-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Headline: "Clipper Considered Harmful" ...so what else is new, huh? But I was thinking specifically of Cypherpunks. Reading the article about the group in the Whole Earth Review, an article written before the advent of the Clipper proposal, reminded me of all the things we were working on before the Clipper forced them onto the back burner. Anonymous mail, anonymous posting, steganography, digital cash, whistle- blowers, encryption itself - all the ingredients of Tim's "crypto anarchy" - in many of these areas it seemed we had a certain amount of momentum which has been lost. If "Cypherpunks write code", how much code has been written lately? Now it seems like our motto is changing to "Cypherpunks write letters", to their congressmen. Things are not all black; Miron Cuperman has recently released his encrypted talk program based on PGP technology, and Kevin Brown's postings on stega- nography had some interesting ideas, although they need some development before anything could be coded. But for the most part progress in our previous areas of attention has been slowed if not halted. This can only be welcome to the forces which created the Clipper. Even if the chip fails, they have at least succeeded in distracting the underground crypto community, dividing it to some extent (to PGP or not to PGP?), and delaying the prospect of having to deal with a fully functioning infrastructure for true anonymity and privacy. I know Clipper is an important threat, and I know that many in the Cypherpunks community have helped lead the battle against the chip. But I am encouraged by the widespread opposition to the proposal among technically sophisticated people - not just on the net, but in the trade press as well. The right groups (EFF, CPSR, etc.) are asking the right questions, and Rep. Markey is turning up the heat in Washington. The battle is not yet won, but there is only a limited amount of leverage available in the political process. Our main skills are technical, not political. I contend that our efforts are better spent putting the technology into people's hands, per the group's original charter. We should be working to create new tools which will increase the average computer user's access to strong privacy. We should be pushing the envelope of what is possible today, exploring and experimenting with implementations of these new ideas. I claim that our best response to the threat posed by Clipper is a hearty "screw you" and a rededication to the Cypherpunks goals. Let the powers that be know that we are not intimidated or cowed by their threats. We must continue to oppose Clipper, but at the same time we must make progress on the crypto privacy front. Otherwise our opponents are winning, regardless of the eventual political outcome. Hal Finney 74076.1041@compuserve.com -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.2 iQCVAgUBLAnyqagTA69YIUw3AQFmpQQAprR81Th1dS8iOr6XnfGF7bCdaLTghKGB y5d16EZwqshZVJjGInR8HIcxviPOYdFggCZXSKOq8PVwIoqQK6L15h/5lbsScPpy mRgLa4gh/jxFloe6Uj28gpoHAjyAPF1CIiAJ260aqsl/vFfsSb7DmPhl9qJ2bghl XKR4UeeA2nE= =sXHm -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----