From: jya@pipeline.com (John Young)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
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UTC Datetime: 1996-06-23 04:46:30 UTC
Raw Date: Sun, 23 Jun 1996 12:46:30 +0800
From: jya@pipeline.com (John Young)
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 1996 12:46:30 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: NS on TTPs
Message-ID: <199606230022.AAA00867@pipe3.t2.usa.pipeline.com>
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New Scientist, 22 July 1996, p. 10.
Crackdown on Net Crooks 'a charter for state snoopers'
Britain and France have become the first European nations
to take concerted action against swindlers and other
criminals operating on the Internet. The governments of
both countries last week announced plans to license Trusted
Third Parties (TTPs) to act as "honest brokers" for online
business transactions. But civil liberties campaigners fear
that the schemes may be snoopers' charters, giving police
forces and security agencies unprecedented opportunities to
spy on the world of business.
The idea is for TTPs to act as "introduction agencies" that
will reassure each party to a deal that the other has been
vetted and is reputable. TTPs will also hand out encryption
software that business partners will use to exchange
information in confidence. But in both countries, TTPs will
be required to release the keys to this encryption to the
police or the security services, on production of an
appropriate warrant.
Currently there are few safeguards to protect those
contemplating buying goods or services over the Internet
from fraudsters. "Cyberspace has become the new frontier
for scam artists," concluded a report released by the US
Federal Trade Commission last month. "The scams are not new
but the medium is."
John Moroney, a senior consultant at the computer
consultancy Ovum, believes TTPs are the best way to drive
forward the growth of business over the Internet. As online
transactions become commonplace, he argues, banks may be
especially keen to volunteer as TTPs, to protect their
dominance in the financial services market. "If home
shopping takes off they could be left exposed," says
Moroney.
But Simon Davies, director of the London-based civil
liberties watchdog, Privacy International calls the plan
"naive". He argues that businesses are perfectly capable of
setting up secure systems for electronic trade without
government involvement: "What is the government doing in
this field in the first place?" The British and French
proposals, Davies says, bear a strong resemblance to the
failed "Clipper chip" plan in the US.
The Clipper scheme involved building a scrambling chip into
all new telephones and computers. The keys to the scrambler
would have been in the hands of government-appointed
agencies. "With Clipper it quickly became clear the agenda
was broader than initially stated," says Davies, "and that
is exactly what will happen in Europe." He fears that if
the scheme takes off, companies not using TTP-approved
encryption software will instantly come under surveillance
by the police or security services.
The Department of Trade and Industry in Britain rejects
this claim. "The government licensing of TTPs is just a way
of enhancing consumer confidence," says a spokesman, who
adds that there are no plans to ban non-TTP software.
Banks, trade associations and telecommunications firms are
the most likely candidates for becoming TTPs, the DTI says.
-- Mark Ward
[End]
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1996-06-23 (Sun, 23 Jun 1996 12:46:30 +0800) - NS on TTPs - jya@pipeline.com (John Young)