From: Jeff Ubois <jubois@netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 08:52:47 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: pgp, edi, s/mime
Message-ID: <2.2.32.19961008182614.00700d94@netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Interesting comments from a member of the IETF EDI-INT group, which is
developing standards for secure EDI over the net, and managing a Commercenet
pilot project:

- S/MIME and PGP are the two leading candidates for encrypting EDI messages,
S/MIME inside the US, and PGP outside the US where S/MIME is unavailable.  

- If PGP 3.0 comes out on time with promised features, it could gain
adoption by large companies as a standard means of encrypting EDI messages;
that would pull smaller companies along, but it has a narrow window of
opportunity and could lose to S/MIME products like those from Deming. 

- The G7 governments will impose key escrow on large companies trading over
the net, and while non-escrowed systems will continue to be available, they
are likely to be illegal, and certainly will be marginalized.