From: roy@sendai.cybrspc.mn.org (Roy M. Silvernail)
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 94 16:03:38 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: As I delurk, a question... (Clipper)
In-Reply-To: <9406140402.AA15052@federal-excess.apple.com>
Message-ID: <940614.064644.5X3.rusnews.w165w@sendai.cybrspc.mn.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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In list.cypherpunks, sidney@taurus.apple.com writes:

>>NSA doesn't seem particularly distressed that
>>Clipper's LEAF can be spoofed and rendered unusable.  Could this
>>indicate that the LEAF isn't really necessary to retrieve the session
>>key after all?
> 
> Not necessarily. First of all, why would the NSA let it be known if they
> are distressed? I'm amazed that they have started talking to the public at
> all!

Good point, that.

> Secondly, what do they hope to achieve with this whole Clipper thing?
> Given that they are aware that strong crypto exists and is publicly
> available around the world, what can they gain by pushing Clipper?

That's the nagging question, isn't it?  If they admit that Clipper's
back door can be circumvented, and they admit that black hats will use
something else, then just whose mail do they want to read, anyway?

> As I read the official pronouncements of representatives of the U.S.
> government and especially the NSA, I can't figure out what they do hope to
> achieve. Can anyone else on this list make sense of it?

Not me, that's for sure.
- -- 
Roy M. Silvernail, writing from roy@sendai.cybrspc.mn.org
        "Anything but Nixon, man... a blender.  Anything!"
                       -- National Lampoon, when they were funny

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