From: Toto <toto@sk.sympatico.ca>
Date: Wed, 8 Jan 1997 19:39:42 -0800 (PST)
To: Igor Chudov <ichudov@algebra.com>
Subject: Re: IBM Key Recovery Propaganda on United Airlines
In-Reply-To: <199701090120.TAA27868@manifold.algebra.com>
Message-ID: <32D47293.29C8@sk.sympatico.ca>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Igor Chudov @ home wrote:
> > Bill Stewart wrote:
> > >
> > > The commercials between the movie and news show on the airline include an
> > > IBM spot on their new Key Recovery software.  Sigh.
> > >
> > > The explanations they gave were mixed; one person was talking about
> > > making sure that if you lose the key that people with a legitimate need
> > > to access the material can do it.

>Toto wrote:
> >   Like the legitimate leader of a country, say, for instance...Hitler?
> > Or a legitimate law enforcement agency, say, for instance...the Gestapo?
> >
> 
> ... Or a legitimate business need to recover the key of an employee
> who suddenly quit the company?
> 
> There can be many good uses of key recovery.

  Yes there can, and your example is one of them.
  But you can bet your ass that those who tout the Key Recovery horn
the loudest are going to be doing so because it gives them control
of 'all' information.
  At every stage of technology, we have seen the 'surprise' that 
follows as a result of people finding out that the security of 
their communications is compromised in one manner or another.
  People found out that management was prying into their 'private'
email.  Management found out that their system administrator and
the night-janitor were profiting from company secrets.

  Key Recovery will, in all likelihood, give people who watch IBM's
airline ads a 'higher level' sense of 'false security'.
  I am sure that their motto will be, "Key Recovery--Trust Us."

  To me, Key Recovery cryptography is like using a condom with a
hole in it. No thanks.

Toto