As Dot-Coms Go Bust in the U.S., Bermuda Hosts a Little Boomlet

[John Young]

NY Times has a story today about the offshores being pressured
by the big nations to curtail tax evasion and avoidance. The islands
first resisted assaults on their sovereignty, but have agreed to
do a study of the issue.

On a related matter is the likelihood of nations and private interests
engaging in cyberwar over who controls financial and perhaps
intellectual property resources. Steve Levy last evening said he 
believes cyberwar is soon to come, and cryptography will play
a crucial role, but he said this would be between nations, whereas 
it is probably more likely that nations, utilizing their combined 
intelligence and law enforement agencies, will combat private 
interests not each other, in particular those parties attempting 
to run financial transactions outside government control.

The nations argue they must unite to protect their citizenry
against criminal businesses and outlaws, the othe side argues
the need to protect government invasion of private affairs.
What is lacking in Levy's CRYPTO is that it does not appear 
to consider that multiple governments will collude against their
citizenry, rather than each doing so. 

Steve at one point cited cypherpunks as a hopeless
venture to overturn government with ideas of 
cryptoanarchy. And laughed at that. Then continued
propounding the false idea that NSA is needed
to protect US interests. Not a word about such interest
being those of the USG.

The full story of crypto is yet to be written, in particular its
deceptions, perhaps a piece by Vin McLelland, one by
Declan, one by Tim May, if not by distributed cyperhpunks 
not quite so malleable as solo individuals given privileged
access on the condition that . . .

What about that timing of CRYPTO release and the NSA
show?