[44867] in Cypherpunks
Re: Why Netscape employees should not leave
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jeff Weinstein)
Wed Dec 6 20:34:11 1995
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
From: Jeff Weinstein <jsw@netscape.com>
Date: Wed, 06 Dec 1995 17:15:32 -0800
Adam Shostack wrote:
> This leaves us to ask, why GAK is such a big deal at NIST, if
> CKE will get them most of what they want? First, they haven't
> realized that CKE is most of what they want. Second, they're worried
> about the extra 10%. Drug dealers and terrorists not using it. (This
> points towords an eventual mandate for GAK, even if it starts out
> voluntary. Many have noted this.) Third, they've invested so much
> energy in the fight for GAK that they're emotionally tied to the idea,
> and they can't say 'well this would be almost as good.'
It also allows them to stall on increasing the clearly inadequate
export key size of 40-bit, while they are working on "an alternate
solution". Given the overwelming negative response from industry
over GAK, it may be nothing other than a delaying action.
--Jeff
--
Jeff Weinstein - Electronic Munitions Specialist
Netscape Communication Corporation
jsw@netscape.com - http://home.netscape.com/people/jsw
Any opinions expressed above are mine.
