From: Matthew J Ghio <mg5n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: Mon, 14 Feb 94 15:41:31 PST
To: qwerty@netcom.com (Xenon)
Subject: Re: REAL WORLD ENCRYPTION
In-Reply-To: <199402142109.NAA01188@mail.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <8hM0XU600awUI1OFk_@andrew.cmu.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Period 5 noble gas element Z=54 sez:

> Third, I think the PGP developers are almost just as guilty as the Clipper
> designers in trying to, behind closed doors, design us an encryptor. The
> same encryptor for everyone. The Great Grand Solution to everyone's
> needs. Stealth-PGP would be powerful in the hands of the small minority
> who want to use it. You don't need 10 million other users to create the
> "security through obscurity" condition. It's trivial to put 10 million PGP
> users on a list, then draw lines between names to find groups of
> "subversives", then with another button push in the bowels of the NSA,
> start taping their phones.

Except, PGP was not developed behind closed doors, anyone can download
PGP23srcA.ZIP and read the full specs on the encryption system used, and
you don't have to register your key with Phil Zimmerman.

> Lastly, PGP has been out there for years. Where's the 10 million users?
> You don't even have 10,000. And Microsoft has a cryptographic division
> now.  And Clipper is so easy to use! The big boys are getting involved,
> and PGP isn't what 10-100 million people are going to be using, unless
> you port the thing to Mac and Windows and make it as easy to use as a
> Clipper phone. The internet is a small world. There's only 15 million
> e-mail users. Do you really expect to get 70% of them to start using
> PGP? When? In a year? Because you better, or "Microsoft Encrypt" not
> to mention "SONY EncryptorMan" are coming within a year or two.
> Time's running out for PGP. But Stealth-PGP is a timeless
> technology, like fire or the handgun. Once it's made, someone 1000
> years from now can still use it to hide their encrypted message.

So?  So what if Microsoft has a crypto division...  Maybe it will
encourage more people to use crypto. (I wouldn't place much trust in
Microsoft software tho, judging from some of their past foulups.)  Sony
Encryptorman might be a bit better (if it exists) since they're not in
the US.