From: "Timothy C. May" <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 13:43:35 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Clipper III on the table
In-Reply-To: <32518E96.7DE1@netscape.com>
Message-ID: <v03007800ae7791a88634@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 4:11 PM -0700 10/1/96, Lucky Green wrote:
>On Tue, 1 Oct 1996, Tom Weinstein wrote:
>
>> Lucky Green wrote:
>> >
>> > Note that the second article stated that the administration will allow
>> > the use of stronger cypto than 56 bit once GAK is in place. If this is
>> > true, much of the current industry resistance is likely to evaporate.
>> > Even the promise might suffice.
>>
>> Don't bet on it.
>
>Allow me to say here that I do not belive that Netscape will be amongst
>those fooled so easily. But IBM, HP, TIS, and others have already been
>fooled. The USG does not need to get every software company to agree with
>their proposal. Divide and conquer. Seems that the USG has done a
>marvelous job of D&C so far.

I also believe Netscape has cast its lot on the side of strong crypto, and
will likely reject the GAK-IBM-Clipper IV-TIS monstrosity.

And if Netscape doesn't, there's always Microsoft Explorer waiting!

(Seriously, if either Netscape or Microsoft, the two 800-MB gorillas,
chooses to implement GAK, a concerted campaign to urge people to switch to
the _other_ one can be launched. "Just Say No to Netscape" or "Just Say No
to MS Explorer," as applicable. Then the other one, the one not yet
implementing GAK, can get the message. If, of course, they coordinate their
adoption of GAK for a simultaneous release, then we're screwed. :-})

As for IBM's involvement, they've played around with the NSA for decades.
Nothing new there. Fortunately, today they're just a marginal player.

--Tim May


--Tim May

We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1,257,787-1 | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."