From: Tim Griffiths <griffith@wis.weizmann.ac.il>
Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 18:23:42 +0800
To: x <cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: Building crypto archives worldwide to foil US-built Berlin  Walls
In-Reply-To: <3.0.32.19691231160000.006fd6e8@shell15.ba.best.com>
Message-ID: <366CF6FD.DBBE7AD2@wis.weizmann.ac.il>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



x wrote:
> 
> This brings to mind again a method of distribution that I've thought for
> some time and has probably been discussed on this list before...
> For (a trivial) example take the image of PGP zipped up for download.
> Three different sites create a unique portion of that image for
> themselves, for example, each site takes every third byte, and throw
> in some additional obfuscation...It then is trivial to reconstruct
> the desired image from the independent sources, while none of the
> sources themselves can be subject to controls without having to go
> down the rat hole of having to define what really constitutes the
> restricted material...

1. What is the point of the obfuscation? If it's not legal to do it
openly, then it's certainly not legal to hide the fact your doing it.
"The accused did it in such a way as to demonstrate that he was aware
of it's illegality".

2. By your example, you could also take a cruise missile apart, and
ship each part separately. After all, none of it is actually a missile.

However I 'export' PGP from the US, I'm exporting it, even if I have a
web site for each bit, 0 or 1 being determined by whether Clinton has
a cigar or not in a posted picture.
Yes, the law is inconsistent (let alone stupid). Not, I wouldn't want
to try this and expect to be immune from prosecution.

Tim G

--
Tim Griffiths                   griffith@wis.weizmann.ac.il
Center for Submicron Research   http://tim01.ex.ac.uk
Weizmann Institute of Science   (972)-8-934-2736
Rehovot 76100 Israel

 'I have sat and listened to the arguments of men,
  and I tell you they are shallow movements in space
  tied to reality only by the ego of their minds.' -DF