-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- -=> Quoting In:tcmay@got.net to Harka <=- In> The Swedish plan is something to be avoided. Consider just a few In> quotes: Actually, I was just flying over the text before forwarding it. But after reading it in depth, I agree with you. In> The government gives out the mailboxes. Wanna bet they give out the In> keys, too? Not only that but it would create the e-mail monopoly, that would be the destruction of the de-centralized nature of the Internet (e-mail being part of it). Just imagine, how easy it would be to have a few well publicized cases of remailer-abuse and the Swedish Postal Office therefore decides to automatically block all mail coming from (and maybe even to) remailers. With the majority of people having no clue about remailers in the first place (except what the press will feed them) the protest will be small enough to be ignored. That could even be extended to crypto, as you indicate. If Sweden ever outlaws cryptography, the monopoly would provide a perfect setting of enforcing such (with the few exceptions of where stego is used). The same applies to content and traceability of e-mails. In> (Yes, I understand that the system is being presented as "voluntary." In> For how long? And what happens to non-PTT ISPs when the PTT is a state In> monopoly? (Imagine what would happen if the U.S. Postal Service made a In> deal wherein AOL became the favored provider.) Market-driven "voluntary" measurements tend to be rather forced upon people than anything else. If something is standard then you'll have to use it because most other people do too. That is the danger with monopolies of any kind. This, I am afraid, will happen with crypto-issues in the US itself. I am almost certain, that Windows 97 will adress cryptography in one way or the other. If they put in means to encrypt e-mails for example right from the operating system and independent of the provider, then this would be the death-blow to PGP. And considering the talk about "key-management-infrastructure", then this will be probably the best means to achieve it. In fact, it might not even be a GAK-enabled system, but one that's easy to crack (propriatory algorithm or whatever). The civil-liberty groups have no GAK-issue to talk about anymore and few will understand, why "security through obscurity" is not good. The majority however, who doesn't care anyway much about crypto, will use that slick Windows interface and not worry any further. That would be cause for celebration at the TLA's and the end to wide-spread strong crypto. Ciao Harka /*************************************************************/ /* This user supports FREE SPEECH ONLINE ...more info at */ /* and PRIVATE ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS! -> http://www.epic.org */ /* E-mail: harka(at)nycmetro.com (PGP-encrypted mail pref'd) */ /* PGP public key available upon request. [KeyID: 04174301] */ /* F-print: FD E4 F8 6D C1 6A 44 F5 28 9C 40 6E B8 94 78 E8 */ /*<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>*/ /* May there be peace in this world, may all anger dissolve */ /* and may all living beings find the way to happiness... */ /*************************************************************/ -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQEVAgUBM0oCzzltEBIEF0MBAQEf4gf/ZINVtWwqyIzYXbi7uDxmTKCdfMS1Xujj /AlYGsmjUeh7UduN2q8YmRqzfuUhA6SNOaT0La+QuqzIOImmY3MfbH9tWc+xWqNQ 4cUC/aPFAl/7SxbXA4lsL4QD8Vnf3Tf2bxt5XUC7TO6lfEW91hblnz1WV2OVimgt pBGhv8b0td+CIAPnGd8WoscbH1NtgZMz+bLaF9zTl22KZerd8tfUbDhPQjWHOzgv Ck0mXTuOPpRXYTO+U9tua1U/Nz2dJN/+VXJO3nUfJOJ8C5eAHimji+IbsoWt1jur O27KvFuIhPtDaQIenv62G8ClmVxvd+XzIJ+43XnEU4r3PmFHgDJLjg== =wREG -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- If encryption is outlawed, only outlaws will have encryption...