From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 1997 12:27:56 +0800
To: cypherpunks@Algebra.COM
Subject: Re: FBI calls for mandatory key escrow; Denning on export ctrls
In-Reply-To: <199709040317.XAA32663@mx01.together.net>
Message-ID: <v03102803b033e4efd9b4@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



At 8:17 PM -0700 9/3/97, Brian B. Riley wrote:

> So, looking at all this, what does it mean???? Are they going to have
>an amnesty period when I can run down to my local firehouse and turn
>in my PGP5 CDROM without risking going to jail? Will MIT turn over
>logs of everyone who ever d/l-ed PGP2 and we have four weeks to turn
>over every backup disk we ever made? If they do get this by us, and I
>decide to use their silly-assed encryption, do I get a ten year all
>expense paid vacation at the Allenwood Hilton if I send my bootlegged
>PGP message inside their encryption?

As I understand what Freeh said, not even he is talking about banning
existing programs. Rather, he's talking about requiring the "capability" be
added to Internet programs (presumably browsers, mail programs, etc.). It's
obvious that one could use an old word processor, editor, PGP, etc., and
then paste the text into the Freeh-approved Internet program. What would
the status be of this?

(In other words, it would be a truly draconian move to try to ban all
encrypted messages.)

But I think we should accelerate the use of steganography.

(Oh, and for the bozos who've said I just "talk," while they write code,
check the ancient archives of sci.crypt, circa 1989, and see that I
reported on using the LSBs of GIF images and DAT tapes to hide bits. I
didn't find earlier messages in sci.crypt reporting on this idea, but it's
quite possible that I was not the first to think of this. I don't claim a
scientific discovery! I reported my experiments over the next couple of
years, and Romana Machado credited me in her "Stego" program, circa '93. Of
course, by the time Peter Wayner wrote his little book, "Disappearing
Writing," or somesuch, all of the "inventors" of this LSB approach to
crypto were others, and they did their work several years after my
sci.crypt posts. I guess I didn't shout out enough. Or Peter didn't do much
research.)

--Tim

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."