-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- 1 Nov 93 Yesterday, 31 Oct 93, in London, some of us privacy advocates held another meeting of the UK Cryptoprivacy Association. One of our regulars brought in the latest CompuServe Magazine, the issue of November 1993. I was delighted to read an article (pp 19-25), "The Digital Deadbolt", strongly advocating the use of secure cryptography, including PGP 2.3. The article, written by Christopher J. Galvin, an associate editor of the publication, was truly an advocacy piece. For those on CompuServe (CIS) who were unfamiliar with the issues, cogent and useful reasons for using encryption were given, with pointers for finding the relevant software. I quote: ZIFFNET PUBLIC BRAND SOFTWARE APPLICATION FORUM (GO PBSFORUM) Pretty Good Privacy 2.3 - The controversial program PGP combines the convenience of the RSA public-key cryptosystem with the speed of conventional cryptography to protect e-mail and data files. Includes digital signatures, data compression before encryption and sophisticated key management. Manual included. Freeware. Library 1, "Hot Off the Presses," PGPRIV.ZIP (232,895 bytes). Further file references included text in the CYBER FORUM (GO CYBERFORUM) on anonymous remailers (Library 13, "MONDO 2000," PRIVAC (7,078 bytes)), and a NIST publication on public-key cryptology in ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FORUM (GO EFFSIG), (Library 3, "The Frontier Files," PUB_KE.EXE (125,472 bytes)). CompuServe claims a worldwide subscriber base of around 1 million accounts. Every account holder is sent a monthly copy of CompuServe Magazine. Based on this circulation alone, the article is a notable achievement in public access to strong encryption. What makes it even more notable is the bald admission in the article that "... PGP and RIPEM aren't circulating as far as they might. They've been removed from various CompuServe forum libraries and some university Internet sites by sysops and administrators concerned that export laws might be violated by online availability." Those who are puzzled as to why, then, PGP is listed in the same article as being available _through_ CompuServe should take note that it is not available _on_ CompuServe. Having had some CompuServe experience myself, I was struck by what I think might be the case here: Ziffnet is a separate service from CompuServe (CIS), with CIS acting solely as a gateway. Ziff-Davis is a very large publishing house. Anyone who's been to trade shows around the world has run across the Ziff-Davis booth, where various of its magazines - the biggest names in the business - are given away as samples. It may be an ill-informed hunch on my part, but I suspect that Ziff-Davis is drawing on its statutory rights as a _publisher_ to make PGP available through one or more gateway services. If this is the case, I applaud them. And I congratulate CompuServe for having run Mr. Galvin's article. Christopher Galvin can be reached at 70003.5571@compuserve.com. Russell Earl Whitaker whitaker@eternity.demon.co.uk Communications Editor AMiX: RWhitaker EXTROPY: The Journal of Transhumanist Thought Board member, Extropy Institute (ExI) Co-organizer, 1st European Conference on Computers, Freedom and Privacy, London, 20 November 1993 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.3 iQCVAgUBLNRf6YTj7/vxxWtPAQEotgP/SU04KS325v8ca8ydCgr/358QsxmHhz// TtHkdhLRjvDLeWOEbG5LKY1VsVovU5YY1ru8h1xjrMqLiWvv4LQJanhg7I+D3Cpr J5xhM0IZSMotYKmCdY20SRdw918VA8JlNck+r1n40ozgdY8yOsAO6qdjOsolyquA OXShI0Gkzf8= =U0GH -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----