FITUG e.V. Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft

Newsnight Crypto Bazaar

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          Wed, 17 Mar 1999 20:05:12 -0500
To:            cryptography@c2.net, cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
From:          Robert Hettinga <rah@shipwright.com>
Subject:       Newsnight Crypto Bazaar


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Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 00:39:40 +0000
To: usual@espace.net
From: "Helen Chesterman" <helen_chesterman@hotmail.com> (by way of
 Fearghas McKay <fm@mids.org>)
Subject: Newsnight Crypto Bazaar
Reply-To: "Usual People List" <usual@espace.net>
Sender: <usual@espace.net>
List-Subscribe: <mailto:requests@espace.net?subject=subscribe%20usual>

A short summary of the Newsnight item.

A representative of some international police quango espoused
key escrow and was quickly rubbished by the recent government
u-turn - motivated by commercial concerns - not privacy or
individual rights.

Duncan Campbell gave his usual factual, unemotive account.
Good man Dunc.

However, no one seems to listen to what he says.

 - the NSA routinely intercept email traffic by diverting it
   through Maryland or NY.

 - GCHQ has the right to "alter to intercept and alter any
          electo magnetic communication"

Yet we still have "Internet Consultants" saying that don't worry, the
police have to go through the courts/Home secretary to monitor your
phones. What's the point when the intelligence services have carte
blanche anyway?

Then and IT medic extoled the virtues of the medical profession (who
still embrace ECT) saying that each doctor should be issued with his
own personal key to access patients records. Yeah right. What he
failed to mention is that the insurance industry effectively has full
access to your medical records - no access - no insurance.

John Carr, an "Internet Consultant", who specialised in advising
childrens charities (um) spouted the old "the internet is full of
paedeophiles" and other criminals - the same old arguments which time
and time again have been shown to be crass. Then he stated that the
police must go before court/home sec before they can tap your line -
yeah and GCHQ et al  can do what the hell they like!

Both Diffie and Zimmerman provided sane input - Zimmerman in
particular stated the point - "the police should stick to traditional
methods" - some sense at last.

Love Helen


Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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-----------------
Robert A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@philodox.com>
Philodox Financial Technology Evangelism <http://www.philodox.com/> 44
Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve
respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the
world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon,
'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'