From: doug@netcom.com (Doug Merritt)
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 93 21:44:27 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Ultimate privacy/security
In-Reply-To: <marc@MIT.EDU>
Message-ID: <9310030441.AA03513@netcom5.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Email conversations have made me realize that I didn't sufficiently
explain an important aspect of this hypothetical algorithm.

I understand that there are times that privacy, and authentication
schemes that aim at establishing unique identity for the purpose of
guaranteeing privacy, are an end in themselves.

The speculative algorithm I mentioned, which would authenticate intentions
and goals and such, was intended only to address situations where
authentication of identity for privacy was a means to an end, not
an end in itself.

In situations where only privacy and authentication of individual
identity of such will do, for arbitrary reasons as opposed to functional
reasons, I've nothing to say (for the moment. ;-)

But in situations where there is a *functional* reason to authenticate
identity, then and only then do I propose to consider a hypothetical
algorithm in which goals and/or motivations and/or philosophy and/or
ethics and/or etc is called in to play.

Thanks for all the responses and feedback to date.
        Doug