From: Pierre Uszynski <pierre@shell.portal.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 93 12:34:00 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Use foreign key servers
Message-ID: <199312162032.MAA26245@jobe.shell.portal.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Black Unicorn <unicorn@access.digex.net> thus posted:
> 
> It seems that PGP keyservers have been attacked of late for 
> alleged copyright violations.  Nice tactic if you are PKP I guess.  
> Has anyone considered the use of anonymous remailers to run a 
> keyserver?  A double blind keyserver might solve the operator a 
> good deal of heat.
> 

(I thought it was a patent problem rather... but that's not the point)

Let me know if I'm missing some essential point here, but why are
people insisting on running key servers in the US, the only
country where there may be a patent claim? I doubt mailers would
care one way or the other if you used foreign keyservers.

I do understand how some of us would make it their Duty to actively
protect their Konstitooshunol Right to run PGP key servers in their
Own Country, free from interference from evil commercial and
governmental entities :-) (no, really, I understand) but what other
reason could there be for that? In this case, to the user, it should
not matter where the keyserver if physically located. 

I'm not really up to speed as to which key servers are running where,
but the current versions of PGP being developped outside of the US,
there must be a few keyservers here and there. Keys crossing the
border cannot be the problem, they are all over Netnews and all over
mailing lists too.

So, I do not understand why this could be a "nice tactic if you are
PKP". Surely they cannot be spending much ressources on this when the
easy counter move is to use foreign key servers. I do not
understand what reason there is to start (or even develop) keyservers
in the US, apart from annoying PKP.

Pierre Uszynski
pierre@shell.portal.com