December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Bombing Denver? / Or: How Capt. Button Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
by Toto 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Timothy C. May wrote: > The A-10 is believed by Reliable Sources to have been on its way to bomb > the Federal Building, while the McVeigh trial was starting, in Denver. > > (I'm on some strange lists and can't vouch for this revelation.) Which begs the question, "Would those lists be strange if you 'weren't' on them?" (Sorry, I couldn't help myself...) -- Toto "The Xenix Chainsaw Massacre" http://bureau42.base.org/public/xenix/xenbody.html

2 1

Re: SAFE Bill is a Disaster--"Use a cipher, go to prison"
by jimbell＠pacifier.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 10:09 5/01/97 -0400, Jonah Seiger wrote: >Tim - > >It's too bad we may not see eye-to-eye on this one. > >For what it's worth, CDT shares your concerns about the criminal provision >in the SAFE bill. We believe that as currently written, the provision is >overly broad and could create a chilling effect on the everyday use of >encryption, and unnecessary because it duplicates existing obstruction of >justice law. > >We have expressed these concerns both publicly (in a letter to the >committee signed by EPIC, ACLU, EFF, VTW, CDT, and over 20 other >organizations - see http://www.privacy.org/ipc/safe_letter.html) and >privately in conversations with the committee staff. We hope to work with >the authors of SAFE to address these concerns, but, as you know, we are not >running this show and have to work with what the Congress gives us. There's your error. No, you don't "have to work with" it. Simply make your public support absolutely and completely conditional on the removal of the bad part. That's quite easy, isn't it?!? > >However, despite our concerns about the criminal provisions, we believe >strongly that the SAFE bill, and the bills in the Senate sponsored by Burns >and Leahy, are vitally important and should be passed. Why? Tim May said it quite well: SAFE gives us no rights that we don't already have, and what it does claim to give us has so many "legitimate needs of law-enforcement"-type loopholes that it would be almost totally useless. It is certainly not "vitally important." There are some components of SAFE which would be good to have, IF they can be obtained without the disastrous component of SAFE which we all know must be removed. > >As you know, the debate over encryption policy reform has been going on for >more than 4 years. Despite all of our efforts to promote the use of >encryption, crypto is still not widely used by the public. > >The Clinton administration has not backed off from their commitment to a >global key-escrow/key-recovery system with guaranteed law enforcement >access to private keys. And despite the brilliant work of EFF on the >various legal challenges to the export restrictions, we feel this issue >will only be fully resolved through legislation. > >The status quo, in our view, is not good enough. Let's not have any backsliding, then! Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

1 0

Nations Cannot Terrorize
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

NYT reports today on the State Department's new "1996 Patterns of Global Terrorism:" "By the State Department's definition, nations cannot commit terrorism, only "subnational groups or clandestine agents" who carry out "politically motivated violence" against innocents. If a nation's air force bombs civilians that is not terrorism; if civilians blow up a plane, it is." ---- For full DoS report: http://jya.com/pgt1996.htm (202K)

1 0

Re: SAFE Bill is a Disaster--"Use a cipher, go to prison"
by geeman 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

In that case, it counts as an improvement indeed. At 10:48 PM 4/30/97 -0700, Anil Das wrote: >On Apr 30, 10:23pm, geeman wrote: >> Subject: Re: SAFE Bill is a Disaster--"Use a cipher, go to prison" >> >> I'd like to point out that the key phrase in there seems to be >> "under any law in effect on the effective date of this chapter" -- altho >> it's gobbledegooked, >> the intent seems to say "if there is no law in effect mandating GAK when >> this bill becomes >> law, there can never be a law passed which does" Or in other words, it has >> the effect of making >> GAK no better, or worse, than under current law, while preventing passage >> of GAK laws in the future. > > Agreed, except for one subtle correction. Congress cannot >make a law saying a future congress cannot make such and such a law, >because the future congress can always repeal, amend or override the >old law. So, what this section does is to make GAK through an >executive order impossible. > >-- >Anil Das > > >

1 0

Kid hacker changes his grades (fwd)
by Ray Arachelian 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>>>>> Forwarded message From: http://www.accessatlanta.com/local/news/1997/04/30/gradehacker.html Student faces felony for hacking grades >From NewsTalk 750 WSB A 15-year-old Florida High School student faces felony charges for allegedly hacking his way into the school computer to change "F's" into "A's." Jason Westerman claims it was only a joke, but he faces felony charges for offenses against intellectual property and computer users. He's been suspended for ten days. Westwood high school administrators want to expel him. << End forwarded message

1 0

CDT Flash: SADE Bill -- "Hold a belief, go to prison"
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

(A copy of this message has also been posted to the following newsgroups: alt.cypherpunks, talk.politics.crypto, comp.org.eff.talk) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- _____ _____ _______ / ____| __ \__ __| ____ ___ ____ __ | | | | | | | | / __ \____ / (_)______ __ / __ \____ _____/ /_ | | | | | | | | / /_/ / __ \/ / / ___/ / / / / /_/ / __ \/ ___/ __/ | |____| |__| | | | / ____/ /_/ / / / /__/ /_/ / / ____/ /_/ (__ ) /_ \_____|_____/ |_| /_/ \____/_/_/\___/\__, / /_/ \____/____/\__/ The Center for Deities and Theologies /____/ Volume 42, Number 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A briefing on public policy issues affecting religious liberties online ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CDT POLICY POST Volume 42, Number 1 May 1, 1997 Status Report on SADE, "Serenity and Dignity Through Enlightenment" FLASH! The Center for Deities and Theologies announces that the "SADE" Bill is past markup by the House Committee on Beliefs and Creeds, and is headed for passage in the full House. We urge you to call your representative and support this important Bill. While CDT believes the Bill has certain flaws, particularly the criminal sanctions for use of religious beliefs in furtherance of a prosecutable offense, we believe the benefits outweigh the problems. This Bill will give to American believer-units the religious freedoms they have so far lacked, while also ensuring the legitimate needs of religious enforcement are satisfied. The characterization of SADE as a kind of "hold a belief, go to prison" law is completely unjustified. No believer-unit who does not use his or her beliefs in connection with a prosecutable offense has anything whatsoever to fear from this landmark piece of legislation. CDT is proud to be a supporter and industry shill for this important step forward. --Klaus! von Future Prime, Policy Director, Center for Deities and Theologies Text of H.R. 666, the "SADE" Bill, "Serenity and Dignity Through Enlightenment" A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, to affirm the rights of Americans to practice the religious beliefs of their choice, and to recognize the legitimate needs of law enforcment and national security concerns in this area. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the "Serenity and Dignity Through Enlightenment (SADE) Act". SEC. 2. PRACTICE OF RELIGION. (a) IN GENERAL. Part I of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after chapter 121 the following new chapter: CHAPTER 122-RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES "2801. Definitions. "2802. Freedom To Practice Religion. "2803. Freedom To Sell Religous Materials. "2804. Prohibition on religious licenses. "2805. Unlawful use of religious beliefs in furtherance of a criminal act. "§2802. Freedom To Practice Religion "Subject to Section 2805, it shall be lawful for any person within any State, and for any United States citizen in a foreign country, to hold any religious belief, regardless of the deity, god, goddess, idol, or higher being believed in. "§2803. Freedom To Sell Religous Materials "Subject to section 2805, it shall be lawful for any person within any State to sell in interstate commerce any religious tract, scripture, Bible, or pamphlet, regardless of the deity, god, goddess, or higher being supported. "§2804. Prohibition on religious licenses "(a) PROHIBITION. -- No person in lawful possession of religious materials may be required by Federal or State law to disclose or surrender to another person those materials. "(b) EXCEPTION FOR ACCESS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES.-Subsection (a) shall not affect the authority of any investigative or law enforcement officer, under any law in effect on the effective date of this chapter, to gain access to those beliefs and religious materials. "§2805. Unlawful use of religious beliefs in furtherance of a criminal act "Any person who willfully uses religious beliefs or practices in furtherance of the commission of a criminal offense for which the person may be prosecuted in a court of competent jurisdiction -- "(1) in the case of a first offense under this section, shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or fined in the amount set forth in this title, or both; and "(2) in the case of a second or subsequent offense under this section, shall be imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or stoned to death, or both.". SEC. 3. EXPORTS OF RELIGIOUS MATERIALS. (a) AMENDMENT TO RELIGIOUS EXPORT ADMINISTRATION ACT OF 1979. -- Section 17 of the Religious Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2416) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection: "(g) BIBLES AND RELATED MATERIALS. -- "(1) GENERAL RULE.--Subject to paragraphs (2), (3), and (4), the Inqusitor shall have exclusive authority to control exports of all religious materials, tracts, Bibles, Torahs, and statements of belief for religious matters and beliefs, except that which is specifically intended or modified for use by religious zealots, martyrs, and those involved in crusades, jihads, or holy wars. "(2) ITEMS NOT REQUIRING LICENSES. -- No validated license may be required, except pursuant to the Praying For the Enemy Act or the International Emergency Higher Powers Act (but only to the extent that the authority of such Act is not exercised to extend controls imposed under this Act), for the export or reexport of-- ... "(3) MATERIALS WITH PROSELYTIZING CAPABILITIES. -- The Inquisitor shall authorize the export or reexport of religious items with proselytizing capabilities for non-jihad end-uses in any country to which exports of similar Christian or Jewish materials are permitted for use by religious institutions not controlled in fact by United States churches and synagogues, unless there is substantial evidence that such materials will be -- "(A) diverted to a an Islamic jihad or other holy war or used for religious terrorism; "(B) modified for crusade and.or holy war end-use; or "(C) reexported without any authorization by the United States that may be required under this Act. -- 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."

1 0

Re:
by Trevor Goodchild 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I assure you sir that it was meant to be posted without anonimity, and that it was lovingly hand crafted for your reading pleasure. Now who is this Gruber fellow? --- Trevor Goodchild On Fri, 25 Apr 1997 paul(a)fatmans.demon.co.uk wrote: > > > From: Trevor Goodchild <trevorg(a)dhp.com> > > > Dimi Vulis is just another garden variety KGB whore that has > > [REST OF RANT DELETED] > > Hmm, a slippage I wonder by Trevorg(a)dhp.com, this was presumably > supposed to be sent anonymously. But why would it not be bot`ted? > > I always thought these posts were emanating from somewhere like > dhp.com (Recally dhp.com is the domain which Dr. Grubor has his > addresses on). > > >

1 0

J/Crypto (fwd)
by Ray Arachelian 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 10:27:33 -0400 (EDT) From: Alex Chaffee <alex(a)earthweb.com> Subject: J/Crypto (original at http://206.20.162.246 JavaZine ) J/CRYPTO - Cryptography class library Baltimore Technologies shipped the first copies of its Java cryptography product J/CRYPTO at the Java Users Group meeting at Communications '97. J/CRYPTO is the world's first cryptography class library written entirely in Java and implements RSA, DES, Triple-DES, SHA1, MD5, Diffie-Hellman and other common cryptographic functions. It plugs into the Java Cryptography Architecture (JCA) and will comply with Sun's Java Cryptography Extension (JCE). J/Crypto includes a range of Java classes including: highly optimized Multi-Precision Arithmetic Modules; cryptographically secure Pseudo-Random Number Generation; RSA key generation & encryption; SHA-1 & MD5 Hashing; DES and Triple-DES encryption; Diffie Hellman Key Exchange Mechanism. J/Crypto includes many advanced features which provide commercial grade security for applications. These features include: full-strength key sizes (512,1024, 2048 bit RSA keys, 112-bit Triple-DES); fast format RSA keys (Chinese remainder theorem & Fermat-4); eeeelimination of weak & possibly weak DES & RSA keys; bfuscation of secret keys and other sensitive data; compatibility with PKCS #1, #3, #5, #8, #11; sample applications and benchmarking. Future developments for J/CRYPTO include implementation of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), IDEA, RC2, RC4, BSA4, BSA5 ciphers and a range of high-speed stream ciphers. For more info: http://www.baltimore.ie/

2 1

Re: [CRYPTO] ZKP
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 10:00:24 -0600 (MDT) From: Graham-John Bullers <real(a)freenet.edmonton.ab.ca> To: Anonymous <nobody(a)replay.com> Cc: cypherpunks(a)toad.com Subject: Re: [CRYPTO] ZKP Sender: owner-cypherpunks(a)toad.com I think Vulis needs each of us to send ten copies of this back to him. On Thu, 1 May 1997, Anonymous wrote: > Tim May is widely recognized on the net, because of his > frequent vitriolic postings, as someone/thing ready to cut > off his own penis to spite Graham-John Bullers, although his > friends recognize him better from the rear. > > __ > /_/\__ > \_\/\_\ Tim May > /\_\/_/ > \/_/ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Graham-John Bullers Modulator of alt.2600.modulated ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ email : real(a)freenet.edmonton.ab.ca : ab756(a)freenet.toronto.on.ca ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/~real/index.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 0

Artikel about XS4ALL in New York Times
by tank 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

THE NEW YORK TIMES/CYBERTIMES www.nytimes.com April 29, 1997 By BRUNO GIUSSANI For an ISP in the Netherlands, Controversy Is an Old Friend AMSTERDAM -- April has meant business as usual at XS4ALL (access-for-all), the third-largest Internet service provider in the Netherlands. The month started off with the XS4ALL Web site being out of reach for a substantial portion of the European online population, and it is ending with the provider's adding a notch to its track record as a champion of freedom of speech. On April 11 the Dutch Web site was blocked by the German academic network, Deutsche Forschungsnetz (DFN), which serves about 400 universities and research organizations and provides Internet access to a half million people. DFN acted under pressure from the Federal Criminal Investigation Bureau pointing out the illegal -- in Germany, though not in the Netherlands -- content of Radikal Magazine, which is housed on the XS4ALL server. Radikal, a left-wing underground magazine, advocates "militant and armed interventions" to overthrow the government, and has published a "Short guide to hindering railway transports of all kinds" -- a handbook describing how to attack and damage tracks. Since selectively barring single home pages is technically impossible, the DNF action cut off all 6,000 pages on the XS4ALL servers, including those of Serbian opposition radio station B-92 and several scientific databases. Thus, while blocking illegal material, the German network was also hampering scientific work -- which DFN has been established to nurture. Not to mention that skilled Internet users could route around the obstacle by using a remailing system or a proxy server located abroad. What's more, Radikal Magazine can be found on several dozen "mirror sites" around the world. Ten days later -- after being flooded by protests -- the German network lifted the ban on XS4ALL. "An effective blockage of illegal information has not been within the realms of possibility," Klaus-Eckart Maass, a DFN spokesman, conceded in an interview with The Associated Press. Now, this happened the very same week as the indictment of a German manager of CompuServe, a leading international online service, for the transmission of allegedly illegal materials over the Internet and as the German Parliament opened discussions on a new multimedia law. The new bill would place the responsibility for content on the supplier of the data, thus Internet service providers would not be held liable for illegal information that could pass over their wires unless they have been alerted and "have the technical ability" to delete or block it -- the very same scheme the German academic network found impossible to enforce. It was not the first time XS4ALL had been at the forefront of an Internet skirmish. Last September, most German ISPs blocked XS4ALL for a month after complaints by a regional prosecutor about Radikal. (In January Angela Marquardt, a Bavarian socialist politician, was indicted for linking to the banned magazine from her personal home page). "After a couple of weeks, the censored information was mirrored on some 50 Web sites around the world and voluntarily removed by our user from the XS4ALL server," the company's founder, Felipe Rodriquez, 28, explained. "After the block had ended, our user put the documents back on his page." Along with German prosecutors, the Amsterdam-based provider has lined up a fair list of other adversaries: the McDonald's fast-food chain, the Serbian government and the Church of Scientology, just to name a few. XS4ALL's roots reach into the hacker movement. The venture started out in 1993 "to give anyone the possibility to access the Internet." At that time there were no commercial access providers in Holland. It has grown into a respectable and very successful business in less than four years, yet the principles on which it was created have not changed: "Internet for the masses" is still its motto. XS4ALL currently has 55 employees, boasts 21,000 subscribers and hosts some 6,000 home pages. "A few years ago, we would have been portrayed as a band of dangerous anarchists, bent on disrupting society," Rodriquez told the Dutch daily Trouw. "But now they have come to see that we are nice and quiet people really." The company was instrumental in the creation of the Amsterdam Digital City project, a community networking initiative backed by taxpayer's money, and Rodriquez himself played a key role in setting up the Dutch anti-child-pornography hotline, the first of its kind, last year. "Before we started the hotline, Holland had a reputation of being a kid-porn freehaven," he said in an interview last week. "We designed it as a non-censoring form of self-regulation." The hotline is run by Internet users and providers. Unlike Britain's Internet Watch Foundation, the Dutch hotline doesn't censor any information nor does it ask the provider to do so. Hotline operators contact the author of the information and ask him to remove the offending content. "If the author does not comply, we report him to the police, and he'll be prosecuted," said Rodriquez, who also is chairman of the Dutch Providers Association. "The Internet Watch Foundation forces the provider to remove the illegal content," he added. "This is a fundamentally different approach to responsibilities on the Internet. We think the author of the information is responsible for his own actions, not the provider." That's why XS4ALL didn't take any steps against the customer who posted Radikal Magazine on its server. "Our policy is that as a provider we are not in the position to judge whether this magazine is illegal in the Netherlands, therefore we do not interfere with our users' freedom of speech," Rodriquez stated. "If there is any doubt about the legality of the publication in Holland, a Dutch court of law would be the proper place to remove these doubts," he added. This was the case when, in September 1995, the Religious Technology Center -- better known as the Church of Scientology -- filed for the seizure of all the XS4ALL computer equipment "because one of our users had put on his home page some information to which Scientology said it owned the copyright." The document -- the now famous "Fishman affidavit" -- is the actual transcript of a testimony given by Steven Fishman in a Los Angeles Court in which he accused the church of having forced him to act illegally. "We denied any responsibility for the content on our users' pages; they decide for themselves what they will publish," Rodriquez recalled. "We won the litigation." The user preferred to take down the controversial document. Yet when violation of the law is flagrant, XS4ALL doesn't hesitate to comply, as it did a few weeks ago when it shut down a customer's home page called Neuroroom, which sold marijuana and other soft drugs in Holland and abroad. The company's commitment to support free expression and democratization of the Internet doesn't stop here. Last fall when the Serbian government censored radio station B-92, XS4ALL helped design an Internet campaign and started to carry news broadcasts (in RealAudio format) that kept the rare opposition voice alive and the international public informed through independent accounts of the events occurring during the mass demonstrations in Belgrade. "They gave us disk space, donated network traffic and helped in training people," said Frank Tiggelaar, a Dutch activist for democratization in former Yugoslavia. "Basically any project we like gets free resources from XS4ALL," Rodriquez commented. The campaign of Helen Steel and Dave Morris is among the projects XS4ALL's old hackers do like. The two British environmentalists are the main characters of a civil case that started in 1990 when the McDonald's restaurant chain sued them for distributing flyers pointing at what they called the company's economic and ecological "ravages." The trial is not over yet -- but it has spawned a large Internet-based support network and fed a huge anti-McDonald's Web site called McSpotlight hosted, not surprisingly, by XS4ALL. EUROBYTES is published weekly, on Tuesdays. Click here for a list of links to other columns in the series. Related Sites Following are links to the external Web sites mentioned in this article. These sites are not part of The New York Times on the Web, and The Times has no control over their content or availability. When you have finished visiting any of these sites, you will be able to return to this page by clicking on your Web browser's "Back" button or icon until this page reappears. Bruno Giussani at eurobytes(a)nytimes.com welcomes your comments and suggestions. Copyright 1997 The New York Times Company -- XS4ALL Internet BV - Felipe Rodriquez-Svensson - finger felipe(a)xs4all.nl for Managing Director - - pub pgp-key 1024/A07C02F9

1 0