MEDIA: PGP in CompuServe Magazine

[russell@eternity.demon.co.uk (Russell Earl Whitaker)]

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1 Nov 93

Yesterday, 31 Oct 93, in London, some of us privacy
advocates held another meeting of the UK Cryptoprivacy Association.

One of our regulars brought in the latest CompuServe Magazine,
the issue of November 1993.  I was delighted to read an article
(pp 19-25), "The Digital Deadbolt", strongly advocating the use
of secure cryptography, including PGP 2.3.

The article, written by Christopher J. Galvin, an associate
editor of the publication, was truly an advocacy piece.
For those on CompuServe (CIS) who were unfamiliar with the issues,
cogent and useful reasons for using encryption were given, with
pointers for finding the relevant software.  I quote:

   ZIFFNET PUBLIC BRAND SOFTWARE
   APPLICATION FORUM (GO PBSFORUM)

   Pretty Good Privacy 2.3 - The controversial
      program PGP combines the convenience of
      the RSA public-key cryptosystem with the
      speed of conventional cryptography to protect
      e-mail and data files.  Includes digital
      signatures, data compression before encryption
      and sophisticated key management.
      Manual included.  Freeware.  Library 1, "Hot
      Off the Presses," PGPRIV.ZIP (232,895 bytes).

Further file references included text in the CYBER FORUM (GO
CYBERFORUM) on anonymous remailers (Library 13, "MONDO 2000,"
PRIVAC (7,078 bytes)), and a NIST publication on public-key
cryptology in ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FORUM (GO EFFSIG), (Library 3,
"The Frontier Files," PUB_KE.EXE (125,472 bytes)).

CompuServe claims a worldwide subscriber base of around 1
million accounts.  Every account holder is sent a monthly copy
of CompuServe Magazine.  Based on this circulation alone, the
article is a notable achievement in public access to strong
encryption.

What makes it even more notable is the bald admission in the
article that

     "... PGP and RIPEM aren't circulating as far as they might.
      They've been removed from various CompuServe forum
      libraries and some university Internet sites by sysops and
      administrators concerned that export laws might be
      violated by online availability."

Those who are puzzled as to why, then, PGP is listed in the same
article as being available _through_ CompuServe should take note
that it is not available _on_ CompuServe.  Having had some
CompuServe experience myself, I was struck by what I think might
be the case here: Ziffnet is a separate service from CompuServe
(CIS), with CIS acting solely as a gateway.  Ziff-Davis is a
very large publishing house.  Anyone who's been to trade shows
around the world has run across the Ziff-Davis booth, where
various of its magazines - the biggest names in the business -
are given away as samples.

It may be an ill-informed hunch on my part, but I suspect that
Ziff-Davis is drawing on its statutory rights as a _publisher_
to make PGP available through one or more gateway services.  If
this is the case, I applaud them.

And I congratulate CompuServe for having run Mr. Galvin's
article.  Christopher Galvin can be reached at
70003.5571@compuserve.com.


Russell Earl Whitaker                   whitaker@eternity.demon.co.uk
Communications Editor                                 AMiX: RWhitaker
EXTROPY: The Journal of Transhumanist Thought
Board member, Extropy Institute (ExI)
    Co-organizer, 1st European Conference on Computers, Freedom and
    Privacy, London, 20 November 1993




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