1994-03-03 - clipper==bad, but how do you explain this to average joe 6-pack?

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From: mike@EGFABT.ORG (Mike Sherwood)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Message Hash: 43c3da9934513e73d65f5ba5cb3d62f2cda94ccacfc21f6cd8c9863115187821
Message ID: <o34kic1w165w@EGFABT.ORG>
Reply To: N/A
UTC Datetime: 1994-03-03 00:14:12 UTC
Raw Date: Wed, 2 Mar 94 16:14:12 PST

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From: mike@EGFABT.ORG (Mike Sherwood)
Date: Wed, 2 Mar 94 16:14:12 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: clipper==bad, but how do you explain this to average joe 6-pack?
Message-ID: <o34kic1w165w@EGFABT.ORG>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


How do we go about explaining why clipper is bad to average joe 6-pack?  
I've noticed that most normal people seem to think the reasons against 
clipper are just paranoid concerns of a bunch of conspiracy theorists.  
Average joe 6-pack doesn't seem concerned that the government will have 
the keys to decrypt anything he does using a cellular phone with a 
clipper chip.  Or in the key database were compromised, such things could 
be forged, but that's what average joe 6-pack sees as being the 
imaginations of a bunch of conspiracy theorists in action.  How can this 
be explained to people who have a hard time differentiating a 5.25" 
floppy from a small paper plate? (Well, they couldn't do it 2 out of 3 
times)

If we can't effectively convince the average citizens that clipper is 
bad, they'll accept it because the government told them it is good and 
alternative crypto is bad because the only reason to hide something from 
our benevolent, democratic government(which is always acting in our best 
interests) is if we're hideous criminals.

Any comments would be appreciated.
-Mike

--
Mike Sherwood
internet: mike@EGFABT.ORG     uucp: ...!sgiblab!egfabt!mike






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