From: Andrew.Spring@ping.be (Andrew Spring)
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 95 13:53:45 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Anti-Electronic Racketeering Act of 1995
Message-ID: <v01510101ac3061b81c9d@[193.74.217.20]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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>I am not familiar with american laws and have two questions:
>
>1. If the bill becomes law, how can someone who violates it be
>punished?
>

- From the top of my head:
Subpoena your service provider's computer records.  Intimidate your roommate
into testifying against you.  Tapping your phone.  Entrapping you into
doing it.

Feds are in the business of putting people behind bars.  They are _very_ good
at it.

>
>2. Does someone who publishes software which encodes or encrypts
>(ASCII is a code, isn't it?) have to prove that he has provided the
>universal decoder to the state or does the state have to prove that he
>didn't do?

I'm betting that the Feds will adopt as a working definition anything that
requires a key to decrypt the communications.  That means compression
software, rot13, and most hash functions are ok.

>
>In the former case, does he get any receipt from the department of
>justice and what does the receipt say (1.3MByte of software
>received...)?
>

This is the U.S. Government.  They Have Forms.  You just file form
THX1138/KGB666-007, omitting pages 113-115 and substituting Addendum Foxtrot
Uniform Delta; then you're covered.

>In the latter case, how do they want to prove he didn't? If he gave
>just a big
>
>  for(i=0;;i++) try_key(i);
>
>how do they want to prove this doesn't work? There is a certain
>problem in theory. I don't know the english name, but in german it is

It's the Halting Problem, in English.

Expert Testimony:  "We experimented with 113,296 keys chosen at random and
the defendants algorithm took an average of 29,000 years to find each one.
It is our professional opinion, therefore, that the defendant is jacking us
around and ought to be keelhauled".


ObPGP:

Incidentally, did you know that PGP puts a "- " in front of a line that
begins with the word "From"?  Just so "sendmail" doesn't hose your
signatures, I spoz.

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--
Thank you VERY much!  You'll be getting a Handsome Simulfax Copy of your
OWN words in the mail soon (and My Reply).
<Andrew.Spring@ping.be> PGP Print: 0529 C9AF 613E 9E49  378E 54CD E232 DF96
   Thank you for question, exit left to Funway.