Adam Back wrote:

This is scary stuff... Clipper VI (or whatever number we're up to) in the making. Expect a fresh onslaught of government master key attempts from the US government based on this info war initiative.

Michael Wilson <0005514706@MCIMAIL.COM> forwards:

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In its formal recommendations, the commission urged the government to speed up pilot programs on key recovery, promote efforts to plan for implementing large-scale key recovery systems and encourage private-sector key recovery efforts.

And there it is, they now want to encourage private sector key recovery. Now why would they want to do that, if they don't plan to use it as an infrastructure. Building central control in _anything_ is asking for trouble in info war terms. Everything should be as distributed as possible, to minimise scope of an attacker who compromises keys.

InfoWar goes on all the time amongst the Heavy Hitters in governement and commerce. It's called politics and money. Scenario I: Bill Gate$ reads an article where US Federal LEA's are bragging to insider politicians about their history of using their snooping and InfoWar capacities to financially disrupt 'bad' governments and corporations. Bill Gate$ then hands his company's secret keys over to the government because he trusts them to settle their dispute with him in court, instead of just 'grabbing' his money via his secret keys. Scenario II: Bill Gate$ gives his company's secret keys to Lucky Green, who runs toward the site of the Cypherpunks physical meeting, shouting, "Party time! Party time!" BillyG walks back to the limo, muttering, "That Lucky sure has a good sense of humor...I hope!"

Law enforcement with the master keys to the whole country is a huge risk. Some law enforcement key custodian will simply be bribed or coerced for the key, and then they really will have an info war risk.

The only thing security levels do is determine the end cost of compromising security. Do you have to bribe/coerce a janitor or an executive?

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Asked by the subcommittee's chairman, Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican, if those controls should be mandated, Marsh responded: "We think businessmen will find it in their best interest to incorporate these controls. ... Of course, in due time, that may be an option if they are not willing to accept them."

Voluntary-Mandatory == Volmundatory ? GAK, GMR, ATP (Access to Toilet Plungers)...Cookies, Identity Tracking... What is going on is quite simply a battle for access to information. InoWar! Everybody wants access to the information of others, and to deny others access to their own information. Information is power, and power is kept by keeping the keys to that information. Corporations want to play footsie with the Government when it comes to getting access to all information and communications that pass through the self-defined borders of the Corporate Electromagnetic Curtain, but want to avoid being subject to total control within the borders of the Government's own self-defined ElectroMagnetic Curtain. The issues of power and control are the same as they have always been, but the Battle of the Bulge is now the Battle of the Byte. Government, Corporations, Organizations, Individuals...the players will be the same as in MeatSpace, and so will the issues and underlying concepts and ideals. Those seeking power and control will use the same tried-and-true methods, such as Divide and Conquer. "We don't want no 'nigger' data passing through our website. <---> We don't want no 'racist' data passing through our website." Chorus: <everybody sings together> "THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW!" The Government wants to seize contol of ElectroMagnetic Reality by appointing themselves as our Electronic Protectors. Corporations are fighting to use the new technologies to protect themselves, cutting the Government out of the power loop. Individuals _should_ be trying to do the same. Government has declared Crypto munitions for the same reason they increasingly declare Guns to be 'government-munitions'. Those who have no power to protect themselves are vulnerable to those who have _reserved_ that power for themselves. Crypto or Guns...it's all about power and control of CyberSpace and MeatSpace. MunitionsMonger