From: nobody@REPLAY.COM (Anonymous)
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 06:08:35 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Govt. key escrow justification
Message-ID: <199711062145.WAA28195@basement.replay.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Adam Back wrote:
> This is scary stuff... Clipper VI (or whatever number we're up to) in
> the making.  Expect a fresh onslaught of government master key
> attempts from the US government based on this info war initiative.
 
> Michael Wilson <0005514706@MCIMAIL.COM> forwards:
> >    In its formal recommendations, the commission urged the government to
> >    speed up pilot programs on key recovery, promote efforts to plan for
> >    implementing large-scale key recovery systems and encourage
> >    private-sector key recovery efforts.

> And there it is, they now want to encourage private sector key
> recovery.  Now why would they want to do that, if they don't plan to
> use it as an infrastructure.
> Building central control in _anything_ is asking for trouble
> in info war terms.  Everything should be as distributed as possible,
> to minimise scope of an attacker who compromises keys.

  InfoWar goes on all the time amongst the Heavy Hitters in governement
and commerce. It's called politics and money.

Scenario I:
  Bill Gate$ reads an article where US Federal LEA's are bragging to
insider politicians about their history of using their snooping and
InfoWar capacities to financially disrupt 'bad' governments and
corporations. Bill Gate$ then hands his company's secret keys over
to the government because he trusts them to settle their dispute
with him in court, instead of just 'grabbing' his money via his
secret keys.

Scenario II:
  Bill Gate$ gives his company's secret keys to Lucky Green, who runs
toward the site of the Cypherpunks physical meeting, shouting, "Party
time! Party time!" BillyG walks back to the limo, muttering, "That
Lucky sure has a good sense of humor...I hope!"

> Law enforcement with the master keys to the whole country is a huge
> risk.  Some law enforcement key custodian will simply be bribed or
> coerced for the key, and then they really will have an info war risk.

  The only thing security levels do is determine the end cost of 
compromising security. Do you have to bribe/coerce a janitor or an
executive?

> >      Asked by the subcommittee's chairman, Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican,
> >      if those controls should be mandated, Marsh responded: "We think
> >      businessmen will find it in their best interest to incorporate these
> >      controls. ... Of course, in due time, that may be an option if they
> >      are not willing to accept them."

  Voluntary-Mandatory == Volmundatory ?  

  GAK, GMR, ATP (Access to Toilet Plungers)...Cookies, Identity
Tracking...
  What is going on is quite simply a battle for access to information.
  InoWar!

  Everybody wants access to the information of others, and to deny 
others access to their own information.
  Information is power, and power is kept by keeping the keys to that
information.

  Corporations want to play footsie with the Government when it comes to
getting access to all information and communications that pass through
the self-defined borders of the Corporate Electromagnetic Curtain, but
want to avoid being subject to total control within the borders of the
Government's own self-defined ElectroMagnetic Curtain.

  The issues of power and control are the same as they have always been,
but the Battle of the Bulge is now the Battle of the Byte.
  Government, Corporations, Organizations, Individuals...the players
will be the same as in MeatSpace, and so will the issues and underlying
concepts and ideals.
  Those seeking power and control will use the same tried-and-true
methods, such as Divide and Conquer. "We don't want no 'nigger' data
passing through our website. <---> We don't want no 'racist' data
passing through our website."
  Chorus: <everybody sings together> "THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW!"

  The Government wants to seize contol of ElectroMagnetic Reality by
appointing themselves as our Electronic Protectors.
  Corporations are fighting to use the new technologies to protect
themselves, cutting the Government out of the power loop. Individuals
_should_ be trying to do the same.
  Government has declared Crypto munitions for the same reason they
increasingly declare Guns to be 'government-munitions'. Those who 
have no power to protect themselves are vulnerable to those who have
_reserved_ that power for themselves.

  Crypto or Guns...it's all about power and control of CyberSpace and
MeatSpace.

MunitionsMonger