[103924] in Cypherpunks
Re: Web TV with 128b exported
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (SDN)
Tue Oct 6 18:39:59 1998
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 15:13:26 -0700
From: SDN <sdn@divcom.slimy.com>
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
In-Reply-To: <199810062125.RAA26914@domains.invweb.net>; from William H. Geiger III on Tue, Oct 06, 1998 at 04:32:07PM -0500
Reply-To: SDN <sdn@divcom.slimy.com>
On Tue, Oct 06, 1998 at 04:32:07PM -0500, William H. Geiger III wrote:
> In <3.0.5.32.19981006110801.0088a430@m7.sprynet.com>, on 10/06/98
> at 11:08 AM, David Honig <honig@sprynet.com> said:
>
> >http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/981005/ca_microso_1.html
>
> >MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp.'s (Nasdaq:
> >MSFT - news) WebTV Networks today announced it is the first U.S. company
> >to obtain government approval to export nonkey recovery-based
> >128-bit-strength encryption for general commercial use. WebTV Networks
> >pioneered low-cost access to the Internet, e-mail, financial services and
> >electronic shopping through a television set and a standard phone line.
>
> >The WebTV(TM) Network service, combined with the WebTV-based Internet
> >terminals and receivers, is the first communications system permitted by
> >the U.S. government to provide strong encryption for general use by
> >non-U.S. citizens in Japan and the United Kingdom. Such strong encryption
> >allows Japanese and United Kingdom subscribers of WebTV to communicate
> >through the WebTV Network (both within national borders and
> >internationally) without fear of interception by unauthorized parties.
>
> I have my doubts on this. I find it highly unlikely that the FEDs would
> approve this without some form of GAK built in even if it is not in the
> form of "key recovery".
It's probably a lot closer to the "private doorbell" scenario. The only
thing that a WebTV unit will communicate with is the WebTV service (or
the Japanese variant thereof).
Since all traffic goes through a point that will likely cooperate with
law enforcement (and has remote control of the boxes, too.), this doesn't
represent much of a loosening in the export controls.
It's probably as good as or better than any other Microsoft crypto, though.
Jon Leonard
