Adam Lake <lake@uenics.evansville.edu> says: -> I have been receiving cypherpunk material for about a week now. I am new -> to cryptography, and new to security(feel free to laugh). I hope this -> posting is appropriate.. Well enough excuses for what I am about to say -> but I might like Clipper. [Don't worry, each individual should be able to make up her/his own mind regarding issues such as this (ie., individual privacy).] -> 1.) From what I am hearing (largely propaganda from both sides) Clipper -> will be OPTIONAL. If I am businessman X and I dont know squat about [If the claim that Clipper will be "OPTIONAL" is propaganda, you might want to take it with a grain of salt. "OPTIONAL" today might not mean "OPTIONAL" tomorrow.] -> security (but realize it is a good thing) wouldnt I want something I -> could feel secure with? For me, wouldnt Clipper be a good thig? [If you are arguing that ignorance about security is a prerequisite for considering Clipper to be a good thing, you may be correct.] -> 2) If, for some reason, I wanted to keep something even more secure so -> the government couldnt see what I was doing, couldnt I just encrypt a -> message before or after it goes through the Clipper Chip? I would think -> this would prevent the government as well as anyone else from reading my -> message en route [If you have the technology at hand to encrypt a message before or after it goes through the Clipper chip using a method that the government can't crack, you don't need to spend money (as a prudent businessman) on Clipper hardware.] -> 3) Right now I can pick up cellular phone conversations and intercept data -> through any network lines with a datascope. For anyone who doesnt wan [Not bad for someone who is "new to security(feel free to laugh)."] -> this to occur wouldnt it be nice if they couldat least be reasonably -> certain that no one could understand what they are hearing or seeing? [Yes. This is why many people don't want Clipper. They want to be "reasonably certain that no one could understand what they are hearing or seeing"] -> 4) Also, would it be unreasonable to have an on/off switch on the Clipper -> chip? [I don't know.] -> Please dont assume me to be a pro-clipper individual. I am -> merely trying to form a logical, educated opinion on the issue. I will -> always feel skeptical when the FBI say we just need this to maintain our -> current state of survellience capability (or is that survellience state -> ;-) And I am also aware that if anybody thinks these keys will be kept -> confidential unless the government has a warrant blah blah blah well -> I -> better stop there.......... -> -> lake@uenics.evansville.edu
James<