Seattle cypherpunks group

[codehead at ix.netcom.com]

Matthew,

I'm pulling together a local cypherpunks group in Seattle.  If you
know anyone in the area who is interested in issues of cryptography
and privacy, could you please pass this announcement on?

Thanks,

Emily Sandblade

P.S.  If you're ever in the area, I'd love to have you as a speaker.

=====================================

***Please circulate to all interested parties***

Announcing the first meeting of 2001 of Cypherpunks-Seattle.

When:  April 14, 2001 12:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Where:  Bellevue Las Margaritas
      437 - 108th Avenue N. E., downtown Bellevue
      Space is limited, please RSVP to
seacypherpunks at ix.netcom.com


Agenda -

      Introductions and Open Discussion

      E-Gold and other Alternative Currency Systems

      Problems and Tradeoffs in Public Key Infrastructures


E-Gold and other Alternative Currency Systems

      E-gold has enjoyed increasing success as the first viable
free-market electronic currency.  It is privately backed, and
does not rely on any particular government's political stability
to retain its value.

      Vince Callaway, who wears hats as both an independent in-
and out-exchange provider for e-gold and Norfed and a software
engineer, will discuss the background of free-market currencies,
some of the current operating paradigms, and will touch on some
of the future prospects for these currencies.

      Vince has the distinction of having been an early BBS sysop,
moving into becoming Tacoma's first internet provider in 1991.
He has been involved both in getting Washington State's leginfo
site created, and was instrumental in getting a digital signature
law passed in Washington.  Vince also operates a PGP key server.


Problems and Tradeoffs in Public Key Infrastructures

      This could hardly come at a better time, after the
announcement that Verisign issued a Class 3 Digital Certificate
to someone who purported to be from Microsoft, but wasn't.  This
certificate can be used to code-sign things like ActiveX
controls, macros, and applications.  Anyone in possession of that
certificate could present malicious code to an unsuspecting user
and fool that user into accepting it into his computer.  ("After
all, it said it was from Microsoft.")

      Albert Yang will discuss what PKI--Public Key
Infrastructures--can and cannot do.  He will briefly cover the
basics of how PKI works, where it fails, and when and how
certificates can be trusted--and defeated.  In addition, Albert
has promised to give a glimpse of some of the new PKI
developments on the horizon.

      Albert is currently a security architect and PKI consultant
with Baltimore Technology.  Previously, he was a consultant with
RSA.  He has several years of background in Linux, BSD, and web
site design and programming.


The cypherpunks meeting is an Open Meeting on US Soil and it is
free for anyone to attend.

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