From: 3umoelle@informatik.uni-hamburg.de (Ulf =?iso-8859-1?Q?M=F6ller?=)
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 00:42:04 +0800
To: cypherpunks@Algebra.COM
Subject: Re: Building crypto archives worldwide to foil US-built Berlin Walls (fwd)
In-Reply-To: <199812081346.HAA09950@einstein.ssz.com>
Message-ID: <199812081543.QAA29629@rzdspc26.informatik.uni-hamburg.de>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text



> Ah, so the call is for folks in Denmark to post the various pieces of
> currently available software then, not everyone on the planet as it appears.

It is not just about Denmark. The Wassenaar arrangement has been
signed by 33 countries, including the US, Canada, the European Union,
Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and others. Up to now, 30 of
these states have allowed to export mass market and public domain
crypto software without a license. Only the US, France and NZ did not
have the "General Software Note".

The US has exercised extreme pressure at the Wassenaar conference (as
one German government official writes) and has managed to get the
General Software Note modified. Now the states that have signed the
arrangement will have to regulate the export of strong
cryptography. There are other places such as Brazil, Iceland, South
Africa, India, and even Singapore which do not have any export
restrictions. However, must crypto software that is distributed on the
Internet right now is distributed under General Software Note.

John Gilmore writes: "I call for volunteers in each country, at each
university or crypto-aware organization, to download crypto tools
while they can still be exported from where they are, and then to
offer them for export from your own site and your own country as long
as it's legal."                                               ^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Which is exactly what is needed in this situation.

> RSAREF is not quite what he is asking folks to do now is it.

RSAREF is what he has determined he can legally export from the US. So,
yes, he is doing what he also asks others to do.

> Let me ask you this Ulf, when is YOUR site going up?

My university is already distributing SSLeay, PGP, ssh, cfs and other
cypto tools. As long as they continue to do so, I won't make my mirror
available on the web, but my own crypto site is going up later this
week with another piece of strong crypto software.

> Your address implies you're in Denmark.

Almost. :)

> What are you going to do for YOUR liberty today? Has Gilmore agreed to
> help fund YOUR fight of the change in your courts?

Today I am going to create the distribution of the software I have
been working on in the past months, have the server set up and, if all
goes well, upload the file.

I have made a few thousand dollars on developing crypto software and I
am ready to use much of that money to defend my right to distribute
the results of my work on the web. I haven't asked John or anybody
else to help me.