From: tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)
Date: Fri, 29 Jul 94 10:32:44 PDT
To: perobich@ingr.com
Subject: "Just say 'No' to key escrow."
In-Reply-To: <199407291301.AA08440@poboy.b17c.ingr.com>
Message-ID: <199407291732.KAA03851@netcom9.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Paul Robichaux writes:

> No doubt. But what does the OS provider gain from including encryption
> in the OS? At present, customers aren't demanding it. Why add SKE at
> all when no one's asking for it?

Ah, the exact question for us to be asking! "Why add SKE at all when
no one's asking for it?" Indeed.

Why the upcoming conference on key escrow? Why the representatives
from Germany, Netherlands, France, etc.?

Where is the public debate about these things? (I'm not claiming, by
the way, that corporations have to debate with the public before
developing features--I'm a free market sort. But it's clear that more
than just isolated product developments are involved. The extent of
collusion between vendors and goverments is unclear, but signs point
to such collusion.)

> FWIW I agree with Tim: it's time to start asking the OS vendors some
> hard questions. I'll volunteer to talk to Apple. Tim & Blanc Weber
> seem to have good wires into Microsoft.

We may be able to rally enough opposition this time around to make
work on SKE an "unsocial" thing to do (Recall our strategy of making
Clipper vendors corporate outcasts, with our "Big Brother Inside"
approach?).

> Finally, never forget the power of "divide & conquer"; if MS does
> something unpalatable, that gives Novell, Apple, et al a reason _not_
> to do that same thing.

"Just say 'No" to key escrow."

--Tim May


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