From: Ray Arachelian <sunder@brainlink.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 01:03:34 +0800
To: cypherpunks <cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Why GAK is uncool - preaching to the choire
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.970918124054.9933A-100000@beast.brainlink.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain





Reasons why it sucks:

* It assumes that everyone is guilty until proven innocent.  The only way
to prove you're innocent is of course to have them look at your
communications.

* It is the  cyber equivalent of installing cameras, microphones, and 
other surveilance gear in every room of your house (for a desktop machine)
and in your car (for your notebook/pda).

* When people buy crypto enabled software they do so because they have a
need for privacy.  GAK puts a back door into their need for privacy which
makes them not trust the software since Big Uncle can violate that privacy
at whim.

* People will not trust American produced crypto, American software
companies will go out of business.

* People who need truly secure communications will have to decide between
privacy or being law-abiding.  Not only does GAK assume everyone is guilty
before it being proven, but it will FORCE some to break the law.  It
criminalizes a right that's as basic as breathing.

* It will not stop any crimes, criminals will simply use strong crypto
developed on their own, or older non-GAKk'ed products.  Those criminals
will not be caught through crypto, they will be caught through their
actions in the real world - i.e. shipments of cocaine stopped at the
border by rug sniffing dogs, etc.

* Even if the criminals or terrorists don't use unGAKed software, they
will simply develop code phrases that look like "Hi Mom, everything is
fine at Camp 5, the food smells bad" to mean "send 5 tons of cocaine" and
"Hi Dad, life is good at school, can you send me a pair of socks" to mean
"send two tons of pot" or some such.

* It installs a Law Enforcement Agent in every crypto software.  That
Agent is dormant until the LEA's decide to wake it, but it is the
equivalent of quarterring LEA's in every crypto software, remote
controlled or not, that's what GAK is.

* If the DOD can't be trusted to be honorable when it comes to paying for
software (see blurb in CommWeek - or was it ComputerWorld where the SPA
reports that over 50% of all software intalled on DoD computers is in
copyright violation!) how can the LEA's be trusted to get honest warrants
for listening in?  

* And let's not forget the honorable DoJ and the Inslaw affair.

* Well we, all know that the LEA's can easily obtain warrants by simply
saying any combination of the following "suspected of:  illegal drug
trafficking, child porn,amassing weapons, or terrorist leanings." More
likely, they'll simply listen in to all traffic the way the NSA listens in
to all telegrams.  If their charter doesn't allow it, they'll co-operate
with the Brits and have them pass the info back to make it "legal."  The
Feds will simply listen to all traffic, if they see something interesting,
then they'll get a warrant and listen for more. 

* The TLA's have to realize that the cold war is OVER, and that the
American people against whom they wish to spy is their employer.  Our Tax
money pays these people to spy on us.  We're their boss, it's time to give
them new orders by voting against GAK. (Not that at this point voting
means shit.)

(Now if I get a chance, I'll turn that into yet another letter to fax spam
kongresskritters with but feel free to appropriat the above and add to 
it and use it as needed...)

=====================================Kaos=Keraunos=Kybernetos==============
.+.^.+.|  Ray Arachelian    |Prying open my 3rd eye.  So good to see |./|\.
..\|/..|sunder@sundernet.com|you once again. I thought you were      |/\|/\
<--*-->| ------------------ |hiding, and you thought that I had run  |\/|\/
../|\..| "A toast to Odin,  |away chasing the tail of dogma. I opened|.\|/.
.+.v.+.|God of screwdrivers"|my eye and there we were....            |.....
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