December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Chaum steps down as CEO of Digicash
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 1:53 pm -0400 on 4/28/97, Hal Finney wrote: > Chaum's orientation towards privacy has not been well accepted by the > conservative banking community (a similar point was made by Peter Swire > in his article about payments and anonymity). Again, financial privacy is like flight. To the people who invented it, flight was an inherent good. People died trying to create it. However, the thing which made flight commonplace was commerce. Flying is not only the fastest way for people and other important things to get somewhere, but, over great distances, it is simply the cheapest way for people to travel. People don't purchase "wow, we can fly". They purchase economy seats to Cleveland. :-). The same thing with financial cryptography, and, by extension, strong cryptography in general. What will sell financial cryptography is not financial privacy per se. What will sell financial cryptography is the fact that digital bearer certificate protocols will prove, by virtue of their very *anonymity*, to be many orders of magnitude cheaper to use than any internet transaction method of equal security. Or any transaction method at all, for that matter. Including, of course, the book-entry transaction settlement methods (like checks, credit cards, securities clearinghouses, interbank settlement) we use today. It is under *that* proposition alone, the potential for radical cost reduction in *all* transaction settlement processes -- and the prospect for radical economic transformation that that brings -- that the blind signature patent should be marketed and licensed. Notice I said "licensed". Cryptographers -- and that is who Digicash is, nothing else, no matter how hard they try to be otherwise -- should invent, license, and validate the use of cryptographic protocols. And, clearly, there is no better financial cryptographer in the world than David Chaum, the man who created, from whole cloth, everything we consider to be modern financial cryptography. Digicash should not try to be a financial trustee, or a certificate underwriter, or even a software developer. All three things Digicash, BV, has tried to be in its many previous incarnations. Now, it appears, Digicash, Inc., is going to try to become the internet equivalent of a credit card association. However, once you understand what Digicash's strengths really are, you can see why this current strategy is just the next progression in, I'm sorry to say, the fool's market that Digicash, Inc., has become in terms of investment return. So, you can understand how, sometimes, I'm very much afraid we'll have to wait until this round of funding is burned through -- say 3 to 5 years -- before we see any progress in the market for digital bearer certificates. And, if Digicash keeps finding a "greater fool" when the money runs out, we'll end up waiting until 2007, the expiration date on the blind signature patent, in order for anything to happen at all. Yet, most of rest of the time, however, I'm not so pessimistic. I'm convinced that if Digicash starts non-exclusive licensing of the blind signature patent, and the other relevant Chaum patents it now controls, even as an experiment, I expect that they would very soon find that their profit margins on those licenses would dwarf the profits on all their other projects. Maybe then they'll realize they should stop trying to be something else, and be what they what they have been all along: the very best financial cryptographers in the world. Cheers, Bob Hettinga ----------------- Robert Hettinga (rah(a)shipwright.com) Philodox e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA Lesley Stahl: "You mean *anyone* can set up a web site and compete with the New York Times?" Andrew Kantor: "Yes." Stahl: "Isn't that dangerous?" The e$ Home Page: http://www.shipwright.com/

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Re: Artikel about XS4ALL in New York
by Paul Bradley 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On Fri, 2 May 1997, tank wrote: > "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 only "nice people" are dangerous anarchists bent on destroying governments and buggering poloticians to death. (last part a personal preference of course, the author is totally straight but would nonetheless be distinctly amused to see any government official butt-raped to death) > The company was instrumental in the creation of the Amsterdam Digital > 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. How very benevolent. Its nice to know that instead of censoring your pages they send in the jackbooted thugs to do it for them, then throw you in a nice 6x9 cell for the henious crime of displaying some .gifs or similar. > "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." And if he chooses not to remove the content you happen to find offensive? If you truly believed in the rights of the author and publisher of the information you would think about it before sending in your own particular brand of thugs to "crush the mutiny". > 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. Sometimes one really wonders why we bother to set up mirrors to allow freedom of information to users, when the owners of these servers, supposedly in favour of free speech, do not even have the strength of character or conviction to decide for themselves what they will allow on their servers rather than bending over for the long cock of the law... > The company's commitment to support free expression and democratization > of the Internet doesn't stop here. As far as I can see it hasn`t even started yet. > 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. I presume B-92 fell into line and matched the "requirements under law for obtaining a free-speech permit" before XS4ALL allowed this/ > "Basically any project we like gets free resources from XS4ALL," > Rodriquez commented. And anyone who guarantees to publicly lick the boots of the benevolent owners in thanks for their support gets as much free space as they like? Of course I believe in the right to free expression of anyone and if these thugs choose not to allow material they don`t like on their servers they have every right to remove it. I just don`t see that setting up mirrors to defeat blocks on sites that refuse to carry certain content is of any value in the fight for free speech. Sure, create a mirror of Radikal, but giving any credit or attribution to XS4ALL seems to be a poor choice. Paul "Still messing with mail apps so totally .sig-less" Bradley

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Conference on UK Crypto Initiative 19 May 1997
by Dave Banisar 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

SCRAMBLING FOR SAFETY Privacy, security and commercial implications of the DTI's proposed encryption policy May 19, 1997 Computer Security Research Centre The London School of Economics Organised by: Privacy International Global Internet Liberty Campaign Chairman: Prof. Ian Angell, London School of Economics On May 19, the Computer Security Research Centre of the London School of Economics will host a one day meeting on the U.K. Department of Trade and Industry's policy paper "Licensing of Trusted Third Parties for the Provision of Encryption Services," The event is being jointly organised by Privacy International and the Global Internet Liberty Campaign. The LSE meeting - the only public meeting during the consultation phase - will comprehensively assess all aspects of the governments proposal. Security specialists, academics cryptographers, legal experts, cyber-rights groups, ISP's and other commercial organisations will participate. The DTI and representatives from other agencies will be in attendance for the entire day. There will be no cost for members of the public to attend. An interactive audiocast on the Internet will also be available. DRAFT AGENDA: Introduction to cryptography Welcome and opening remarks - Dr James Backhouse Keynote - Geoffrey Robertson QC (invited) The DTI proposals - presented by the DTI Perspectives: * Legal and Commercial - Peter Sommer (LSE) and Alistair Kelman (LSE) * Architectural and Technical - Dr. Whitfield Diffie, Sun Microsystems - Phil Zimmermann, PGP Inc. - Dr Ross Anderson, University of Cambridge - Dr. Carl Ellison, Cybercash * Civil Rights and Privacy - Simon Davies, Privacy International * International - OECD (invited) Section by Section analysis of the document. Wrapup (Around 3:30) MORE INFORMATION More information on the conference and the DTI initiative is available from http://www.privacy.org/pi/conference/dti/. REGISTRATION To register for the conference, email Simon Davies at davies(a)privacy.org. ABOUT PRIVACY INTERNATIONAL Privacy International was formed in 1990 as a watchdog on surveillance by governments and corporations. With members in more than 40 countries, it has created an international movement that has helped to counter abuses of privacy by way of information technology. Privacy International has conducted campaigns in Europe, Asia and North America to raise awareness about the dangers of ID card systems, military surveillance, data matching, police information systems, and credit reporting. It is based in London, UK, and is administered by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington, D.C. Privacy International publishes a quarterly newsletter (the International Privacy Bulletin) and organizes conferences each year on privacy and technology. More information is available at http://www.privacy.org/ ABOUT THE GLOBAL INTERNET LIBERTY CAMPAIGN The Global Internet Liberty Campaign is an international coalition of 28 human rights, free speech, cyber-liberties and privacy groups that has come together to promote free speech and privacy on the Internet. More information is available at http://www.gilc.org/ ------- David Banisar (Banisar(a)epic.org) * 202-544-9240 (tel) Electronic Privacy Information Center * 202-547-5482 (fax) 666 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Suite 301 * HTTP://www.epic.org Washington, DC 20003 * PGP Key http://www.epic.org/staff/banisar/key.html

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Re: Layoffs at PGP
by azur＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

First ECache is seeking a qualified individual to head e-cash related development. Company is headquarted in Las Vegas, but candidate would ideally be located in SV. --Steve PGP mail preferred Fingerprint: FE 90 1A 95 9D EA 8D 61 81 2E CC A9 A4 4A FB A9 Key available on BAL server, http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~bal/pks-toplev.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Schear | tel: (702) 658-2654 CEO | fax: (702) 658-2673 First ECache Corporation | 7075 West Gowan Road | Suite 2148 | Las Vegas, NV 89129 | Internet: azur(a)netcom.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- "I know not what instruments others may use, but as for me, give me Ecache or give me debt."

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Flying - A-10 follow-up
by azur＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Date: Thu, 01 May 97 08:33:00 CDT From: Corkum D Capt 2OSS/OSTC <corkumd(a)oss2.barksdale.af.mil> Subject: Flying - A-10 follow-up Corkum D Capt 2OSS/OSTC <corkumd(a)oss2.barksdale.af.mil> "Both the A-10's transponder and the autopilot appeared to have been turned off. Perhaps there is a simple technical explanation why no one noticed anything at first." Let me try and fill in a few of the holes for non-flyers: When aircraft fly in close formation typically only the lead aircraft has a transponder turned on. This is due to limitations with Air Traffic Control (ATC) systems. These systems are designed to prevent two aircraft from getting too close together thereby preventing possible midair collisions. Unfortunately the computers can't distinguish between aircraft that are on a collision course and aircraft in formation that are intentionally close together. For this reason ATC operators often request wingmen to turn off their transponders. Once the A-10 dropped back he was not easily visible to the lead aircraft who would be concentrating on entering the bombing range, working coordination with ATC and the range controllers etc. Inside the range ATC no longer maintains operational control of the aircraft and would not be following any of the aircraft directly. The first indication of the aircraft missing would be a failure of the wingman to respond to a radio call. When this happened it would first be assumed that he was on the wrong frequency. The lead aircraft would try to find him on another frequency, then attempt to call him on the emergency frequency "Guard". When this failed the lead would likely assume that the wingman had radio problems and would attempt to locate him visually. Only after he failed to locate him visually would he begin to worry that something happened. His first thought would be that the aircraft had a major malfunction such as complete loss of electrical power, that forced the pilot to abort the mission and return to base, but also prevented him from calling to the lead aircraft. The other possibility would be that the aircraft was down due to pilot error or aircraft malfunction. The idea that the wingman simply took the aircraft would likely never occur to the lead pilot. The lead pilot at this point would abort his mission and attempt to ascertain what happened to his wingman. He would contact ATC and ask if they had transponder track on the aircraft or reports of an aircraft down. He would also perform a visual search of the area and attempt to call back to the home base to see if they knew what happened. By this time the rogue pilot may have been gone for at least 30 minutes and was actually 200 miles away. The reason ATC could not track him is a technical issue. Modern ATC radars rely primarily on the aircraft transponder to provide location and altitude information. The actual radar returns "know as raw data" are only used as a secondary means to track aircraft when their transponders have failed. This must be performed manually since the computer has no way to distinguish one radar return from another without the transponder. This method is only used when an ATC controller knows an aircraft transponder has failed and must be manually tracked. Since the A-10 was not supposed to have his transponder on, no-one would notice when he broke formation. Only after the fact when the FAA reviewed the taped radar returns were they able to piece together the likely course of the A-10. I hope this explained some of the more technical reasons for what happened. David Corkum PGP mail preferred Fingerprint: FE 90 1A 95 9D EA 8D 61 81 2E CC A9 A4 4A FB A9 Key available on BAL server, http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~bal/pks-toplev.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Schear | tel: (702) 658-2654 CEO | fax: (702) 658-2673 First ECache Corporation | 7075 West Gowan Road | Suite 2148 | Las Vegas, NV 89129 | Internet: azur(a)netcom.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- "I know not what instruments others may use, but as for me, give me Ecache or give me debt."

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by investigations.comv＠angel.chico.joshuanet.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

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Re: Conference on UK Crypto Initiative 19 May 1997
by Phillip M. Hallam-Baker 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> SCRAMBLING FOR SAFETY > > Privacy, security and commercial implications of > the DTI's proposed encryption policy Didn't the green paper automatically fall since the government which issued it is no longer in office. The DTI does not have the right to make a crypto policy, ministers make policy, nor civil servants. It might be worth seeing if the relevant new junior ministers could attend and turn it into a brainwashing erm briefing session. Phill

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17 Dec '03

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Misdirected e-mail
by dlv＠bwalk.dm.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

There's no "sdg(a)dm.com". I don't know who this person is, but I hope s/he gets 'eir misdirected message via this mailing list. Date: Sat, 3 May 1997 06:52:58 -0400 Message-Id: <199705031052.GAA06973(a)lillith.anexis.com> From: support(a)freesmut.com (Free Smut Support) Subject: Secret Site Precedence: junk Apparently-To: <sdg(a)dm.com> Thank you, your username and password to our secret hardcore door are: Username: smut12 Password: freesmut This is an automated response to a request made on our web site. This IS NOT a bulk mailing. Our site is located at http://www.fl.freesmut.com/

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Java woes on compatibility
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

in a recent "PC Magazine" the story went into the compatibility problems among different vendors versions of the Java language, predicting that the problems may become worse. in short the vendors have a hard time getting all the compliance exactly correct. unfortunately, this same story happened with Unix and C such that the libraries out there did not fully adhere to a standard, even when the standard went into meticulous detail. is it the same insurmountable problem all over again? can there ever really be a totally portable language? java was invented to solve portability problems, but is plagued with the same ones that other languages have. what's the solution? it hasn't been implemented yet, but I believe the solution is an extremely sophisticated verification package for the correctness of the Java language. this type of idea is hinted in the makefiles of some C programs that compile based on complex attempts to avoid/workaround portability glitches. I saw one that did many regression tests on "strcpy" trying to catch all the kinds of things that can go wrong. the idea is that you actually have code that tests all the key implementation aspects of the library and language. it needs to be capable of being fully automated. for example, you might have code that calls the java window kit and then actually verifies that a window is drawn correctly by reading the screen or something like this. if you find that some things are falling through the tests, you just add to your tests. the tests don't need to be efficient-- you run them once and never again. also, I think the solution would involve writing a lot of verification routines for *every* feature of java that is implemented. the vendors simply run the code on their own implementation and it gives a "pass or fail" response. ideally, the java *user* could go through this process-- then the company cannot claim themselves that their implementation pass it's all out in the open for customers to test themselves. I would suggest that anything in the Java language that can't be tested like this, could be modified slightly to support this "testable" property, and that it would really pay off bigtime. in other words, some part of the library that doesn't seem like it could be tested, could have extra little aspects added to its implementation that support regression testing of the feature. (note that this is not necessarily "regression" in the classic sense of software engineering, but is very similar). I've written software that has this property, that its verification routines are built into it and are accessable by the end user. I think it represents a major new and important design consideration. and ultimately I think it saves developers and users time in the long run, but perhaps not the short run. a lot of work? yes, but it's the only way in my opinion, and it can be done in an elegant way. if it isn't I believe that portability problems will *increase* as the article predicted, and the revolutionary possibilities of Java will be forever handicapped and shortchanged. note that some people think that you should have a certification process. I don't like this at all because then the verification tools are caught up inside the Java company when it makes sense to *distribute* these tools so vendors can debug their own software without going through a bureacracy to get the stamp of approval. the verification suite is actually an extremely powerful utility that can test Java conformance and should be available to anyone trying to support the standard. note also that it wouldn't have to be Sun that creates such a package. in fact it might be better if someone not affiliated with the creation of the Java language built such a package. if anyone from Java/Sun is listening, I would be happy to consult on this. <g>

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