From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 08:39:50 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: The great GAK crack (making GAK economically impossible)
In-Reply-To: <v03110715b042cf58c0a2@[139.167.130.248]>
Message-ID: <v03102801b0438070e435@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



At 8:41 AM -0700 9/15/97, nospam-seesignature@ceddec.com wrote:
>If I have to GAK my keys, and there then exists a pgp-gak, then we simply
>recruit the same CPU power that generated the millions of DES keys to just
>run pgpk-gak with the shortest keylength and send billions of keys to the
>GAKserver each week.  Many from out of the US if pgp-gak becomes available
>there.
>
>My test software uses a loop that generates a new pair every few seconds
>on a pentium (and found some very obscure bugs).  I would be required to
>send all those to the gak.gov.  If they really want them...
>
>What it probably means is the govenrment will issue keys or have to
>license people to create them.

"There ain't no such thing as free escrow."

Some fee will be collected to register keys. "To defray costs" (never mind
that the government is the party _requiring_ the damned escrow!).

This will stop the "flooding attacks" which a free key escrow system would
generate. It will also, sadly for us, put an end to many applications where
keys are generated quickly, transiently, and on an ad hoc basis. There
simply will be no time to register the keys, and the $10 (or whatever)
processing fee will be unacceptable for these applications.

--Tim May

There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws.
Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!"
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1398269     | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."