From: Dave Banisar <banisar@washofc.cpsr.org>
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 94 20:12:31 PST
To: Cypherpunks List <cypherpunks@toad.com>
Subject: CPSR Alert 3.03 (Clipper Up
Message-ID: <00541.2843852382.3276@washofc.cpsr.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


  CPSR Alert 3.03 (Clipper Update)
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   =============================================================
   Volume  3.03                                February 11, 1994
   -------------------------------------------------------------
  
                           Published by
           Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
                         Washington Office
                     (Alert@washofc.cpsr.org)
  
    -------------------------------------------------------------
  
Contents
  
    [1] CPSR Launches Clipper Campaign
    [2] Sign the Clipper Petition!
    [3] Clipper FAQ
    [4] EPIC to Provide Clipper Analysis
    [5] CPSR Needs Your Support!
    [6] RFD for CPSR Newsgroups
    [7] New Files at the CPSR Internet Library
    [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events
  
   -------------------------------------------------------------
  
[1] CPSR Launches Clipper Campaign

The electronic petition begun by CPSR to oppose Clipper has generated 
more than 8,500 responses in less than 10 days. The number is increasing 
at a faster rate than occurred with the successful 1990 campaign to stop 
Lotus Marketplace.

Details of the petition follow.  If you have already signed on, ask your 
friends and colleagues to sign.  Call up your parents.  Tell them to get 
an email account and then to sign the petition.  Check your rolodex.  
Call old friends. Send email to former business partners, lovers, etc.

In your very next email message, ask the person you are writing to if he 
or she has signed the CPSR Clipper petition.

The number of people who have opposed Clipper already far exceeds the 
number of lawful wiretaps conducted by all government officials last 
year.

Other upcoming milestones:

   10,000  Current government orders for Clipper chip (est.)
   12,000  Number of computer networks connected to the Internet
   15,000  Estimated number of total lawful wiretaps, 1968-1994
   70,000  Anticipated number of Clipper purchases this year
 
More details on the petition follow.

   -------------------------------------------------------------
  
[2] Sign the Clipper Petition!

                Electronic Petition to Oppose Clipper  
                      *Please Distribute Widely*

On January 24, many of the nation's leading experts in cryptography and 
computer security wrote President Clinton and asked him to withdraw the 
Clipper proposal.
  
The public response to the letter has been extremely favorable, 
including coverage in the New York Times and numerous computer and 
security trade magazines.

Many people have expressed interest in adding their names to the letter.  
In  response to these requests, CPSR is organizing an Internet petition 
drive to oppose the Clipper proposal.  We will deliver the signed 
petition to the White House, complete with the names of all the people 
who oppose Clipper.

To sign on to the letter, send a message to:

     Clipper.petition@cpsr.org

with the message "I oppose Clipper" (no quotes)

You will receive a return message confirming your vote.

Please distribute this announcement so that others may also express 
their opposition to the Clipper proposal.


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

The President 
The White House 
Washington, DC  20500

Dear Mr. President:

     "We are writing to you regarding the "Clipper" escrowed encryption 
proposal now under consideration by the White House.  We wish to express 
our concern about this plan and similar technical standards that may be 
proposed for the nation's communications infrastructure.

     "The current proposal was developed in secret by federal agencies 
primarily concerned about electronic surveillance, not privacy 
protection.  Critical aspects of the plan remain classified and thus 
beyond public review.

     "The private sector and the public have expressed nearly unanimous 
opposition to Clipper.  In the formal request for comments conducted by 
the Department of Commerce last year, less than a handful of respondents 
supported the plan.  Several hundred opposed it.

     "If the plan goes forward, commercial firms that hope to develop 
new products will face extensive government obstacles. Cryptographers 
who wish to develop new privacy enhancing technologies will be 
discouraged.  Citizens who anticipate that the progress of technology 
will enhance personal privacy will find their expectations unfulfilled.

     "Some have proposed that Clipper be adopted on a voluntary basis 
and suggest that other technical approaches will remain viable.  The 
government, however, exerts enormous influence in the marketplace, and 
the likelihood that competing standards would survive is small.  Few in 
the user community believe that the proposal would be truly voluntary.

     "The Clipper proposal should not be adopted.  We believe that if
this proposal and the associated standards go forward, even on a 
voluntary basis, privacy protection will be diminished, innovation will 
be slowed, government accountability will be lessened, and the openness 
necessary to ensure the successful development of the nation's 
communications infrastructure will be threatened.

     "We respectfully ask the White House to withdraw the Clipper
proposal."

     -------------------------------------------------------------

[3] Clipper FAQ

The Clipper Chip: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


What is the Clipper Chip?

	It is a cryptographic device purportedly intended to protect 
private communications while at the same time permitting government 
agents to obtain the "keys" upon presentation of what has been vaguely 
characterized as "legal authorization."  The "keys" would be held by two 
government "escrow agents" and would enable the government to access the 
encrypted private communication.  While Clipper would be used to encrypt 
voice transmissions, a similar device known as Capstone would be used to 
encrypt data.

Who developed the underlying technology?

	The cryptographic algorithm, known as Skipjack, was developed by 
the National Security Agency (NSA), a super-secret military intelligence 
agency responsible for intercepting foreign government communications 
and breaking the codes that protect such transmissions.  In 1987, 
Congress passed the Computer Security Act, a law intended to limit NSA's 
role in developing standards for the civilian communications system.  In 
spite of that legislation, the agency has played a leading role in the 
Clipper initiative and other civilian security proposals.  NSA has 
classified the Skipjack algorithm on national security grounds, thus 
precluding independent evaluation of the system's strength.  CPSR has 
filed suit under the Freedom of Information Act seeking the disclosure 
of the secret algorithm and other information concerning the Clipper 
plan.

What is the government's rationale for Clipper?

	The key-escrow system was developed at the urging of the FBI and 
other law enforcement agencies, which claim that the increasing 
availability of strong encryption programs will interfere with their 
ability to conduct wiretapping.  No evidence in support of these claims 
has been released -- in fact, FBI documents obtained through litigation 
by CPSR indicate that no such difficulties have been reported by FBI 
field offices or other federal law enforcement agencies.

How important is wiretapping to law enforcement agencies?

	Electronic surveillance is just one of many investigative 
techniques available to law enforcement.  In fact, it is not a widely 
used technique -- in 1992, fewer than 900 wiretap warrants were issued 
to state and federal law enforcement agencies.  It is to protect the 
viability of that small number of wiretaps from an unsubstantiated risk 
that the FBI and NSA have proposed to compromise the security of 
billions of electronic transactions.

What is the current status of the Clipper plan?

	On February 4, the Administration announced the formal adoption of 
the "Escrowed Encryption Standard," which is the technical specification 
for the Clipper system.  This action means that Clipper will become the 
encryption standard within the government -- all cryptographic products 
for government use must comply with the standard (i.e., contain the key-
escrow mechanism) and all individuals and businesses wishing to transmit 
secure communications to government agencies will eventually be obliged 
to use the NSA-developed technology.

Will the Clipper standard become mandatory?

	The Administration maintains that Clipper will be a "voluntary" 
standard outside of the government, but many industry observers question 
the reality of this claim.  The government exerts enormous pressure in 
the marketplace, and it is unlikely that alternative means of encryption 
will remain viable.  Further, the possibility of Clipper becoming 
mandatory at some time in the future is quite real given the underlying 
rationale for the system.  If criminals do, indeed, intend to use 
encryption to evade electronic surveillance, they are unlikely to 
voluntarily use the Clipper technology.

What can I do to oppose Clipper?

	Sign the electronic petition against the Clipper plan that is 
being organized by CPSR.  Stay informed of relevant developments by 
reading the CPSR Alert and other periodic announcements.  And consider 
lending your financial support to CPSR's campaign to protect the privacy 
of electronic communications.


       -------------------------------------------------------------


[4]  EPIC to Provide Clipper Analysis

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) will be providing 
policy information on the Clipper proposal. EPIC is a joint project of 
CPSR and the Fund for Constitutional Government, a national civil 
liberties organization.

EPIC releases will soon be available to CPSR members through the CPSR 
Announce list.

  -------------------------------------------------------------

[5] CPSR Needs Your Support!
  
 If you have signed the CPSR petition, and would like to do more to help 
stop Clipper, please consider sending a cash contribution to CPSR.

What do we do with the money?  Pay staff salaries, telephone bills, 
rent, printing costs.  The basics.

Why support CPSR?  Because we have a good reputation for our work on 
privacy and cryptography, and because  our efforts on Clipper are 
already having an impact.

We know it's a little scurrilous to ask for money on the network.  We 
don't do this very often.  The good news is that an anonymous donor has 
agreed to make a matching grant of $10,000 to support CPSR's Clipper 
campaign.  

That means that if you contribute $50 we receive $100. If you 
contribute $100 we receive $200 and so on.

Please take a moment to write a check and send it to "CPSR, P.O. Box 
717, Palo Alto, CA 94302."  Write "Clipper" on the check.

Thanks in advance.  We appreciate your help.

       -------------------------------------------------------------
  
[6] Call for Discussion on CPSR Newsgroups
  
CPSR has submitted a Request for Discussion (RFD) to create two
new USENET newsgroups: comp.org.cpsr.news and comp.org.cpsr.talk.
  
Comp.org.cpsr.news will be a reflection of the cpsr-announce mailing 
list.  It will be moderated and only carry 1-2 messages per week 
including the CPSR Alert and other official CPSR releases, and 
announcements of relevant conferences.
  
Comp.org.cpsr.talk will be an unmoderated discussion group.  Topics
will include privacy, the NII, working in the computer industry, and 
other areas of interest to CPSR members.
 
Formal discussion on the newsgroups is taking place in news.groups. If 
you have any substantive comments, you may post them there or by e-mail 
to either news-groups@cs.utexas.edu or  
news.groups.usenet@decwrl.dec.com.  If you just wish to express support 
for the new groups, please hold off until the voting begins in about one 
month.
  
     -------------------------------------------------------------
  
[7] New Files at the CPSR Internet Library

The CPSR Internet Library is currently undergoing renovation to make it 
easier to use.  File names are being revised, folders are being moved, 
and a better Gopher front-end is being designed.  We apologize for any 
inconvenience in finding files.

All Feb 4 White House releases on Clipper are available at 
/cpsr/privacy/crypto/clipper

An analysis of US cryptography policy by Professor Lance Hoffman 
commissioned by NIST /cpsr/privacy/crypto/hoffman_crypto_policy_1994

The 1994 US State Department Human Rights Guide. 7.7 megs of files 
describing the situation of civil and political rights in every country 
in the world except the US.
/cpsr/privacy/privacy_international/country_reports/1994_state_dept_guid
e_human_rights

1993 GAO Report on misuse of the FBI's National Crime Information Center 
is also available.

The CPSR Internet Library is a free service available via 
FTP/WAIS/Gopher/listserv from cpsr.org:/cpsr.  Materials from Privacy 
International, the Taxpayers Assets Project and the Cypherpunks are also 
archived.  For more information, contact ftp-admin@cpsr.org.
  
   ----------------------------------------------------------------
  
[7] Upcoming Conferences and Events

"Highways and Toll Roads: Electronic Access in the 21st Century" Panel
Discussion. 1994 AAAS Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA. Feb. 21, 1994
2:30 - 5:30pm. Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM). Contact: Barbara Simons (simons@vnet.ibm.com).

"Computers, Freedom and Privacy 94." Chicago, Il. March 23-26.
Sponsored by ACM and The John Marshall Law School. Contact: George
Trubow, 312-987-1445 (CFP94@jmls.edu).

Directions and Implications of Advanced Computing (DIAC)-94 "Developing
an Effective, Equitable, and Enlightened  Information Infrastructure."
Cambridge, MA. April 23 - 24, 1994. Sponsored by CPSR. Contact:
cwhitcomb@bentley.edu or doug.schuler@cpsr.org.

Computer-Human Interaction 94. Boston, Mass. April 24-28. Sponsored by
ACM. Contact: 214-590-8616 or 410-269-6801, chi94office.chi@xerox.com

"Navigating the Networks." 1994 Mid-Year Meeting, American Society for
Information Science. Portland, Oregon. May 22 - 25, 1994. Contact:
rhill@cni.org

Rural Datafication II: "Meeting the Challenge of Providing Ubiquitous
Access to the Internet" Minneapolis, Minnesota. May 23-24, 1994.
Sponsored by CICNet & NSF. Contact: ruraldata-info-request@cic.net.
Send name, mailing address and e-mail address.

"Information: Society, Superhighway or Gridlock?" Computing for the
Social Sciences 1994 Conference (CSS94). University of Maryland at
College Park. June 1-3, 1994. Contact: Dr. Charles Wellford
301-405-4699, fax 301-405-4733, e-mail: cwellford@bss2.umd.edu.
Abstracts for papers due March 1. Contact William Sims Bainbridge
(wbainbri@nsf.gov).

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computer Science. Washington, DC
June 9-11. Contact: 415 617-3335, hopper-info@pa.dec.com

DEF CON ][ ("underground" computer culture) "Load up your laptop muffy,
we're heading to Vegas!" The Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. July 22-24,
Contact: dtangent@defcon.org.

Conference on Uncertainty in AI. Seattle, WA. July 29-31. Contact:
206-936-2662, heckerma@microsoft.com.

Symposium: An Arts and Humanities Policy for the National Information
Infrastructure. Boston, Mass. October 14-16, 1994. Sponsored by the
Center for Art Research in Boston. Contact: Jay Jaroslav
(jaroslav@artdata.win.net).

Third Biannual Conference on Participatory Design, Chapel Hill, North
Carolina, October 27-28, 1994. Sponsored by CPSR. Contact:
trigg@parc.xerox.com. Submissions due April 15, 1994.
  
      (Send calendar submissions to Alert@washofc.cpsr.org)
  
=====================================================================


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Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility is a national,
non-partisan, public-interest organization dedicated to understanding
and directing the impact of computers on society.  Founded in 1981, CPSR
has 2000 members from all over the world and 22 chapters across the
country.  Our National Advisory Board includes a Nobel laureate and
three winners of the Turing Award, the highest honor in computer
science.  Membership is open to everyone.

For more information, please contact: cpsr@cpsr.org or visit the CPSR
discussion conferences on The Well (well.sf.ca.us) or Mindvox
(phantom.com).

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

  
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 ------------------------ END CPSR Alert 3.03 -----------------------