From: Ron Davis <rondavis@datawatch.com> The invention (discovery?) of public-key crypto changed the world, and makes practical everyday use of crypto infinitely easier. It also makes the kinds of specific things cypherpunks are interested in much more practical (or POSSIBLE). If you correspond with hundreds of people on a regular basis, including people you don't know and people you may send something to once and never deal with again, it is impractical to say the least to have to generate and exchange keys. That's the basic argument. Why was public key crypto invented at all? Why are people interested in using it? Practically, it's really fundamentally different from symmetric crypto, which is of very limited use in the situation we're all in now (anonymous communication, the net, quick hit-and-run dissemination of information, digital signatures, etc., etc.). PGP also has the "web of trust" structure built in. This is worlds away from basic symmetric crypto.
This is really basic stuff, so I'm hesitant to discuss it on the list.
I wasn't saying that PK wasn't important, or the most important. I agree it is a great thing. I was just saying that I thought cypherpunks was also about non-PK crypto. I also ventured to think it wasn't just about PGP, but all crypto used for purposes of insuring individual freedom and privacy.
Maybe I have the wrong idea about "our purposes", please correct me if I'm wrong.
If you're relatively new to the list, try to get your hands on some of the basic cypherpunk material, like tcmay's Crypto-Anarchy manifesto, the cypherpunk articles in Wired or Whole Earth Review, etc. There are many different views represented on the list, but I think we all agree on the significance and importance of pk crypto.
I read the Wired article. I've also read the FAQ. Missed May's manifesto is it available via ftp?
Symmetric is fine for hiding things from your boss. PK is intended for different purposes.
But isn't hiding things from your boss important in the cypherpunks worldview, even if people choose not to use PGP? Seems to me that the fact is many, if not most, people will not use PGP because of is outlaw status. Many of us are attracted to it because of that, but many people aren't. We can still advocate methods that people are comforatable with that will further our goals. If I'm wrong about the very basics of the list, then I guess this discussion is good, because I've been around for a couple of months at least and this is the idea I got. ___________________________________________________________________________ "I want to know God's thoughts...the rest are details." -- Albert Einstein _________________________________________ Ron Davis rondavis@datawatch.com Datawatch, Research Triangle Park, NC (919)549-0711