We've touched on this issue several times, in several contexts. The problem (for GAK) of "rogue governments" is this: a government such as Libya or Panama, henceforth to be known as "Rogueitania," issues policy cards to all of its citizens, and to all those visiting Rogueitania, and perhaps through the mail to anyone who pays some fee. So, unless the U.S. actually does implement _import controls_ on such things, the willingness of Rogouitania to freely issue policy cards with no restrictions, guts the U.S. system. (The crypto community does in fact call these issuers "rogue governments." For example, in the mid-80s this was the subject of some "Crypto" papers about rogue governments (like Libya) possibly being willing to issue false passports to agents, terrorists, etc. Gee, the U.S. would have no interest in doing such a thing, either for their own agents, their own covert action squads, or their own 50,000 people given false identities in the Witness Security Program.) We raised many issues similar to this during the Clipper I, Clipper II, etc., exercises. The whole issue of why foreign governments would willingly see the NSA with intercept capabilities for their traffic was never addressed by the Administration. Nor was the issue of rogue governments. Nor many other issues. (I don't even think Denning and her Blue Ribbon Panel ever issued their final report on their weekend-long study of Clipper....events sort of made it moot.) And I don't expect substantive answers to our questions on the latest Clipper announcement for years, if ever. --Tim May "The government announcement is disastrous," said Jim Bidzos,.."We warned IBM that the National Security Agency would try to twist their technology." [NYT, 1996-10-02] We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1,257,787-1 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."