCROS.SYS to CONFIG.SYS

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Paper on IBM's New Crypto
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

For the paper describing IBM's new public key algorithm by Miklos Ajtai and Cynthia Dwork of IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California: ftp://ftp.eccc.uni-trier.de/pub/eccc/reports/1996/TR96-065/index.html IBM's press release on it: http://jya.com/ibmkey.htm

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PGP
by lucifer＠dhp.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Tim C[retin] Mayflower styles his facial hair to look more like pubic hair. ,,, -ooO(o o)Ooo- Tim C[retin] Mayflower (_)

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pgMedia, Inc. vs. Network Solutions, Inc. PARTY!
by mf＠mediafilter.org 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

name.space hits network solutions with antitrust suit zero.tolerance.org - mediafilter.org - and name.space invite you to our web party and legal fundraiser at 11 East 4th Street 2F Buzzer #1 New York, NY 10003 Friday, 5-9-97, 7pm (EDT) till... register a name in name.space create a virtual home page bring images to scan if you're not live in NYC you can still see the event on our webcam and register from wherever you are! check out the party at http://namespace.party.cam switch your PC or Mac to name.space with one click http://ns.autono.net./ns./download.html see.you.in.name.space Paul Garrin http://name.space http://namespace.xs2.net apologies if you got this twice or if you do not support the freeing of the internet. for more information on the Anti-Trust action pgMedia, Inc. d/b/a/ name.space vs. Network Solutions, Inc. please go to http://namespace.xs2.net/ns./legal.html

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Business needs over citizen rights
by Tim May 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

It's interesting that in the various recent developments over crypto, the needs of business are taking priority over the basic rights of citizens. In fact, the debate is being driven by issues of "competitiveness." * In the latest round of crypto export policy, relayed to us by Will Rodger of "Interactive Week," it is relaxation of export for financial and banking software that is being pushed. (Possibly connected to the next item, though.) * Meanwhile, the Administration's "Crypto Import Restrictions" (officially entitled "The Safe Streets, Child Protection, and Public Safety Act") are about to be introduced, as reported to us by Brock Meeks (on this list by Bill Stewart). It is possible that this is also related to corporate interests, as this would stop certain offshore developers--unhindered by U.S. laws--from competing in the U.S. against U.S. companies (this is mere speculation on my part, but it may be part of the big picture). * And SAFE has special provisions for financial cryptography (read: Banking interests), while also putting the screws to any citizen-units who step out of bounds with crypto. ...and so on. What these trends add up to is an almost complete disregard for basic, fundamental issues of civil liberties and freedom in favor of various craftings of laws to advantage some American companies, disadvantage other American companies, and manipulate the international competitive scene. This is what politics has always been, of course. Pork barrels and pigs at the trough, to mix some porcine metaphors. It shows how far we have degenerated as a nation. Exactly which parts of the First, Second, etc. Amendments do these porkers not understand? May they all be vaporized. --Tim May There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Re: Since when is supporting unrestricted crypto unreasonable?
by lucifer＠dhp.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 10:46 PM 5/6/97 -0500, Omegaman wrote: >I'm starting to think that until someone actually gets arrested and >jailed for using strong, unbreakable encryption that is "suspected" of >supporting a crime, little will change. In the meantime, the >administration, Congress, and the TLA's will keep getting closer to >achieving their goals. Ahh, but the government is far too clever to haul up Phil Cypherpunk and charge him with "Encryption with intent to hide". Instead, they'll wait until they get a Tim McVeigh-esque case, show that he "conspired" using encryption, and say "See how tough on crime we are? We must convict and fry this evil militia member. And give him an extra 230 volts for using encryption, according to the SAFE law." There isn't an American politician alive who would dare publically ask to have a McVeigh-level-case's sentence reduced or any stupid charges dropped. "Sorry, I can't appear soft on this kind of criminal!" Then, there is *legal precedent* for all kinds of criminals to get the extra 5 years (or 230 volts). Then, when they DO come around and pound down the doors of Jim Cypherpunk for having evil thoughts about FBI agents and find an encrypted copy of Penthouse; well, hey, that law's been tested on the books before. Lock him up. When charges are brought up against a suspect, the suspect is truly spammed with all manner of accusations. It's how the legal game is played. Find someone you want to lock up, then throw enough turds and some will eventually stick. Tim May's new signature nicely reflects this. Therefore, citizens won't ever "win" if ProCODE or SAFE or whatever is enacted. It'll just be another turd thrown at suspects.

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Re: Banking Secrecy and Nazi Gold
by Tim May 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Someone sent me private mail about my post, and suggested that Swiss bankers have historically had close ties to the Swiss government, e.g, most are reserve officers in the Swiss military. He also suggested that Switzerland is more of a police state than many realize. Here is my reply: I don't argue otherwise. Likewise, Monaco is a video surveillance state, with hundreds of cameras scattered in hidden locations throughout that tiny place. Neither are places I'd want to live. But the deposits of the 1930s-40s are ancient history. As I said, I see the current foofaw as being political. (Just as the Kurt Waldheim thing was political, in that Israel, the U.S., and many other states knew of Waldheim's war record and chose to exploit the knowledge rather than reveal it.) If the U.S. forces the illegal gains to be "given back," mightn't the fortune Joe Kennedy amasses as a rum runner be seized? The Kennedy clan made its considerable fortune through outlaw activities, even to the (probable) point of buying the '60 election (Illinois, as I'm sure you know). (Not suggesting rum running = extermination of Jews. Far from it. But the notion of going back to events of 50-60 years ago, when ignored in the intervening decades, must always be scrutinized for real intentions.) Lastly, I really wish you'd make more of your comments in a public way, so that my responses can be public. --Tim There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Re: (fwd) Cell Phone Cancer Study
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

As follow up to the Stewart Fist report on new findings of cell-phone hazards, the Jerusalem Post says that the report is causing alarm in Israel -- where cell-phones are heavily used -- and that the government intends to investigate. Motorola et al are hunkered. The scientific study is in the journal "Radiation Research," Volume 147, Number 5, May 1997: http://www.cjp.com/radres/html/may97toc.htm Michael H. Repacholi, Antony Basten, Val Gebski, Denise Noonan, John Finnie and Alan W. Harris "Lymphomas in Emu-Pim1 Transgenic Mice Exposed to Pulsed 900 MHz Electromagnetic Fields" (p. 631) However, there is not an on-line version, unless someone knows of it elsewhere. What say the cellular folks here to this story?

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