From: jkreznar@ininx.com (John E. Kreznar)
Date: Mon, 16 May 94 03:33:47 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: PGP 2.5 Warning
Message-ID: <9405161033.AA23099@ininx>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

I wrote:

> This should be obvious, but probably bears repetition anyway:

> FREEMAN BEWARE: By switching to PGP 2.5 you would commence to affirm
> with each message you send that you are a subject of the U.S. State.

I have been asked in email what would happen if a person outside the
U.S. were to use it.

If a person were initially not a subject (``outside'') of the U.S., he
would destroy that status in the process of acquiring PGP 2.5.  This
follows from the MIT announcement:

> Date: Mon, 9 May 94 09:32:39 -0400
> From: "Jeffrey I. Schiller" <jis@mit.edu>
> Subject: MIT Announces PGP 2.5

[...]

> This distribution of PGP 2.5, available in source code form, is
> available only to users within the United States of America....

> Users in the United States of America can obtain information via FTP

[...]

For non-commercial use, one has a choice between PGP 2.3a and PGP 2.5.
For a ``United States of America'' user, the legality of 2.3a is
questioned on patent grounds, but 2.5 is available.  For a free
(non-national) person, on the other hand, 2.5 is unavailable according
to the MIT announcement above, but there is no problem with 2.3a.  The
situation seems contrived to force each non-commercial PGP user to
declare whether he is free or a ``United States of America'' user.

Confusion may arise by interpreting ``user in the United States of
America'' as a statement about geography rather than one about
allegiance.  This would be a mistake.  The founding documents of the
United States of America imply that their government is only of those
who consent, so it is clearly a matter of allegiance, not geography.
Acceptance of PGP 2.5 is one way to signal such consent, since 2.3a is
available.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: 2.3a

iQCVAgUBLddLNcDhz44ugybJAQFoYwQAurznG2insQ74/JaJocPy7fxAqHWkBxSd
U94kYU78NFWiv1P4ef9btiaBcCAWNC8LnzR/hVlvsLminRoNX8rDEP+B1wRDp0mR
yMJlQ3X34cJYQvpEVwuOLJRvDS74p9r2OcNU9yB+CNEhHw8oIixdLIa/LbJT2ait
N1Ny3UjSMQE=
=s+8g
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----