December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: [MILCOM] NSA: struggling with diversity ...
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>The National Security Agency, whose size, secrecy and mission were spawned by >the Cold War, is in the midst of personnel changes that current and former >employees warn are a threat to national security. > >Former employees call senior leadership the "Irish Mafia" and the Office of >Discrimination Complaints and Counseling "a party organization for blacks." A heartwarming report. The NSA represents the worst of America: its paranoia, its ruthlessness, its end-justifies-the-means amorality. The NSA's personnel policies reveal its attitudes clearly. (http://theory.stanford.edu/people/donald/NSA.doc.html) It is ironic indeed that the NSA is being weakened, not by the foreign enemies it sees behind every curtain, but by the EEOC. NSA's immoral and callous mistreatment of employees and its jealous defense of white heterosexual male privilege have been shielded for far too long behind the cloak of national security. An organization which seeks the darkness so eagerly can only fear the light. There is no place any longer in the world for an agency like the NSA. It is an enemy to freedom and an enemy to the free citizenry of its own country. We need a new agency, one to defend us against infowar, to help industrial competitiveness, to assist Americans in retaining their freedoms rather than attempting to strip them away for its own evil purposes. Let us hope that the changing of the guard at the NSA will lead to a rebirth and a renewal as an agency looking forward, rather than one concerned only with guarding its own rear. Anon

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Home-based Business Opportunity
by img＠llv.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

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RE: Need Money? This REALLY works!!!
by Blanc 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Well dang, I think Ashish Mahajan needs us all to send 10 copies of this 24K message back to him . . . .. Blanc

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Re: A.Word.A.Day--cryptozoology / Was Re: Forgeries
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Wordsmith wrote: > > cryp.to.zo.ol.o.gy n. 1969 :1) the study of the lore concerning legendary > animals (as Sasquatch) especially in order to evaluate the possibility of > their existence > 2) the study of the lore concerning legendary members of the > cypherpunks mailing list (as Tim C. May) especially in order > to evaluate the possibility of their existence, as opposed to > being the creation of the Electronic Forgery Foundation. > > Maria Goodavage, Most scientists merely amused., USA TODAY, 05-24-1996, > pp 08A. > "But J. Richard Greenwell, a zoologist at the International Society of > Cryptozoology, which studies evidence of unverified animals, cites the > example of the mountain gorilla, thought to be a myth until the early > 1900s. `It's the largest known primate in the world, and it took a long, > long time to prove it really exists,' he says. > On the existence of Tim C. May, Greenwell said, "Legend tells us > that he is a Cypherpunk Sasquatch, but every researcher who has > gone in search of him has come back in a body bag with a variety > of bullet holes in the carcass." > Greenwell also quotes a writer at Market Magazine, in regard to the > rumored existence of Robert Hettinga, "If Hettinga really exists, > then why is he never credited for any quotes in the media?" > > This week's theme: AWAD's recommendations for some unusual areas to work in. > > ........................................................................... > No wonder nobody comes here--it's too crowded. -Yogi Berra > > Send your comments about words to anu(a)wordsmith.org. To subscribe or > unsubscribe A.Word.A.Day, send a message to wsmith(a)wordsmith.org with > "Subject:" line as "subscribe <Your Name>" or "unsubscribe". Archives, > FAQ, gift subscription form, and more at: http://www.wordsmith.org/awad/

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Re: Forged Posts
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

BadRemailer wrote: X-Comments: Note: It is BadRemailer policy to read all anonymous mail X-Comments: passing through our hands, and expose the nasty little X-Comments: secrets of those who use our service. X-Comments: Not that we're troublemakers... > BadRemailer > "Some people just can't keep a secret." In the movie version, Eddie Murphy plays BadRemailer, and the big scene is when he walks into a cypherpunks physical meeting and says, "I'm your worst nightmare...a remailer with a LOG!" Steven SpeilMonger

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Contracts on the Net (NYT)
by amp＠pobox.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The New York Times MONDAY, JULY 7, 1997 Lack Of Contracts Undermine Internet Transactions By GEANNE ROSENBERG Beyond the violets and refrigerated roses, in the back room of the Southern Sun flower shop in Tallahassee, Fla., the florist, Bob Deak, also deals in trading cards. With three computers and links to the Internet, Deak bargains with collectable card buyers and sellers from as far away as Italy, Australia and Singapore. He does not worry about the lack of paper contracts to document the deals he strikes, even though the transactions can run as high as $20,000 apiece. His profits, he said, far outweigh the risks that a deal might go sour. One deal in particular led to a dispute - a $1,020 purchase of a card collection last year from a 14-year-old, Ted Clark of Haddonfield, N.J. Deak said ``youngsters'' selling cards sometimes do not understand the meaning of ``near mint.'' So, after examining the cards he had agreed to purchase in several installments, Deak decided they were not in near-mint condition and canceled a couple of checks he had written to Ted Clark and sold the cards for less than the original purchase price. But Deak's actions did not sit well with Ted, now 16, especially since Deak had made an electronic agreement. Ted thought he had been ``rooked'' because he did not receive the full amount, said his mother, Amelia H. Boss, a law professor at Temple University School of Law and an expert on Internet commerce. She took Ted's case and, with the assistance of a Florida colleague who served as local counsel, contacted Deak and eventually persuaded him to pay the balance of the money. Boss said these sorts of disputes are commonplace on the Net. But, she said, the high cost of suing, especially across state and national borders, prevent most such squabbles from making it to court. The resulting dearth of test cases on digital contracts has left many business managers, corporate lawyers and legal scholars uncertain about the enforceability of electronic agreements. The uncertainty has had a chilling effect, even at computer-astute places like General Electric Co.'s GE Information Services unit and the TPN Register Co. - GE's joint venture with Thomas Publishing Co. The companies solicit suppliers and hammer out details of procurement contracts for GE's affiliates and other companies via the Internet. But when it comes time to execute a contract, the companies resort to pen and paper. ``I think ideally you'd love to be 100 percent electronic,'' said Orville A. Bailey, vice president of marketing and business development at TPN, because adding paperwork is not as efficient. But, he said, his company is more ``comfortable'' having signed paper contracts on hand. Bailey is not alone. E. Allan Farnsworth, a leading contract law professor at Columbia University, said that when a contract was substantial and complex, ``I think the safe thing to do is to do it in the old-fashioned way.'' The reason in part, according to Raymond T. Nimmer, professor of law at the Houston Law Center, is the Statute of Frauds - which traces its origins to early English law - requiring that many contracts be written and signed by the parties against whom enforcement is sought. While some states, including California, Minnesota, Texas, Utah and Washington, have recently passed laws permitting digital signatures to satisfy the Statute of Frauds, Professor Nimmer said, most states - including New York - have not. In addition to the Statute of Frauds problem, electronic contracts can give rise to questions of authenticity and authority of the parties involved, Nimmer said. Even in states with no laws addressing enforceability of electronic contracts, many legal experts are confident such agreements will hold up in court. Arthur Rosett, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, ``It's hard for me to imagine a court finding that an electronic communication that has been proven does not satisfy the Statute.'' Moreover, some computer experts contend, electronic contracts are in some respects better than paper ones. Vincent I. Polley, general counsel at Omnes Co., a network services concern, said software should render electronic contracts tamper- and forgery-proof. But others were guarded in their endorsement of electronic contracts. ``The judicial system - the lawyers, judges and juries - are not populated by hackers,'' said Jonathan J. Lerner, a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. ``If you're talking about a very large and important contract, you need to have your head examined not to secure the best form of agreement'' - which, in his view, remains a paper contract. The stakes can be high, said Constance E. Bagley, senior lecturer in law and management at the Stanford Business School and a practicing lawyer. She cited the example of a software sale over the Internet, in which the software had a bug that damaged the purchaser's entire data base. If the contract were deemed unenforceable because it did not satisfy a requirement that it be a signed writing, or because the authenticity or authority of the person assenting to the terms came into question, then the merchant could theoretically be liable for all of the purchaser's losses, she said, because limitations on liability included in the contract would be ineffective. Lawmakers are scrambling to fill the gap between technology and the law. Leaders of this effort include Professor Boss of Temple University and Professor Nimmer of the Houston Law Center, who are helping revise the Uniform Commercial Code to deal with electronic contracts. Under the proposed revision of the code, which governs transactions in all 50 states, electronic agreements formed with active consent, such as digital signatures or clicking on spaces indicating acceptance of terms, generally would be enforceable. But the UCC revision, which individual state legislatures could adopt, adapt or ignore at their own choosing, is at least a year away from completion. It could run into further delays because of criticism aimed not at the technical provisions concerning enforceability of electronic contracts, but at changes and additions within the draft to sales and licensing laws. For example, some intellectual property experts worry the revision would allow publishers to write contracts that encroach upon rights in the public domain, said Pamela Samuelson, professor of information management and law at the University of California, Berkeley. And the American Automobile Manufacturers Association contends that the revision's proposed changes in rules for the sale of goods would increase seller liability and the cost of doing business. In addition to the UCC revision, the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws is planning to propose state laws legitimizing electronic contracts not covered by the UCC. And the U.N. Commission on International Trade Law, on which Boss served as the American delegate and expert adviser, is completing a model law on electronic commerce that is expected to be presented to individual countries for incorporation in their domestic laws. Washington, so far, appears to be eager for the law to catch up with the technology. Several agencies, including the Commerce Department, have collaborated on a paper favoring the adaption of domestic and global laws to support electronic contracts. As lawmakers struggle to get rules in place, some businesses are not waiting. For these businesses, ``The cost of the gamble is cheaper than the cost of the contract,'' said Patricia B. Fry, a law professor at the University of North Dakota and the chairwoman of the national commissioners conference electronic contract effort. Ford Motor Co. uses ``purely electronic contracts'' with suppliers, according to James Ziety, counsel at Ford. Ziety said he knew of no trouble with Ford's electronic agreements. Any problems, he said, were ``virtually always worked out at the business level.'' Meanwhile, Boss said, the gap in the law invited a major court decision. ``When the case comes along,'' she said, `` when it hits, it may well be the big one.'' As for Deak, the uncertainties about electronic contracts are not holding him back from making deals online. ``Every night when I say my prayers,'' he said, ``I thank the Lord for the Internet.'' ------------------------ Name: amp E-mail: amp(a)pobox.com Date: 07/08/97 Time: 05:13:44 Visit me at http://www.pobox.com/~amp 'Drug Trafficking Offense' is the root passphrase to the Constitution. Have you seen http://www.public-action.com/SkyWriter/WacoMuseum ------------------------

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German Official Pleas for Strong Encryption
by Donald Weightman 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Reuters (as picked up in today's FINANCIAL TIMES) reports that German economics minister Gunter Rexrodt called for loosening the restrictions on strong encryption. Speaking yesterday at a European ministerial conference on global integration, he said "Users can only protect themselves against having data manipulated, destroyed, or spied on through the use of strong encryption procedures." Hmmm: seems like there's a trend among Certain Global Opinion Makers that some people -- maybe the financial markets? -- need good crypto: compare last week's ECONOMIST and FINANCIAL TIMES editorials. Anyone know how the new German legislation deals with encryption? cheers ......................................... Donald Weightman dweightman(a)radix.net

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A really meaningfull upgrade
by Casey Iverson 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 01:15 PM 7/7/97 EDT, THE RUSSIAN SCUM BAG, ASS HOLE VULIS wrote: >I've replaced OS/2 on it by Windows 95. I'm going to add some more hardware >I think it's sort of a change for the better. The only meaningfull upgrade would be a total replacement of his fucked up, disease ridden perverted brain. C.I.

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Re: Jim Bell 6
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

John Young wrote: > > On June 26 the court handling Jim's case extended > the time from June 30 to July 11 for the USA to file an > indictment. > No indication that Jim has been released, jailed since > his arrest on May 16. No reason given for repeated > waiver of right to a speedy trial. The right to a speedy trial is next to meaningless in a court system which is composed mostly of legal bum-buddies whose main concern is to make as much money as possible without making each other look like incompetent fools. The fact of the matter is, there is seldom any reason for a person to sit in jail without bond for extended periods other than the fact that his or her attorney is not capable of trying a case in a reasonable amount of time. Jim Bell is likely suffering from the delusion that his attorney is working in his client's best interest. If not, he would demand that the judge appoint an attorney to defend him who is both capable of and competent enough to represent him in a timely fashion. I mean, get real...Bell is imprisoned without bail with no charges having been filed against him. Has anybody seen a lawyer-ad on TV lately where the attorney is screaming, "CALL ME AND YOU'LL ROT IN JAIL WITHOUT EVER BEING CHARGED WITH A CRIME! CALL 1-800-DIP-SHIT!" The bottom line: The fact that a public defender is too busy, or doesn't have the resources, to represent his client in a timely fashion does not justify abrogation of a citizen's rights. The fact that Bell's lawyer is allowing his client to sit in prison without bail and without an indictment against him, without doing anything about it, suggests to me that he is selling out his client in order to enhance his future career as a RatFucker. TruthMonger > The docket's at: > > http://jya.com/jimbell-dock.htm

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Israel admits that its crypto policy was imposed by the US
by John Gilmore 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded-by: Ross Anderson <Ross.Anderson(a)cl.cam.ac.uk> From: the Jerusalem Post, 7th July 1997 (from www.jpost.co.il) ARCHIVE_DATE:Mon, Jul 07, 1997 ARCHIVE_NAME:Business ARCHIVE_HEAD:Chief scientist: Legal system gave in to US patent pressure ARCHIVE_AUTH:By JENNIFER FRIEDLIN JERUSALEM (July 7) - The Israeli legal system bowed to US pressure when it devised certain patent and encryption laws, which are now harming Israeli exports, Industry and Trade Ministry Chief Scientist Orna Berry said yesterday. Due to restrictive patent laws, which prohibit generic drug manufacturers from conducting research on original products before the patent protection expires, local companies are losing their competitive advantage to US companies that do not face such restrictions. Earlier this month, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., one of Israel's largest and most prestigious companies, said it is considering moving part of its research and development operations overseas in order to bypass the law. The encryption laws also hinder Israeli exports, because it insists that products with special coding must be sold directly to the end-user rather than off the shelf. While the law is meant to safeguard defense-related products, consumer products - such as Internet software - are also affected. One hundred and fifty companies employ encryption technology. "The Israeli legal system has not done a good job in considering the impact of these laws, and they have bent in front of pressure from the Americans," Berry said. Both Berry and Industry and Trade Minister Natan Sharansky have appealed to the Justice Ministry to revise the law. Berry said she hopes they will conclude the procedure by the end of the year. Teva has been trying to change the patent law since 1994, when it was passed.

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