December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Oh my God...
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>And thank you for reminding me to keep my lowly political stuff off of the >"good" lists....I needed that reminder to keep my filth here on >"cypherpunks." Poor little Timmy, still crying boo-hoo because someone dared to set up another list than his little cypherpunks fiefdom. He loves to talk about freedom of association if it means that he doesn't have to be around "Coloreds". But he can't stand people setting up a forum to focus more on cryptography. What a hypocrite. > Well, if Ron Brown is put in jail they'll have to dig up the casket > containing the couple of pounds of what they found of him when his plane > hit that hillside near Sarajevo a couple of years ago. Gee, and I thought they'd found possible bullet holes in Ron Brown's head? Need more than a couple of pounds for that, wouldn't they?

1 0

IP: Going Cashless: Bank ends ECash trial period
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

--- begin forwarded text Delivered-To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com X-Sender: believer(a)telepath.com Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 07:47:55 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Going Cashless: Bank ends ECash trial period Mime-Version: 1.0 Sender: ignition-point-request(a)majordomo.pobox.com Precedence: first-class Source: ComputerWorld http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/all/9809174ecash (Online News, 09/17/98 12:16 PM) Bank ends electronic cash trial By Mary Lisbeth D'Amico The sole U.S. bank to show interest in online payment via electronic cash this week abruptly ended its three-year trial of DigiCash, Inc.'s ECash software. Citing a new strategy and market conditions, St. Louis-based Mercantile Bank this week ended a trial that allowed customers to make purchases over the Internet with electronic coins, Mercantile spokeswoman Beth Fagen confirmed. The trial used ECash, an electronic cash software program created by Palo Alto, Calif.-based DigiCash. The bank was the sole U.S. client for DigiCash, which hopes to have another major U.S. trial in place by year's end, according to William Donahoo, DigiCash's vice president of business development. The trial brought together 5,000 customers with 300 Internet merchants. Customers gave the bank their credit-card information only once, then created electronic "coins" at the bank, allowing them to make small purchases -- or micropayments -- of goods over the Internet without having to enter a credit-card number each time. The buyer also remains anonymous to the merchant because the coins don't identify the customer. Mercantile inherited the ECash project when it purchased Mark Twain Bank in 1997, Fagen said. After reviewing its strategy, the bank decided to call a halt to the trial after it became apparent that few of the project's participants were Mercantile's core customers in the six Midwestern states where it operates, she explained. Fagen also cited the changing climate in the U.S. for Internet payments. When the trial was started in 1995, she said, "people were more fearful of using credit cards to pay for things over the Internet. Now that seems to have disappeared." Although Mark Twain was the first bank worldwide to try out ECash, its core business never was quite a match for the product, according to Donahoo. "But we are still bullish about our prospects for this market," Donahoo said, pointing out that automated teller machines took nearly 20 years to gain favor with consumers. DigiCash will concentrate on finding the right type of merchants for its U.S.-based projects, he said. In Europe, DigiCash has ECash projects in progress at Credit Suisse, the Bank of Austria and Deutsche Bank. Copyright © 1998 Computerworld, Inc. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ********************************************** --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)philodox.com> Philodox Financial Technology Evangelism <http://www.philodox.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

1 0

Re: Larry Gilbert, AOLers, and the Hyper-real flamer
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

(Depreciated toad.com address replaced with algebra.com.) On Sat, 19 Sep 1998 AIMSX(a)aol.com wrote: > > wow.. you really do think I do all those things - spamming, mailbombing... and > all that other huh? No. Actually, we're convinced that you're just a lamer. Usually spamming and mailbombing goes along with that. > You really give me way to much credit, as I only use it for internet access, > and access to a UNIX machine You need 100 accounts on the same ISP for that? Your implied claims of being Internet savvy are pretty suspect considering that you haven't even figured out how to quote yet. Besides, all having 100 accounts usually means is that you installed a password sniffer on a university LAN or you ran crack on a passwd file.

1 0

A question from Seattle
by Thompson, Christopher W NWS 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

hey, I'm a 28 year old living in Seattle and I've been having quite the fantasy of watching and or participating in father/son activities...or big brother and little brother interaction. Do you have any suggestions where/who I might contact in the Seattle metro area? Thanks

1 0

TruthMonger key's password! (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 19:46:43 +0100 > From: Adam Back <aba(a)dcs.ex.ac.uk> > Subject: TruthMonger key's password! Note the magic circle comment as a potential passphrase, he did say 'others'. > What is going on here? Is Toto still at large, drunk behind the > keyboard? Is Toto not one person? Or have the IRS extracted Carl > Johnson's passphrases from him and got busy playing mind-games with > us? Or more likely there is one or more persons who have an arrangement. ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

1 0

IP: Pentagon may modify websites
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: Richard Sampson <rjsa(a)sprintmail.com> Subject: IP: Pentagon may modify websites Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 23:08:02 -0400 To: "ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com" <ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com> Pentagon may modify websites WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (UPI) _ The Pentagon is reviewing its Internet policies to determine if there is too much information on its public access websites. The Defense Department and the four armed services operate several Internet websites. Internet users including newspaper reporters, high school students working on term papers and military history buffs visit them frequently to download photos, news releases, and other information. But Defense Department spokesman Kenneth Bacon said today that top Pentagon officials have become concerned that the information contained on those websites could be used by terrorists and others for illegal purposes. Bacon did not say what information officials are specifically concerned about or what caused them to begin reviewing the content of the department's websites. He did say, however, that no information contained on websites to date has been put to use by terrorists. ''This is more in the area of heading off a problem rather than reacting to one,'' he said. No date has been set for the website review to be completed. _- Copyright 1998 by United Press International. All rights reserved. _- By MIKE BILLINTON News provided by COMTEX. [!BUSINESS] [!GOVERNMENT] [!WALL+STREET] [!WORLD+AFFAIRS] [HIGH+SCHOOL] [INTERNET] [MILITARY] [NEWS] [NEWSGRID] [UPI] [WASHINGTON] -- ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

1 0

IP: Tracking: DNA database in Okla.
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Tracking: DNA database in Okla. Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 08:54:13 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: Tulsa World http://www.tulsaworld.com/News.htm DNA database helps make case By World's own Service 9/16/98 OKLAHOMA CITY -- A 1994 law creating a DNA database for Oklahoma law enforcement contributed to Monday's conviction in an Oklahoma City mass murder case, an author of the law said Tuesday. Danny Keith Hooks was found guilty Monday of the May 16, 1992, murders of five women in Oklahoma City. Jurors must now decide whether to sentence him to death. Hooks was first identified through genetic evidence collected at the crime scene. The arrest and conviction marked one of the first major cases involving the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation's DNA database and lab since it became operational in 1994, said Rep. James Dunegan, D-Calera. Under the law, blood samples are collected from certain convicts, and OSBI technicians analyze and type the genetic markers. That information is then stored in a database. The law also enlarged the bureau's DNA laboratory, Dunegan said. The Oklahoma City mass killing had remained unsolved for five years. Oklahoma City police records showed that until Hooks was arrested last year, more than 700 reports had been written on the case, 8,000 people had been fingerprinted and more than 400 blood samples had been analyzed in the case. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations ran unidentified DNA from blood at the crime scene through several states' databases of criminals' genetic profiles, said Kym Koch, a spokeswoman for the OSBI. While at an out-of-state national conference of DNA criminalists in 1996, the head of the OSBI's DNA lab asked experts from California to analyze the unknown DNA, Koch said. It matched Hooks' genetic profile, proving he had been at the crime scene. Prosecutors said Hooks must have been cut while he was killing his victims. Hooks had served time in a California prison on a rape conviction. Law enforcers were able to trace the DNA samples found at the murder scene to Hooks because he had to submit a DNA sample to California corrections officials before his release there. Hooks was convicted of killing the women during a sexual attack. He was arrested last year in California. Koch said roughly half of the states have their own DNA databases. Copyright 1996, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

1 0

IP: School bans `no rules' T-shirt
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: School bans `no rules' T-shirt Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 09:25:30 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: St. Paul, Minnesota Pioneer Planet News http://www.pioneerplanet.com/news/wis_docs/010832.htm Published: Thursday, September 17, 1998 School bans `no rules' T-shirt ASSOCIATED PRESS WAUKESHA, WIS. A fifth grader was ordered to turn his T-shirt inside-out because it carried the message ``No Rules,'' which the principal said promoted disruptive behavior. But the youth's mother said Saratoga Elementary School principal Dale Heinen overstepped his bounds and that there was no harm in wearing such shirts, which depict cartoon characters and carry the slogan, ``Outta my way. No Rules.'' Heinen made Cody Wilhelm wear the shirt inside-out so no one could read its message. ``School guidelines talk about things that are disruptive and can lead to disruption,'' Heinen said. ``If they are portraying that in what they wear . . . we don't want kids reflecting that attitude or promoting that type of attitude.'' Mary Wilhelm said her son's T-shirt was not disruptive and that parents should have the right to dress their children with any clothes they want to as long as they do not promote sex, drugs, alcohol, tobacco or illegal activities. She said her son went to school last year wearing one of the ``No Rules'' T-shirts and also wore a T-shirt depicting ``Joe Camel,'' a cartoon character formerly used to promote Camel cigarettes. School officials did not object, she said. ``He should have never worn that Joe Camel shirt, I agree, but that dealt with smoking,'' Wilhelm said. ``This is different. I don't want to have the principal tell me what I can and can't do with my kid.'' ©1998 PioneerPlanet / St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press - All Rights Reserved copyright information ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

1 0

IP: Tougher laws are sought to seize cash
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Tougher laws are sought to seize cash Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 08:45:24 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: Bergen (New Jersey) Record http://www.bergen.com/news/njmone199809154.htm Tougher laws are sought to seize cash Tuesday, September 15, 1998 By ADAM PIORE Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON -- Federal law enforcement officials on Monday unveiled a plan they say will help stop the flow of billions of dollars in drug money across the nation's borders every year. Hailed as a "major step forward" in the fight against money laundering, the Justice Department proposal would broaden the government's ability to seize the profits of such illicit activity as drug dealing. It now is illegal to try to leave the country with more than $10,000 in currency without reporting it to U.S. Customs officials. Violations are punishable by up to five years in prison and seizure of the money. But in June, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a serious blow to efforts to seize the unreported cash, ruling in a precedent-setting case that such seizures often violate constitutional protections against "excessive fines." The new proposal is aimed at correcting the loopholes opened up in the June court decision. It would for the first time allow law enforcement officials to arrest people concealing currency before they even reach the border. It would allow the seizure of $10,000 or more at the nation's ports and highways -- hundreds of miles from any crossing -- if agents can prove that there is intent to smuggle the concealed money out of the country. But it goes beyond that, giving agencies tools they have not had in the fight to stop the flow of illegal drug profits out of the country, said Stefan D. Cassella, the assistant chief of the money-laundering and forfeiture section of the U.S. Department of Justice. "This is a major step forward to address a new problem," Cassella said. "We know that the covert movement of currency across borders is indicative and inherently related to criminal activity." Civil libertarians condemned the proposed law, which the Justice Department sent to Congress on Monday, because they said it would expand the ability of law enforcement agencies to seize currency and keep it. A series published in The Record this year revealed how New Jersey, with its sprawling seaport, international airport, lax laws, and proximity to New York and Philadelphia, had emerged as a hub for money laundering and currency smuggling over the past 15 years. Cassella said the decision to push for the more stringent laws was inspired in part by The Record's stories. In its letter to Congress, the Justice Department cited the series as evidence of the growing problem in currency smuggling. The proposed law would give officials the ability to go after a wider range of smuggling that has been difficult for them to stop. Every year, for instance, billions of dollars in illegal drug profits is smuggled across the border unchecked, crammed into washing machines, refrigerators, or hidden under false bottoms in suitcases and trucks bound for the border. Over the past nine months, customs inspectors have seized more than $11 million at the border that stretches from Texas to California. And at Port Newark, Customs agents seized $5.5 million in fiscal year 1997, the fourth-highest amount seized among all U.S. ports. Cassella said the Justice Department hopes its proposal will be offered as an amendment to money-laundering legislation being considered by the House. But several congressional staffers were skeptical that the proposal would be considered by this Congress, because of the controversy over civil forfeiture. Congress is slated to adjourn is less than a month. In addition, the new regulations, if passed, would likely face immediate legal challenges. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the seizure of $357,144 from a Hollywood, Calif., gas station owner. Federal officials seized Hosep Krikor Bajakajian's money after the Syrian immigrant tried to carry it out of the country without reporting it -- even though he was told of the federal reporting requirements by customs agents. A divided court ruled the fine was excessive because the only impact of Bajakajian's crime was to deprive the government of "information on a piece of paper." By creating a category of crime called "bulk cash smuggling," law enforcement officials hope to convince the Supreme Court that efforts to evade detection could have a direct impact on the "security and integrity" of the nation's borders, Cassella said. The crime would be punishable by up to five years in prison and forfeiture of the money involved. "Bulk cash smuggling is an inherently more serious offense than simply failing to file a customs report," Justice Department officials wrote in an explanation of the bill provided to Congress. "Because the constitutionality of forfeiture is dependent on the 'gravity of the offense' . . . it is anticipated that the full forfeiture of smuggled money will withstand constitutional scrutiny in most cases." Local prosecutors hailed the proposed change. "Clearly, it's an effort to convince the Supreme Court that Congress did view this as more than a mere reporting violation and that forfeiture of the smuggled money is appropriate," said Marion Percell, an assistant U.S. Attorney in Newark who specializes in money-laundering cases. Critics attacked the bill, calling it just another effort by overzealous law enforcement officials to expand seizure powers that deprive citizens of due process. Roger Pilon, director of the Center for Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute, warned that civil asset forfeiture is subject to abuse by law enforcement authorities. "This is unbelievable," he said. "Everything that Justice does in this area is characterized as a 'major step.' But that's no justification. Since when is it a crime to take money out of the country? After all, whose money is it?" Rachel King, legislative counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union, agreed. "The problem is they have too much power to seize property," she said. "The laws need to go the other way. What they can do already is scary." Staff Writers Julie Fields and Thomas Zambito contributed to this article. Copyright © 1998 Bergen Record Corp. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

1 0

IP: Huge Philly Terrorist Drill Yesterday
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Huge Philly Terrorist Drill Yesterday Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 09:32:52 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: Chicago Tribune http://chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/article/0,1051,SAV-9809170173,00. html HUGE SIMULATED TERRORIST ATTACK AIMED AT PUTTING CITY ON GUARD From Tribune News Services September 17, 1998 PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA -- The Army on Wednesday gave Philadelphia's law-enforcement and rescue crews a daylong taste of what it might be like if terrorists unleashed deadly Sarin nerve gas during a civic luncheon for 1,500 people. Sirens shattered the calm of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park as hundreds of police, firefighters and federal troops rushed to the aid of city workers acting out their parts as victims of the attack. "You can't predict an Oklahoma City. You can't predict what happened in Tokyo. And you can't predict what happened in New York," Army Col. Richard Breen shouted over the roar of fire engines. "It's better to be proactive and train people so that a city like Philadelphia can take . . . care of its citizens if, God forbid, something like this really were to occur." The drill was part of a Defense Department program to train cities to cope with chemical, biological and nuclear terrorism. The exercise, the biggest yet to be staged by the Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command, involved beat officers, bomb-disposal experts, hazardous-material teams, firefighters, ambulance crews, National Guardsmen, federal emergency managers, FBI agents, the Coast Guard and the American Red Cross. Organizers refused to say how many people took part. "We would not want to broadcast . . . just what our personnel and equipment strengths would be to meet this type of emergency," a city official said. Later this month in a similar exercise, the Army plans to simulate another Sarin attack on a music concert at RFK Stadium in Washington. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

1 0