Comments on White House Clipper Plan I attended the "interesting" NIST press conference yesterday on the "Clipper Chip" and may be able to clear up a few quaestions. According to NIST: The Chip has 4 functions, including Key Encryption Serial Number Escrow functionality Thus, it sounds like a key management system may have to be built into the devices that will be sold with the chip. However this means that they will also be able to determine which key to get becuase they will know the serial number. It also seems likely that once your key is compromised, its gone forever. This is a serious problem The Attorney General will determine next week who will be the escrow agents for this. I am willing to bet $ that NIST/Commerce will be one of them (not a lot, after all, I do work for a non-profit). Everything about this proposal is classified. The chip is classified but even more disturbing, the president directing ordering a review into crypto policy is also classified. CPSR has already filed 11 FOIA requests for all information, including the directive. You can expect that we will be filing suit shortly to get those documents and force this out into the open. When I questioned them about why the review was happening after the proposal, they did not answer me. This is not 1984 all over again-its '86. The NSA tried this exact same "black box" proposal (minus the escrow) in 1986. Industry laughed them out of the park. NIST also stated that the proposal has been implimented for 14 months and they (NSA actually) have been working on it for at least 4 years. AT&T announced yesterday that will will begin selling devices with these Clippers in them immediatly. We've been sold down the river by ma bell again. Dave Banisar CPSR Washington Office