From: tmp@netcom.com
Date: Wed, 6 Apr 94 08:40:42 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: nsa digital cash?
In-Reply-To: <9404051937.AA10400@ah.com>
Message-ID: <199404061541.IAA13847@mail.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



erik hughes writes:
>>i doubt it will be long before there
>>are some official government agencies developing the official u.s.
>>digital cash system. 
>
>This statement betrays an enormous ignorance at the scale of Federal
>involvement in retail transaction systems.  The Fed operates Fedwire,
>for moving federal funds around, and also does check clearing at the
>national level.  All the retail level transaction systems are in
>private hands, be they ATM networks and consortia or the credit card
>companies.

so? what's your point? my point was that the nsa was a prime candidate
agency for trying to *expand* the current federal role in the cash
system. are you saying the federal government already has a `digital
cash system'? well, yes, i guess in some sense.

what guarantees that `retail level transaction systems' will always be
in private hands? don't you think the nsa would really get their jollies
from building the offical Secure Cash Register System with clipper
chips built in? isn't this pretty much what they are trying to do with
`private' computers right now?

are you saying you don't expect the federal government to expand their
role in cash systems? or that it is already as large as it can get?

we have to fight off these encroaches onto private territory wherever
they happen. clipper was *not* a surprise given the past nsa history.
it would *not* be surprising if the nsa got into the digital cash
design area in the future, or expanded its role in the current one.

besides, who the hell are you to call me `enormously ignorant', 
vacuum brain! <g> you act like you own the list or something. (oh no,
not that thread again-- cypherpunks list as a volleyball game....
SPIKE!!!) 

`betraying an enormous ignorance', 
--tmp

(erik hughes's OTHER testicle <g>)