December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

PGP Disk
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>Has anyone had the chance to try out the new McAfee PGP disk? >It seems pretty straightforward, allowing for the creation of >encrypted "drives" using the CAST algorithm. Is anyone aware of >any security flaws with it? I'm sure somebody will check if they are bored some day. Where can we find the source code? If the source code isn't available, don't trust it. That's a good general rule.

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What was the quid pro quo for Wassenaar countries?
by John Gilmore 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I spoke some hours ago with Tatu Ylonen in Finland. His company has confirmation from the Finnish government that the government agreed to a proposal to limit mass-market crypto exports to 56 bits. Perhaps he or someone else from SSH can post more details. So *something* really did happen at the Wassenaar meeting, but we don't know two important things: * What exactly did they agree to? In particular, is public domain -- as opposed to mass market -- crypto controlled? * And what did NSA offer, to convince many countries to directly contradict policies that they had arrived at during year-long public consultations with their own citizens? A carrot? A stick? Blackmail from wiretaps? Access to NSA's wiretap network in return for cooperation? What was the strong motivation for so many countries to go against their own economic and self-determination interests? It was pointed out to me that the Wassenaar Arrangement has no legal effect. Each country has to go back and amend its own local controls. However, I personally saw cases more than a year ago where both Japan and Belgium were restricting bona fide civilian crypto transactions "because Wassenaar requires us to" when in fact it didn't. This development will give these countries much more "cover" to implement draconian policies, under secret arm-twisting from the US. We will have to fight this one in the trenches, in each country. First step is to raise a hue and cry and put each government on the defensive (as they well ought to be). Then let's find out what "deal" they made with the devil. Finally let's see whether, as Perry says, civil rights and political processes work, and the will of the people will actually end up codified in the laws of each country. Or not. John PS: I particularly like Ambassador Aaron's characterization that this new development will help US industry, by censoring foreign crypto publishers in the same way the US government censors US publishers. A giant step forward for freedom and commerce everywhere, eh Mr. Aaron? What an incredibly talented liar, I mean diplomat, he is.

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Re: Vengeance Libertarianism
by Michael Motyka 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

My oh my, The alternative to outright revolution has historically been to pack up and ship out to whatever frontier was in vogue. Dangerous, difficult, but apparently compelling if the home situation sucked badly enough. Potentially very rewarding to the survivors. The historical fate of any frontier has been that as soon as it has become somewat hospitable the shitheads arrive with their carpet bags and make it over into the same fucking thing that everyone ran away from in the first place. The first sign of inFESTERation was often a church, followed by a town hall which filled up quickly enough and shortly thereafter hired a sheriff to enforce the town gun ban and who eventually needed more men... And so the cycle repeats with the virtual frontier we're in right now. It was just fine until "they" came along to "civilize" it. Unfortunately backs are to the wall and there is nowhere else to go because SPACE SUCKS MOOSE ALIENS DRY LIKE BUGS. Top that. they - esRb to civilize - to own, regulate, commercialize and tax esRb - evil, scumsucking, Reptilian bastards I could probably develop some sort of virtual space cowboy allegory here that would go on for (p)ages and involve the painful, bloody death of many an evil villian at the hand of a courageous hero and enough deviant sex ( whinny ) to keep the audience enthralled to the very end. The story could probably be continued until well after the traffic has subsided but what the hell, I like driving 5 mph, it's good for my car's engine, my patience and the bandwidth shortage. m

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Re: Streams, Voice, and Sensitive Dependence
by Michael Motyka 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> http://www.starium.com > 14.4 modem, awsome sound quality, 2048 bit DH, 3DES. The web site is pretty sparse. No wonder I couldn't find them before - I was looking for "Starion" a while back. I'll call them next week - they're practically local. What's the approximate price? I have another question for you: I thought I was a real whiz kid a few years back when I figured out that by using an agreed upon startup key then using a "random" public/private key pair generated by the SW, two voice stations could exchange a "random" session key. With thumbscrews and the rack you could not get the session key. Even the dreaded rubber hose would fail. The startup key protected the PK. The ultimate security was as good as the PK portion. The conversation was practically pre-shredded. I was bummed when I discovered this had already been patented and was called EKE. Does the Starium phone accomplish this effect? Mike

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Re: y2k/gary north delusions (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Subject: Re: y2k/gary north delusions (fwd) > Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 19:21:36 -0600 (CST) > From: ichudov(a)Algebra.Com (Igor Chudov @ home) > > True enough, but that sort of stuff takes more than a week or two. The > > various cities could go around setting up port-a-potties and latrines in > > parks with plastic liners for easy removal, etc. > > > > It isn't nearly the civilization shaking event some would make of it. > > Well, at least shitting is not going to be the hardest part of it. True enough. Power, water, police, fire, etc. will come back pretty quickly if anyone notices it was ever down. The really poor won't notice anything. The most effected would be the wealthy. There will be outbreaks in Compton and similar ilk but by no stretch of the imagination will it become a conflagration. That's the beauty of an armed populace. Even if the police don't respond it'll burn out as the front of rioters thin with increasing radius and the odds go down. I'd bet the delivery of foodstuffs to the store wouldn't slow down one bit. It's possible to run a combine without the GPS. The trucks are driven by people, they're loaded by fork-lifts. And you'll need to hunt long and hard for a commercial freezer with a clock in it. I've never seen a damn that didn't have manual gate controls so flood control and hydro-electric will come back pretty quickly. The actual switch control panel in power plants have manual over-rides everywhere. Ditto for electric power grids. Mass transportation like trains and aircraft will be effected. Individual transportation like cars won't stop. Inconvenient and expensive, you betcha. The decline of western civilization, not hardly. ____________________________________________________________________ Technology cannot make us other than what we are. James P. Hogan The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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the shit hitting the fan (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 06:00:13 +0100 > From: Anonymous <nobody(a)replay.com> > Subject: the shit hitting the fan > At 02:48 PM 12/4/98 -0600, Igor Chudov @ home wrote: > >Even flushing toilets is not necessary as anyone can shit outside. > > > >I am speaking out of personal experiences, living with water outages > >while we were in the Russian countryside. It was no big deal, period. > > Moron. At a low population density you can do anything, burn wood, leaded > gas, > etc., no problem. > > LA has 1e7 people who shit about a kilo per day. Compute the volume of that > after a week. It's not the raw volume that's critical but rather the percentage of the average personal space per inhabitant versus how much to store a weeks worth. For the average person storing a weeks worth of solid waste in a platic bag with bleach, lye, or similar material is reasonable. I've gone on long duration camping trips of about a weeks length and the storing and portage costs are not excessive (having a boat or horse helps move it around). ____________________________________________________________________ Technology cannot make us other than what we are. James P. Hogan The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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pgp disk
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 03:05 AM 12/5/98 +0100, Anonymous wrote about some new product: >If the source code isn't available, don't trust it. That's a good general >rule. Where is the source for pgpfone?

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RE: What was the quid pro quo for Wassenaar countries?
by Phillip Hallam-Baker 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

John Gilmore may be right, but remember folks that in Europe we have this thing the Greeks invented called democracy. One of the ideas of democracy is that decisions are not made in secret closed meetings. The interpretation of the US ambassador appears to be based on the assumption that the governmental proceedures of democratic countries are like those of his home country. In fact European governments cannot make law simply by telling the national police force to arrest folk who engage in particular behaviour. The system of checks and balances may be described in the US constitution but it is entrenched in the European polity. The UK does not have a national police force precisely to stop Hooverism. Even directives of the European Commission do not have legal force until the national parliaments enact legislation to implement the directive. One should also remember that the government of the Netherlands has agreed to control the sale and use of narcotics. If their efforts to control cryptography are as dilligent we have nothing to worry about. In addition under the single European act the entire country of Europe is one export zone for crypto control purposes. I fail to see that stopping Brits from exporting crypto to the US changes the equation a great deal. There once was an English king called Canute who attempted to demonstrate to his courtiers that he was fallible and could not order the tide to turn. Perhaps Clinton's courtiers need to learn that they suffer the same limmitation. Phill

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Fwd: Attn. INTERNATIONAL FIREARM COMMUNITY !
by Jean-Francois Avon 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

==================BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE================== >Date: Fri, 04 Dec 1998 22:35:56 -0800 >From: Donna Ferolie <donnaferolie(a)sympatico.ca> >Subject: Attn. INTERNATIONAL FIREARM COMMUNITY ! This message has gone out to firearm owners all over the world as well on the cdn-firearm chat and cdn-firearm digest. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL FIREARM COMMUNITY This message is specifically dedicated to sport shooters from around the globe. I would like to acknowledge our friends from the U.K, South Africa, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia and the good old U.S.A. I have just sent out idividual messages to all of these countries and some others including Germany, Belgium, Austria, Boliva, Argentina, Aruba Slovakia and Barbados. If your country has not been listed please contact me directly. I am trying to develop a list of countries that are logging onto our open firearms chat line. It is my goal to have firearm owners from every country monitoring and sharing their experiences. Please encourage fellow shooters in your country to come on line and take advantage of this open forum. I fully realize that the primary focus of the Canadian Firearms Chat Line is aimed at Canadian gun laws; however, there is a great deal of pertinent international information that could be shared in this medium and we will all be the beneficiaries if we willfully share our ideas and experiences. I have another strategy up my sleeve regarding rallying the international firearm community prior to the final outcome of the United Nations firearms workshops in the year 2000; therefore it is paramount that we maintain frequent global communications. I will be exploring some of my ideas with the NRA and the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia in the new year and floating some draft strategies for open discussion. Moreover, I fully intend on attending most of the United Nations firearm workshops therefore having everyone connected to one open forum would assist me in getting this information out all of you in a quick concise manner. I've had a few myopic individuals ask me why I should be so concerned about gun control in other countries ? As far as I am concerned we should all be concerned -VERY concerned ! When one of our sister countries falls we should all feel their pain and learn something valuable, because we may be next. We cannot for a minute forget about the draconian laws rammed down the throats of other Commonwealth countries in particular or any free-thinking society. Can we really delude ourselves into thinking that it couldn't happen here- don t kid yourself, as I write, the erosion of our rights is going down the same path as Australians are treading, faster than we care to admit, and we all should instinctively know it? How would Canadians like to have all of their semis and pump shotguns and rifles declared illegal and confiscated overnight by a communist-leaning, bleeding heart liberal government- think about it !! It is important for Canadians to realize that countries all over the world feel no different that we do. They feel just as vulnerable and thus are seeking guidance and support. We are in an excellent position to offer assistance to each other via this open forum. I truly believe we can learn from each others mistakes and triumphs. Perhaps if we can tap into this universal intelligence on a continuous basis we could overtake the mighty Goliath. If time permits I would like to post the names of all anti-firearm NGO's and their meetings which are going on simultaneously all over the world as we speak. I think it is high time that we banded together as one solid global unit in an effort to effectively launch a counter attack against those that take glee in the gradual erosion of our civil rights and liberties. A frequent complaint about this type of forum is the problem of receiving an excessive number of messages, but I believe the rewards associated with this hassle far out weigh the inconvenience. I care very much that our friends in South Africa are now subject to new guns laws. I am sickened by what has transpired in Australia and the U.K. I want the world to know how crime has escalated in Brazil and yet they live under the most stringent gun control laws. As a point of interest the " boys from Brazil " will be preparing a written paper outlining this very fact which I will present on their behalf to the anti-gun Brazilian delegation at the next U.N workshop in Vienna in the latter part of Jan/99. In conclusion, if you are interested in banding together as one strong universal voice, then get your friends connected to this open chat /and or digest. Let us not lose focus of our own battle at home, but let us not turn a blind eye to our global neighbours struggles. I understand that English is a problem for some of you, but we are understanding and we willing to work through any language barriers. So please do NOT feel uncomfortable to communicate with us - we d love to hear what has transpired in your country ! Remember, repeated blows to the lower extremities will eventually cause the giant to fall ! You can subscribe to the Canadian Firearms Digest and the Firearms Chat line by 1) Subcribe to the cdn chat & cdn digest ( separately ) 2) e-mailing the following address for both chat & digest: <majordomo(a)sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca> 3) Leave the subject section blank 4) Write in the body of the message subscribe cdn-firearm chat end subcribe cdn-firearm digest end Remember when you are subscribing to the chat is separate from the digest. Please feel free to contact me anytime at the following: donnaferolie(a)sympatico.ca Donna Ferolie Keep up the fight! Donna Ferolie Canada ===================END FORWARDED MESSAGE===================

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Re: Netsurfer Digest: Vol. 04, #35
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 4:14 AM -0500 on 12/5/98, editor-bounce(a)netsurf.com wrote: > Secret Netsurfing... for a Fee > > You meet such nice people in this job. People like Cyber Promotions, who >believe the way to a great Web site is not content, originality, or >design, but an "aggressive marketing campaign every week" - it sells spam. >For a fee, Cyber Promotions will send out up to 50,000 messages at a time >through untraceable remailers and silent servers. This delightful >organization also bring us - as expected, for a fee - Ultimate Anonymity, >under the guise of the old-style anonymity sites which campaigned to the >death against censorship and government interference (remember Penet?). >Anyone with $14 can use this site to post anonymously in newsgroups, send >unlimited quantities of untraceable e-mail (with attachments), and >generally pollute the bandwidth. There may be genuine privacy campaigners >using the site, if they can squeeze in between all the amateur porn >merchants.... <http://www.ultimate-anonymity.com/> >http://www.ultimate-anonymity.com/ ----------------- 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'

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