Proposal: Another emergency session of Cypherpunks
Summary: Maybe it's time for another emergency session of Cypherpunks to discuss policy in the aftermath of the double whammy announcements of Tessera/Clipper II and the new and even more dangerous Digital Telephony Bill. After the Clipper announcement last April, we had a special emergency meeting of Cypherpunks. Heavily attended, lots of discussion. This time around, we most knew things like Tessera and a new Digital Telephony Bill were coming, but the actuality of them has now been made real. The "ban on encryption" hasn't yet happened, but more and more roadblocks (another digital highway stupid metaphor?) are being erected. For example, any service provider, university network, hardware maker, etc., who fails to make transmissions "readable" faces $10,000 a day penalties under my reading of Digital Telephony. This could make an awful lot of service providers wary of _anything_ that doesn't look like plain old English chitchat...they may just cancel the accounts of anyone doing anything "funny." (Yes, there are probably ways to skirt these reactions, but it means pushing encryption underground, into tricks using stegonagraphy, superencryption, and less publicizing of one's PGP keys. Not a good thing. I agree with Perry Metzger that _public use_ or encryption is the best approach, practically and morally. Hiding the use of it keeps it "ghettoized.") So, I propose that we reorient our next Cypherpunks meeting (Saturday, March 12th, I presume) to deal with these issues. Some topics: * Legal overview of the Digital Telephony Bill. If Mike Godwin could link up with the other D.C.-area folks (Pat Farrell, Paul Ferguson, etc.), and then have a link to our meeting, this would be ideal. * When could Digital Telephony become law and what would be the implications? * Ditto for Tessera, Capstone, etc. * Status of Voice-PGP efforts....when will SoundBlaster-type software be available? What about encrypted IP packets on workstations instead? (Recall the impressive DES-encrypted conference call the 3 Cypherpunks groups had at the emergency Clipper meeting last April.) (I've heard talk--no pun intended--of several "Voice-PGP" projects, using SoundBlaster hardware, CELP, DSPs, etc., but no software seems to be available right now. How much longer do we have?) * How to fight these proposals, or work around them. It'd also be nice if some of the outlying groups (Cambridge, MA, Washington, D.C., London, Colorado, Austin) could link up with us at least briefly. (If we started at noon, California time, that would be fine for the East Coasters, but 8 or 9 p.m. for the Londoners....does the London group still meet?) This is just an idea. Let's discuss it. --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."
Summary: Maybe it's time for another emergency session of Cypherpunks to discuss policy in the aftermath of the double whammy announcements of Tessera/Clipper II and the new and even more dangerous Digital Telephony Bill.
Since such a meeting would be only one week before our regular meeting, and since we had ignorantly but presciently scheduled the topic to be "Politics", I see no need.
It'd also be nice if some of the outlying groups (Cambridge, MA, Washington, D.C., London, Colorado, Austin) could link up with us at least briefly.
[Background: we did voice-over-IP for the emergency meeting last year right after clipper came out.] I'd like to do this again. Can those who are interested in setting up this technically contact me directly for coordination? Also, for those who did it last time, even if you won't be doing it this time, I'd like to hear from you. And if someone can get us an MBONE channel for this, I'd be willing to carry two or three hours of the meeting on a broadcast-only basis.
(If we started at noon, California time, that would be fine for the East Coasters, but 8 or 9 p.m. for the Londoners....does the London group still meet?)
We'll be meeting at the same time, noon on the second Saturday, as we always do. Eric
If you were to carry the Cypherpunks meeting over the MBONE, which I assume you mean, I'd definitely be interested in joining in from San Diego. Phil
On Sat, 26 Feb 1994, Timothy C. May wrote:
Summary: Maybe it's time for another emergency session of Cypherpunks to discuss policy in the aftermath of the double whammy announcements of Tessera/Clipper II and the new and even more dangerous Digital Telephony Bill.
I agree, these are very umm, I dont want to be discouraging and a downer, but basically they really pissed me off, and makes me wonder what the hell makes this nation different from the stereotypical communist nation. ACK, makes me so mad, i mena the nerve of these poeple, oh well....what can I do to help?
It'd also be nice if some of the outlying groups (Cambridge, MA, Washington, D.C., London, Colorado, Austin) could link up with us at least briefly. (If we started at noon, California time, that would be fine for the East Coasters, but 8 or 9 p.m. for the Londoners....does the London group still meet?)
how do you propose us here onthe east coast hook up? I would think a virtual meeting would be nice, but dont know any of the logistics which such an operation. I personally can't travel, and a the best could uh, make a long distance telephone call with my neato boxes. Is there anyone in the Deleware area? Kinda near D.C. and cambridge, but traveling to either of those places would be difficult, as in near impossible, unless........
This is just an idea. Let's discuss it.
--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."
You're eqipped with a hundred billion nueron brain, that's wired and fired, and it's a reality generating device, but you've got too do it. Free youself ----Tim Leary----
participants (4)
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Grand Epopt Feotus -
hughes＠ah.com -
Phil Karn -
tcmay＠netcom.com