Re: Destabilizing China's Government with Strong Crypto
At 01:01 12/07/96 +0000, Deranged Mutant wrote:
On 12 Jul 96 at 9:40, Arun Mehta wrote: [..] BTW, similar problems in Iran fro what I've heard. I remember hearing a blurb that VOA Chinese Programs explained how to make a setellite dish out of aluminum foil, so pick up special VOA boradcasts I'm sure... (That's rather intersting, because you can crumple it up or wrap leftovers in it immediately.)
Is there a good hacker handbook, telling you how you can do things your government won't let you, something along the lines of a modern-day Abbie Hoffman "Steal This Book"? <grin, salivate>
I'm told by some friends that the Chinese, in large part due to the writing system, prefer FAXs over the internet. That's something to keep in mind.
Hm... interesting project: a graphics program that works with PGP or PGPlib. One can import scanned images or draw onto the screen and then encrypt it for mailing.
Excellent project. One reason that e-mail is picking up in popularity is that sending a fax to the office address is like sending a postcard.
1) Collect the e-mail addresses as Allen suggested (including those in Hongkong), and send them a single, short message offering to teach them free of cost how to use pgp and all the goodies at http://www.eskimo.com/~joelm/cbsw.html
Might be condescending. 'Civilized white man brings PGP to the barbarians...'
Look around you: while "civilized", "white" and "man" might characterize the vast (?) majority on this list, I'm sure that's not the universe on cypherpunks. And how does it matter? I'm suggesting an e-mail course that people may subscribe to if they wish. I'm currently attending a course on Cyberspace-Law for Non-Lawyers, presented by the Cyberspace Law Institute and Counsel Connect with thousands of others <http://www.counsel.com/cyberspace> -- I'm sure there are people from all continents on that course, and the question of it being condescending hasn't arisen.
They may well know about PGP, but not in a position to make that knowledge widely known.
That's no good to the rest of the world. Forget them: the question is, are *you* in a position to share your knowledge?
And if I were in a 'totalitarian' or restrictive country I'd be damn suspicious, maybe frightened by this ('are the secret police setting me up?' or 'will the notice if I reply?').
Maybe lesson 1could be on how to use an encrypting anonymous remailer, and those who succeed get lesson 2 onwards untraceably. If they are suspicious, they don't have to join or can unsubscribe.
What if that person like the way their country is? They could inform the local authorities and set in motion a crackdown that would not have happened, perhaps.
We say *nothing* during the course about what we feel about the political situation in Singapore, the work situation in multinationals or Bill Clinton. We restrict the course to a sharing of knowledge on crypto in the Internet spirit of a free economy.
I'd leave the specifics to activists who are already familiar with the respective cultures, societies, politics, etc....
I'm one. Be glad to tell you more,...
chances are they are already doing things along those lines.
If they are, its only in pockets, and they are doing an awful job of telling people about it if none of us has heard. The Internet is still very new here, most people don't know much about it except how to click the porn bookmarks.
Otherwise, if you don't know what you're doing, you can unintentionally mess up somebody else's life, if not your own.
It's only crypto, not the Bible or Koran. And let them be their own judges? You seem to want to protect people in the Third World the way the US government wants to keep cyberporn from kids. From: tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May) Subject: Destabilizing China's Government with Strong Crypto Sender: owner-cypherpunks@toad.com
At 4:40 AM 7/12/96, Arun Mehta wrote: ...
2) Encourage the production of simple, cheap devices such as a PGP phone
<cited material snipped>
3) Find people who beam radio transmissions into China (Rupert Murdoch via his Star TV satellite is one ;-) and ask them to devote an "Internet hour"
<cited material snipped>
Good ideas, all. And deploying steganography is a natural fit to this situation.
Thanks, mate. What's the use of all the theory you develop and software you'll write if it is inaccessible to those who need it most? Just think: you work in a sensitive job, have a bad conscience about all the forests that are being cut on account of collusion between the Forest Department and the illegal loggers -- now you can maybe talk to someone about the weather or the greatness of Kim Jong Il, and in the process upload all you know about the scandal, untraceable to you. From: "Peter D. Junger" <junger@pdj2-ra.F-REMOTE.CWRU.Edu>
: 1) Collect the e-mail addresses as Allen suggested (including those in : Hongkong), and send them a single, short message offering to teach them free : of cost how to use pgp and all the goodies at : http://www.eskimo.com/~joelm/cbsw.html
Unfortunately for those of us in the United States or who are otherwise subject to its jurisdiction such an offer would require a license or a waiver of jurisdiction under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations before it could safely be carried out. That particular highly worthwhile project would seem to fall under the definition of performing defense services as well as involving the disclosure of technical data relating to an item on the United States Munitions List.
Did you let that stop you in the past? Suppose the course were conducted from outside the US? The packages can in any case be downloaded legally from outside. I'm sure there is no law against your telling me how to use a particular software package? Anonymously, if you must? What I have in mind is as follows: "Building a Cryptobook" lists a number of software packages: SecureDrive PGP Private Idaho PGPfone Wipe Utilities S-Tools Joel provides also the configuration steps needed to get it all working, which is an excellent starting point. Suppose we do an e-mail course telling people in simple language *why* they need this, what benefits they would get as a result, how to download (idiot-proof instructions all through), and how to set up *for basic, minimum security*. I'm sure the software packages will have all sorts of bells and whistles that the novice doesn't need, not right away. Maybe some or all of this instructional material is already available. Could we pick up a set that is easy to understand and concise? That could be packaged together as a course or a book, a sort-of "Crypto for Dummies." Would people like to select individual software packages, and put the material together? Everyone gets due credit, of course. Think for a moment: Just as Nelson Mandela stood today at the corner of Trafalgar Square in front of South Africa House, where I'm sure many of us have shouted ,"Free Nelson Mandela!", some day soon we might get similar thanks from some Chinese or heavens knows whom...
From: Alan Olsen <alano@teleport.com> Another thing to do is get more web sites containing information of interest to people living in such regimes on SSL enabled web servers.
This, and the encrypted fax would help greatly. I'm sure others have good ideas too. Please send them. How does one go about facilitiating their implementation? Arun Mehta Phone +91-11-6841172, 6849103 amehta@cpsr.org http://mahavir.doe.ernet.in/~pinaward/arun.htm The protestors of Tiananmen Square will be back. Next time, the battle will be fought in cyberspace, where the students have the more powerful tanks...
On Sat, 13 Jul 1996, Arun Mehta wrote:
Look around you: while "civilized", "white" and "man" might characterize the cypherpunks. And how does it matter? I'm suggesting an e-mail course that
I'm trying to get a "civilised white woman" to learn to use cryptography. At least, I think she is is civilised -- she paid for lunch for me one day. She is female, though that doesn't preclude a previous sex-change operation, or two. She has a pale skin, and blue eyes, and blond hair, but that doesn't mean she isn't Jewish, like Hitler's Poster Child of the Aryan Race was. Her eyes may have been colored by wearing colored contact lenses, and her hair may have been bleached. I assume she is white, since she has a pale skin. An official of the former regime in South Africa might well have been able to classify her as "Cape Colored", "Other Colored", "Griqua of Rehobath" or any of the 47 plus racial classifications that they used. So no, it doesn't matter who reads it, or who writes it, distributes it, etc --- so long as it gets done. << I don't know who is being quoted in the following line. >
chances are they are already doing things along those lines. If they are, its only in pockets, and they are doing an awful job of telling people about it if none of us has heard. The Internet is still very
They might be doing things the way Brother Andrew did, in smuggling Bible behind the Iron Curtain. Not telling the world at large, to protect the smugglers, untill after most of their team was arted/detained/granted "persona non gratis" status behind the Iron Curtain.
or the greatness of Kim Jong Il, and in the process upload all you know about the scandal, untraceable to you.
ROTFLOL. OTOH, it will get by pretty much any censor. << These graphics are of our Most Beloved Leader. This must be an honourable upright citizen. And stenographed in them, is the weekly edition of what "Most Beloved Leader" has done against his population. >>
What I have in mind is as follows: "Building a Cryptobook" lists a number of software packages: packaged together as a course or a book, a sort-of "Crypto for Dummies."
Package it as book, if any government does clamp down on the distribution of it as an E-Mail course. Or publish a book as a supplement. xan jonathon grafolog@netcom.com AOL coasters are unique, and colourful. Collect the entire set.
participants (2)
-
Arun Mehta -
Jonathon Blake