From: tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 94 12:00:17 PDT
To: bsteve@zontar.com (Steve Blasingame)
Subject: Re: Interesting news note.
In-Reply-To: <9404131826.AA05587@zontar.attmail.com>
Message-ID: <199404131859.LAA11287@mail.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> 
> Dear Colleagues;
> This came off the business wire yesterday. I wonder if they truly understand
> how vulnerable they really are without strong crypto for their transactions?
> 
> -THE INTERNET SHOPPING Network, the nation's first electronic superstore
> -available on the worldwide Internet, was formally announced Tuesday at an
> -event at Techmart in conjunction with the launch of CommerceNet, the
> -first large-scale trial of electronic commerce on the Internet.
> -[Business Wire, 516 words, 450813#]

Except that the full version of this announcement--which has been
posted several places, possibly even here in Cypherpunks--explicitly
mentions the use of RSA via a business relationship with RSA Data
Security Inc.

Though many Cypherpunks have various problems with RSADSI and the RSA
patents, a topic I'll not go into further, it is a hopeful sign for
Internet commerce that a strong crypto system is being built in from
the git go.

Remember, the alternative is Crippler! (Actually, what with the
announcement of Crippler being built in to some television-top
boxes--cf. the Harry Hawk posts--I would guess these Internet Commerce
folks will soon be "visited" by Crippler advocates and "suitably
incentivized" to replace RSA with EES technology.)


--Tim May

-- 
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
tcmay@netcom.com       | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
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