PGP problems

[John Drabik]

On Thu, 03 Aug 2000 08:01:18 -0700 (PDT), Bill Wood wrote:

Bill, your points should be nailed on the wall of every
freedom-loving person.  I've taken the liberty of paraphrasing them. 
I hope you don't mind.  Yours is one of the best elucidations on the
matter that I've encountered:

>1. A certain amount of paranoia isn't......
>2. horrible things done to people were [usually]....done by
>    governments, usually their own.
>3. history was altered significantly by encryption failures
> 4.1  There are things that can be discussed only in a vault...
>        [or less important] in a closed office in a secure facility.
>        [or less important] in open meetings in a secure facility.
> 4.4  nothing can be discussed on a bus, train, etc.
> 4.7  Nothing sensitive can be sent over the internet,
>5.software engineers are incapable of clear, articulate thought.
>6. Finished software should operate seamlessly
>7. When speaking/communicating in private, DEMAND (my emphasis)
>    the expectation of privacy.  Millions have died for YOUR right to that!
>If email encryption were available and practical...I would use it exclusively.

Unfortunately, encryption is not the only answer.  Rings of trust, a
measure of anonymity, and message tracking and accountability, are
mandatory, and as near as I can tell, completely unaddressed, hence
the reduction of (5).  As a person being sued by a greedy land
developer who is hell-bent on destroying the Constitutional rights of
anybody and everybody who opposes him, and assisted by people that he
has helped into "public service" offices, I can assure you that the
threat is very, very real.

I've been following this thread for a while.  To the person who felt
he has nothing to hide, I can only say "dream on", because your
attitude will surely lead to a situation where you can hide nothing,
and where your right to privacy will be unrecoverable.  If you don't
believe that there is a risk for doing nothing more than speaking
lawfully to your elected representatives, I invite you to plunk a few
million dollars into my pocket to help defray costs. And don't forget
that in this very case, a "government worker" assisted the greedy
just as in (2)- and this is NOT an isolated case.  I sincerely doubt
I'll see a dime from you.  I sincerely hope that you never find
yourself in a similar position, and expect your government, your
technology, or your wits to protect you.  You are already disarmed.

John