From: harka@nycmetro.com
Date: Sun, 11 May 1997 01:06:58 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Crypto Campaign
Message-ID: <199705101441.KAA02277@linux.nycmetro.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



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"A ghost goes around in the world...the ghost of crypto"

Such as Marx's line described the general fear of governments in 
terms of communism, so it may be adapted to cryptography. World-wide 
we see strenuous work to hinder, prohibit, outlaw free crypto in 
favor of the surveillance states.

And reality shows, why they can do so: only a fraction of the 
Net-population is using it.

Therefore it might be time for a wide-spread campaign to further the 
use of crypto. "Use a cipher...be cool!".

While a lot of Cypherpunks may do so on an individual level already, 
it will not reach the other 30 million or so. IMHO we need something 
of the extent of the "Blue Ribbon Campaign", where almost everybody 
became aware of it and involved in.

On some german crypto-webpages, they have a nice symbol for their 
campaign against the [german] "telecommunications act": a bug.
Check out http://www5.inm.de/tkg/ for some graphics (the page is in 
german, but the pictures speak enough).

Such might be a good way to make people aware of the isues at hand 
and spread free crypto. The german magazine "Der Spiegel" had last 
week an "E-Vote" on their web page: "If it were easy enough to 
encrypt your e-mail, would you use cryptography?" - more 
than 80 percent said yes. Clearly a call to our code-writing members. 

If we could initiate such a campaign, that besides giving info on the 
current attempts to make crypto "surveillance-friendly" etc., also 
gives not-so-technical users an easy way to use crypto for 
themselves, then we might affect the current state of affaires much 
more, than to endlessly rant and rage against it here in our 
Cypherpunk-Niche.

"Use a cipher - be cool!"

Ciao

Harka

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