[44504] in Cypherpunks
Re: Info on Netscape's key escrow position
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jeff Weinstein)
Sat Dec 2 19:17:04 1995
Date: Sat, 02 Dec 1995 16:02:59 -0800
From: Jeff Weinstein <jsw@netscape.com>
To: "E. ALLEN SMITH" <EALLENSMITH@ocelot.Rutgers.EDU>
Cc: cypherpunks@toad.com
E. ALLEN SMITH wrote:
> I believe that the central question at hand is whether Netscape will
> incorporate mandatory GAK into any of its products if you have an economic
> (governmental purchase) rather than physical (governmental threat of violence)
> reason to do so. I would hope that the upcoming statement will clarify this
> position, and in the proper direction.
> -Allen
If the government wants to purchase software for its own use that implements
key escrow, why it that bad? The whole point of our anti-GAK position is that
government mandated key escrow is bad. If individuals, companies, or government
agencies want to escrow their own keys, with the escrow agents of their own
choosing, I have not problem. Its only when the government make the escrow
and the agent mandatory that I've got a problem.
I don't believe that Netscape will ship a product that mandates GAK
unless it was required by law to do so. As long as it is legal to sell
non-escrowed crypto products in this country or elsewhere, I think we
will keep doing it, because that is what our customers want.
--Jeff
--
Jeff Weinstein - Electronic Munitions Specialist
Netscape Communication Corporation
jsw@netscape.com - http://home.netscape.com/people/jsw
Any opinions expressed above are mine.
