From: A1 ray arachelian (library)  <rarachel@ishara.poly.edu>
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 93 16:33:14 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: ROT-13 hoopla on EchoMac
Message-ID: <9306070028.AA17913@ishara.poly.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


I seriously hope that this won't be way too off topic for this group,
but I seem to have painted myself into a bit of a corner recently on
FidoNet.

Basically, it all started when someone requested a copy of a ROT-13
extension to a popular Macintosh programmer's editor called BBEdit.

Soon after, the discussion was joined by the fatheaded sysops who
would bible thump on the FidoNet rules that ROT-13 was encryption and
as such it is outlawed on FidoNet.  To make a long story shorter, in
my plight to enlighten these folks (and the moderator of EchoMac who
saw fit to banish me for posting a message encrypted with ROT-13,)
I got a bit out of hand and started the usual on the soap-box preeching
which included a message inviting everyone to join in the conversation
by getting the ROT-13 extension.  The rest of that message was
"encrypted" by ROT-13.

Now since ROT-13 is merely nothing more than A=N, B=M, C=O, D=P...
and is fairly standard, I've got it on my head to convince the moderator
that ROT-13 is not actually an encryption method.

The FidoNet policies state that Fidonet cannot provide any sort of
privacy as a measure to protect sysops from taking the heat for the
possible illegal activities of users.  Clearly, ROT-13 does not
provide the least bit of privacy, save from a total computer neophyte.

So, the reason I'm writing this here was basically "to go to the
experts of encryption," and try to get them to agree with me that
ROT-13 has never been a form of encryption because its purpose does
not provide privacy.  So I'm just asking you to agree with me, and
I'll send the results to the moderator in question.

If you'd like, mail me the responses directly so we won't clutter
cypherpunks further, and I'll forward them myself.  

If you'd like, the moderator's address on FidoNet is
 Steve Ebener@1:152/42,FidoNet (this should be reachable via
Steve.Ebner@f42.n152.z1.ieee.org)  Please don't flame him, I'm
trying to unbanish myself off the echo, not get him upset, however
the thought of writing a program that sends a cookie to him every
twenty minutes did occur, at least until I thought better of it.