Re: Encryption?

[Cipher <cipher@mindspring.com>]

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On  11/27/99, Tom logged on  and ended up relaying this through a
little-known Microsoft open mail server to the North Korean Central
Committee who in turn forwarded it to me:
> [: hacktivism :]
>
> Greetings,
>
> Well, since you raised an interesting question that I've brought up
> several times... (ok everyone start filtering NOW (har har)),

I may end up in some killfiles by the end of this rant.  :)

> My question is again around the use of encryption.  WHAT email clients
> do you use that SUPPORTS good encryption?

Eudora.  But see below...

> Maybe on the next "campaign", we could raise the flag about encryption?
> Supporting clients whose encryption is up to snuff?  Or the allowing of
> custom built encryption?

There are probably several human weaknesses that could be exploited to make
encryption sound attractive to people.  The ACLU made some hay with Linda
Tripp as a poster girl for privacy rights...

> I honestly feel that once encryption (PGP?) becomes SECONDARY, meaning
> transparent, then and only then will encyrption become truly accepted.

Agree.

> Yup, sci/fi, I know, but some people just won't take the time (some do),
> to sit there and run PGP or any other encryption program, to cut/paste
> or whatever their encrypted messages, it MUST become transparent.

Back to Eudora.  Encrypting mail is as easy as clicking a button in the
tool bar, done!  Signing a piece of mail requires typing in a pass phrase.
I feel that many folks don't want to tinker with this stuff.  They are lazy
and spoiled and want everything automated.

> Ohh well...any comments?
>
>
> > So far as I understand it, we were always interested
> > in promoting mass-encryption of personal mail, and
> > perhaps raising enough awareness in the middle classes
> > to put political pressure on the NSA.  (and I'm not
> > holding my breath there, either)
>
> ----
> Tom Garner
> ICQ:  4580576

The middle class either goes along with the NSA, or can be sold National
Security as easy as candy to kids at the state fair.  Just don't screw with
the economy or send their kids to war.

I feel that a better angle would be personal privacy.  Stress the fact that
data on a hard drive can be protected. Sell them on crypto for whatever
*enlightened self-interest* issue that appeals to them.

I suspect that can be done, but key escrow would be the issue of importance
at that point.  *If you're not a terrorist, why not let us keep a key*
would be the cry and sales point of Big Brother. Scream Anthrax a few
thousand times and the sheeple will give up any and all rights they have...

And some of 'em would pick up products so compromised and not care.

So, a side campaign of revealation would be good.  Expose Big Brother
privacy abominations.  Appealing to as broad a cross section as possible.
Using as many victimized icons of society as possible.  Right and left.
American wheat dealers must have something in common with Maplethorpe...

We can't let this become a polarizing issue, white against black,
conservative against liberal.



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