Production of ALPHACIPHER Snake Oil Cancelled!

[! Drive]

: From: Timothy C. May <tcmay at got.net>
: At 9:11 PM -0700 10/17/96, ! Drive wrote:
: >This may have already been posted, but I found it interesting...
: >
: >from: http://www.aa.net/cyber-survival-hq/
: >
: >     Development of the ALPHACIPHER product line has been voluntarily
: >cancelled
: >due to the possibility of
: >                 non-compliance of users of ALPHACIPHER with the new key
: >escrow
: >law.
: 
: 
: And just which _law_ might that be? Care to name an Act? Or even a Bill?
	I don't know, I'm only affiliated by the ISP, goto the page and find a mailto
link and ask the owner.
: 
: Come to think of it, just what the hell is "Alphacipher," and why should we
: care?
: 
: 
: >        ALPHACIPHER currently has no built-in key generation function, and
the
: >proposed release of an
: > ALPHACIPHER key generator has been terminated. All purchasers of
ALPHACIPHER
: >are entitled to a complete
: >                               refund, and this has already been done.
: 
: Were there any actual purchasers?
: 
: >         The New ADFGVX cipher is still offered for sale, as it is a
breakable
: >cipher, at least in theory.
	Why would one want to purchase something advertised as breakable?
	'course advertising that its not breakable would would keep me away also.
: 
: Ah, yes, now I understand. Sounds like just a new marketing ploy for the
: same old snake oil.
: 
: --Tim May