Bill Sommerfeld writes:
... Micali's major stuff, the ``fair'' public-key based systems.
Just to throw another sound bite in the pot:
Why would anyone in their right mind use a cryptosystem that's only "fair" when they have their choice of so many "good" and "excellent" ones like IDEA and RSA as well? :-) :-)
Micali's scheme could be very useful for ensuring that a secret is not lost forever upon the death, departure, or forgetfulness of an employee. Even Cypherpunks Inc. would probably be interested in a crypto system that allows reconstruction of a key by some process, for secrets belonging to the company. Generally, a whole range of algorithms and protocols is not a bad thing. (A similar example is a protocol for digicash that only "allows" partial withdrawals of one's cash...why would anyone "want" such a limiting system? Think about it.) So long as the market is able to function, and is not distorted by coercive laws, expect various sorts of systems. This said, I dislike the "fair" appelation, as it seems to be a kind of propagandizing. In this age of hype, not surprising. But very bad if the "fair" name gets used to help make such schemes mandatory for private citizens.
disclaimer: I haven't read Micali's papers in detail, but I understand that the "fair' cryptosystem is effectively "key escrow in software". Actually, I haven't seen his protocols discussed in any level of detail on this list. An overview might help improve the S/N ratio here..
I look forward to hearing your summary, Bill! Micali's paper was presented at the '92 Crypto Conference ("Proceedings" should be readily available in the usual places: university libraries and large technical bookstores, or by special order from Springer-Verlag), around the same time Denning was describing this and other possible "trial balloons" for key escrow. --Tim May -- .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^859433 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. "National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."