From: Bill Stewart <stewarts@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Sat, 25 Jan 1997 17:26:02 -0800 (PST)
To: Hugh Daniel <hugh@ecotone.toad.com>
Subject: Re: Scandinavian Goverments provide PGP to postal customers...
Message-ID: <199701260126.RAA06258@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 06:29 PM 1/24/97 -0800, Hugh Daniel wrote:
>>    Based on PGP, with no "third-party" key holder, the Nordic system
>>    uses unbreakable RSA-algorithm encryption with a 1024-bit key.
>>    However, some hardware is required. Because the key is on a
>>    smartcard, users must have smartcard readers installed on their
>>    computers, which aren't yet widely available. But Pdr Andler of
>>    Finnish Hewlett Packard says that later this year, smartcard readers

Guess what - it's still got "key escrow"!  If you've got a smartcard
that holds your key, then you've got something well-defined that can
be subpoenaed....  It's better than Yankee-style giving the government your
keys
in advance, but it's still key escrow.

On the other hand, it's voluntary, and if it interoperates with
Real PGP, then great - but will there be an expectation that you need to have
your key signed by The Post Office to use it?

#			Thanks;  Bill
# Bill Stewart, +1-415-442-2215 stewarts@ix.netcom.com
# You can get PGP outside the US at ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto/pgp
#     (If this is a mailing list, please Cc: me on replies.  Thanks.)