May 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Apple's "Rendezvous" bites "Itunes"
by Major Variola (ret) 30 May '03

30 May '03

At 08:48 PM 5/29/03 -0400, Declan McCullagh wrote: >On Thu, May 29, 2003 at 12:23:25PM -0500, Jamie Lawrence wrote: >> If you bought a 'product' from a closed system and didn't take self >> help measures, why are you surprised when that closed system changes? >> >> Really, there's no story here. > >But then again when you have millions of people affected, that's generally >a solid news story, in my experience. > >-Declan > Geezum Declan, what *did* you take at Playa del Fuego that zeroed your sense of sarcasm? I know, I know, lots and lots of snapshots. Never mind.

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Terrorized by the RIAA and all I got was this lousy T-shirt
by Major Variola (ret.) 29 May '03

29 May '03

(resent) Two Cultures Gamma ray blues. Astrophysicist Peter Usher had never heard of hip-hop music until last week when the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that it was sending the Pennsylvania State University professor emeritus an album and T-shirt featuring rhythm-and-blues singer Usher Raymond. RIAA says it's mailing the gifts to apologize for having erroneously sent out a copyright infringement notice to Usher's department on 8 May. The notice said that the department's FTP server was illegally distributing songs by the Grammy Award-winning artist. The reason for the error was traced to Usher's research papers on the server and a song about the Swift gamma ray satellite, which was in part designed by Penn State. The combination of "Usher" and the "mp3" suffix raised a red flag for RIAA's Web-snooping bots, which routinely trawl the Internet to monitor unlawful trafficking of music files. RIAA withdrew the notice and apologized to Penn State last week. Usher, who now lives in Durham, North Carolina, after retiring in 1999, is annoyed by the ruckus but volunteers to "wear the T-shirt on Halloween." http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol300/issue5623/r-samples.shtml

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Neo as 1970's Marxist Terrorist: Philosophers Draw on the Film 'Matrix'
by R. A. Hettinga 29 May '03

29 May '03

Yup. It was just a movie about shooting cops after all... Cheers, RAH --------- http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/24/arts/24MATR.html?th=&pagewanted=print&pos… The New York Times May 24, 2003 Philosophers Draw on the Film 'Matrix' EDWARD ROTHSTEIN Hundreds of millions of dollars ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a hacker named Neo reached into his bookcase and pulled out a leatherbound volume with the title "Simulacra and Simulation" - a collection of essays by the French postmodernist philosopher Jean Baudrillard. But when Neo opened it to the chapter "On Nihilism," it turned out to be just a simulacrum of a book, hollowed out to hold computer disks. It resembled, then, the rest of the real world in the 1999 film "The Matrix" - the first of a trilogy directed and written by Larry and Andy Wachowski. That world, with its office buildings and restaurants and teeming populace, was, like its book, a hollowed-out illusion, a virtual universe filled with computer code, a simulacrum of ordinary life, which Neo, a master hacker, is gradually taught to see for what it is: the Matrix. Neo is inducted into the horrifying truth: that human beings are unknowingly being force-fed this virtual fantasy while their bodies are held captive in gelatinous pods by bug-eyed machines. And as Neo learns to perceive how hidden code shapes the apparently real world surrounding him, so too did fans begin to examine the coded allusions lying within the film itself. Mr. Baudrillard was only the beginning. When asked how many hidden messages there were in "The Matrix," the Wachowski Brothers once teased, "More than you'll ever know." Now that its sequel, "Matrix Reloaded," is out, the interpretive industry is also gearing up. After the first film, Christian allegorists leaped at the bait the authors left: characters named Neo and Trinity, allusions to Jesus and resurrection, a city named Zion. The Buddhist character of Neo's "awakening" to reality's veil of illusion was discussed. And academic interest grew because the film self-consciously tapped current fascination with pop culture and critical theory. Recent anthologies have included " `The Matrix' and Philosophy," edited by William Irwin (Open Court), "Taking the Red Pill," edited by Glenn Yeffeth (Benbella Books), and "Exploring the Matrix," edited by Karen Haber (St. Martin's Press). Even the Warner Brothers "Matrix" Web site contains a growing collection of papers by academic philosophers: (http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/rl_cmp/new_phil_main.html) Descartes, of course, is a recurring presence in these anthologies, since, like Neo, he attempted to discover what man can be certain about, even if, as he put it, a "malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning has employed all his energies in order to deceive me." Plato is invoked as well, particularly his allegory of the cave, in which prisoners are convinced that shadows on the cave's walls are the sole reality until they are freed by philosophical inquiry and led upward into the sunlight. The problem is that in the movie, the cave is the reality - the rebels hide out from demonic machines in the sewers of this post-apocalyptic world - while those who dwell in the illusions of the Matrix bask in sunlight. One character, Cypher, explicitly prefers the world of the programmed Matrix, with its sensual pleasures, compared with the reality of darkness, warfare and struggle. So some philosophical essays ask, is there a reason the choice of the real world is more ethical? But there is another twist to the Wachowskis' fable. The Matrix is not arbitrary; it is the world of contemporary America. It is our world. And the rebels, in discovering its illusory quality, the film suggests, are discovering the truth about our world: that it deserves to be overturned. "The Matrix" is a political allegory. This is why Mr. Baudrillard's book "Simulacra and Simulation" is so closely associated with the film (some cast members were asked to read the book, which Morpheus, the rebel leader, also quotes). In these essays, mostly written in the 1970's, Mr. Baudrillard suggests that because of technology and the rise of modern capitalism, everything has become a simulacrum; as in the Matrix, nothing real remains. Disneyland is one of his examples: an imaginary world that invokes something "real," though that "real" world is just as imaginary. In fact, Mr. Baudrillard argues, Los Angeles and California are as fantastical as Disneyland. There is a distaste for contemporary American culture in many of Mr. Baudrillard's analyses, and a distaste too for American power and its images. This is also shared by the rebels of "The Matrix," who reflect a kind of hacker ideology, seeking to "free" information from its "system" of control, to overturn the Matrix and its tyranny of images. But this has a disturbing side. In the essay "On Nihilism" Mr. Baudrillard announces that in the face of "hegemonic" power, there is but one response: terrorism. He writes, "I am a terrorist and nihilist in theory as others are with their weapons." Similarly, in "The Matrix," Morpheus tells Neo he must regard all inhabitants of that virtual world as enemies that may be killed; anyway, most people are "not ready" for the truth. Morpheus is even wanted by the Matrix's ruthless agents for "acts of terrorism." While we are meant to cheer him on, neither Mr. Baudrillard nor the Wachowskis nor the philosophical essayists explore the ethical limits of these all-too-familiar convictions. Now, though, in "Matrix Reloaded," something else takes place. At the risk of spoiling some plot twists, it is worth pointing out that, despite the film's flaws and misjudgments, it seems intent on questioning many ideas from the first film. Some things stay the same. Neo and the rebels must head off a full-scale attempt by the machines to destroy the underground city, Zion, so the basic revolutionary posture remains intact. In some ways the film becomes even more extreme in its objections to American life (at one point, as a character speaks of the "grotesqueries" of human nature, background images of Hitler and George W. Bush appear). But other things change. What exactly is Neo supposed to do? In the first film Morpheus hailed Neo as the One, the Savior of the real world. This belief in the real may be one reason Mr. Baudrillard has never found identification with "The Matrix" congenial, suggesting it has "stemmed mostly from misunderstandings" of his own work. But in the sequel he seems a nearer presence. Boundaries and premises break down. Morpheus's prophetic claims begin to seem strident. Neo can't even trust what he is told by the Oracle , a woman who foresees the future but who may also be manipulating Neo with her prophecies. In fact we eventually learn through cryptic pronouncements of the Architect of the Matrix - its software writer, its God - that Neo is actually living in the sixth version of the Matrix. In each, a savior figure has arisen. And in each earlier case, the savior has not been able to free humanity at all. Instead, the result has been a large-scale loss of life, until the Matrix begins again, with an apparent upgrade - a new web of earthly illusions - allowing no recollections of the disastrous past. By the end, Neo has reason to wonder whether any revolutions accomplish what they claim, whether he is free to make a choice at all and whether even the real world is what it seems. So the third movie, scheduled for November release, faces its own choice. It could end up moving even closer to the nihilism of Mr. Baudrillard and its ultimately sordid message. But faced with what Mr. Baudrillard has called "the desert of the real," it could also find some other path, as yet undreamed of in its philosophy, that may bring hackers, humans and machines together. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.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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AlterNet: Spying for Fun and Profit (fwd)
by Jim Choate 29 May '03

29 May '03

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16009 -- ____________________________________________________________________ We are all interested in the future for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. Criswell, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" ravage(a)ssz.com jchoate(a)open-forge.org www.ssz.com www.open-forge.org --------------------------------------------------------------------

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The New Atlantis - Liberty, Privacy and DNA Databases - Christine Rosen (fwd)
by Jim Choate 29 May '03

29 May '03

http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/1/rosen.htm -- ____________________________________________________________________ We are all interested in the future for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. Criswell, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" ravage(a)ssz.com jchoate(a)open-forge.org www.ssz.com www.open-forge.org --------------------------------------------------------------------

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CNN.com - Language police bar 'old,' 'blind' - May. 28, 2003 (fwd)
by Jim Choate 29 May '03

29 May '03

I wonder if they've banned 'stupid' yet... http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/05/28/life.language.reut/index.html -- ____________________________________________________________________ We are all interested in the future for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. Criswell, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" ravage(a)ssz.com jchoate(a)open-forge.org www.ssz.com www.open-forge.org --------------------------------------------------------------------

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Slashdot | Contactless Credit Cards (fwd)
by Jim Choate 29 May '03

29 May '03

http://slashdot.org/articles/03/05/28/2252233.shtml?tid=98&tid=99 -- ____________________________________________________________________ We are all interested in the future for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. Criswell, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" ravage(a)ssz.com jchoate(a)open-forge.org www.ssz.com www.open-forge.org --------------------------------------------------------------------

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France and Switzerland Public Announcement (fwd)
by Jim Choate 29 May '03

29 May '03

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 07:50:10 -0400 From: PA List Manager <statelists(a)STATE.GOV> To: DOSTRAVEL(a)LISTS.STATE.GOV Subject: France and Switzerland Public Announcement France and Switzerland Public Announcement U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman May 28, 2003 This Public Announcement is being issued to alert U.S. citizens to the potential for large-scale anti-globalization protests on or near the French/Swiss border during the G-8 Summit scheduled for June 1-3, 2003, in Evian, France. American citizens traveling in or out of France during this period should be prepared for greater security checks and should have their U.S. passports available at all border crossing points. This Public Announcement expires on June 9, 2003. The Summit of the Group of 8 (G-8) is expected to attract as many as 300,000 anti-globalization protestors, most of who will gather outside Evian in Annemasse, France, and Geneva, Switzerland. Protests will also take place in Lausanne and other cities on the Swiss shore of Lake Geneva. Large-scale anti-globalization protests are planned beginning May 29 in Annemasse. Large rallies are planned for June 1 in Geneva and Annemasse, and other demonstrations are expected to take place in the region throughout the summit. Americans traveling in the area should avoid the demonstrations, bearing in mind that in the past, similar demonstrations have sometimes turned violent and that traffic and public transportation in the vicinity of demonstrations are likely to be affected. Additionally, to enhance security measures already in place for the Summit, the government of France will increase passport and security checks at all of its land borders. Enhanced controls will begin immediately at some borders to eventually include all land border crossings throughout the period of the Summit. Those entering or exiting France - whether by car, boat or train - may be required to produce valid travel documents. American citizens traveling in or out of France during this period should be prepared for greater security checks and should have their valid U.S. passports available at all border crossing points. American citizens can register and obtain updated information on travel and security at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, the Consulate General in Marseille, the Consulate General in Strasbourg, or the U.S. Embassy in Bern. The U.S. Consular Agency in Geneva will be closed from Monday, May 26, through Tuesday, June 4, 2003. Travelers should also consult the Department of State's latest Consular Information Sheets for France and Switzerland and the Worldwide Caution Public announcement at travel.state.gov. American citizens may also obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States or Canada, and 317-472-2328 from overseas. *********************************************************** See http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html for State Department Travel Warnings ************************************************************ To change your subscription, go to http://www.state.gov/www/listservs_cms.html

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Slashdot | Nullsoft's Waste: Encrypted, Distributed, Mesh Net (fwd)
by Jim Choate 29 May '03

29 May '03

http://slashdot.org/articles/03/05/29/0140241.shtml?tid=126&tid=93 -- ____________________________________________________________________ We are all interested in the future for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. Criswell, "Plan 9 from Outer Space" ravage(a)ssz.com jchoate(a)open-forge.org www.ssz.com www.open-forge.org --------------------------------------------------------------------

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Real Crypto Terrorists.
by Trei, Peter 29 May '03

29 May '03

http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/05/21/HNpdapgp_1.html Red Brigades PDA highlights encryption controversy By Philip Willan, IDG News Service May 21, 2003 ROME - Italian police have seized at least two Psion PLC PDAs (personal digital assistants) from members of the Red Brigades terrorist organization but the major investigative breakthrough they were hoping for as a result of the information contained on the devices has failed to materialize -- thwarted by encryption software used by the left-wing revolutionaries. Failure to crack the code, despite the reported assistance of U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) computer experts, puts a spotlight on the controversy over the wide availability of powerful encryption tools. The Psion devices were seized on March 2 after a shootout on a train travelling between Rome and Florence, Italian media and sources close to the investigation said. The devices, believed to number two or three, were seized from Nadia Desdemona Lioce and her Red Brigades comrade Mario Galesi, who was killed in the shootout. An Italian police officer was also killed. At least one of the devices contains information protected by encryption software and has been sent for analysis to the FBI facility in Quantico, Va., news reports and sources said. The FBI declined to comment on ongoing investigations, and Italian authorities would not reveal details about the information or equipment seized during the shootout. The software separating the investigators from a potentially invaluable mine of information about the shadowy terrorist group, which destabilized Italy during the 1970s and 1980s and revived its practice of political assassination four years ago after a decade of quiescence, was PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), the Rome daily La Repubblica reported. So far the system has defied all efforts to penetrate it, the paper said. Palm-top devices can only run PGP if they use the Palm OS or Windows CE operating systems, said Phil Zimmermann, who developed the encryption software in the early 1990s. Psion PLC uses its own operating system known as Epoc, but it might still be possible to use PGP as a third party add-on, a spokesman for the British company said. There is no way that the investigators will succeed in breaking the code with the collaboration of the current manufacturers of PGP, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based PGP, Zimmermann said in a telephone interview. "Does PGP have a back door? The answer is no, it does not," he said. "If the device is running PGP it will not be possible to break it with cryptanalysis alone." Investigators would need to employ alternative techniques, such as looking at the unused area of memory to see if it contained remnants of plain text that existed before encryption, Zimmermann said. The investigators' failure to penetrate the PDA's encryption provides a good example of what is at stake in the privacy-versus-security debate, which has been given a whole new dimension by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. Zimmermann remains convinced that the advantages of PGP, which was originally developed as a human rights project to protect individuals against oppressive governments, outweigh the disadvantages. "I'm sorry that cryptology is such a problematic technology, but there is nothing we can do that will give this technology to everyone without also giving it to the criminals," he said. "PGP is used by every human rights organization in the world. It's something that's used for good. It saves lives." Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union are examples of governments that had killed far more people than all the world's criminals and terrorists combined, Zimmermann said. It was probably technically impossible, Zimmermann said, to develop a system with a back door without running the risk that the key could fall into the hands of a Saddam Hussein or a Slobodan Milosevic, the former heads of Iraq and Yugoslavia, respectively. "A lot of cryptographers wracked their brains in the 1990s trying to devise strategies that would make everyone happy and we just couldn't come up with a scheme for doing it," he said. "I recognize we are having more problems with terrorists now than we did a decade ago. Nonetheless the march of surveillance technology is giving ever increasing power to governments. We need to have some ability for people to try to hide their private lives and get out of the way of the video cameras," he said. Even in the wake of Sept. 11, Zimmermann retains the view that strong cryptography does more good for a democracy than harm. His personal website, www.philzimmermann.com, contains letters of appreciation from human rights organizations that have been able to defy intrusion by oppressive governments in Guatemala and Eastern Europe thanks to PGP. One letter describes how the software helped to protect an Albanian Muslim woman who faced an attack by Islamic extremists because she had converted to Christianity. Zimmermann said he had received a letter from a Kosovar man living in Scandinavia describing how the software had helped the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in its struggle against the Serbs. On one occasion, he said, PGP-encrypted communications had helped to coordinate the evacuation of 8,000 civilians trapped by the Serbs in a Kosovo valley. "That could have turned into another mass grave," Zimmermann said. Italian investigators have been particularly frustrated by their failure to break into the captured Psions because so little is known about the new generation of Red Brigades. Their predecessors left a swathe of blood behind them, assassinating politicians, businessmen and security officials and terrorizing the population by "knee-capping," or shooting in the legs, perceived opponents. Since re-emerging from the shadows in 1999 they have shot dead two university professors who advised the government on labor law reform. Zimmermann is not optimistic about the investigators' chances of success. "The very best encryption available today is out of reach of the very best cryptanalytic methods that are known in the academic world, and it's likely to continue that way," he said. Sources close to the investigation have suggested that they may even have to turn to talented hackers for help in breaking into the seized devices. One of the magistrates coordinating the inquiry laughed at mention of the idea. "I can't say anything about that," he said. The technical difficulty in breaking PGP was described by an expert witness at a trial in the U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Wash., in April 1999. Steven Russelle, a detective with the Portland Police Bureau, was asked to explain what he meant when he said it was not "computationally feasible" to crack the code. "It means that in terms of today's technology and the speed of today's computers, you can't put enough computers together to crack a message of the kind that we've discussed in any sort of reasonable length of time," he told the court. Russelle was asked whether he was talking about a couple of years or longer. "We're talking about millions of years," he replied.

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