PGP and Human Rights, continued

[Philip Zimmermann <prz@acm.org>]

A few days ago, I posted a note to the cypherpunks list from a human
rights group in Central Europe, regarding their use of PGP.  Here
is a followup note from the same guy.  I have edited it to preserve
his and his group's anonymity.  This version may be freely circulated.

  -Philip Zimmermann

Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1996 10:35:00 +0000 (GMT)
>From: [name and email address deleted]
Subject: New Message from Europe
To: prz@ACM.ORG


I hope our story helps. Here is a little tale of pre-PGP days.

In the bad old days before we had PGP and before the revolution in 
Romania, we used to send couriers to Romania to meet with dissidents and 
help collate information about their troubles.

Organisings such trips was a nightmare because briefing couriers to be 
able to find people, and then bring out accurate reports was quite 
difficult. Any document was liable to be confiscated, and any notebook 
with names and addresses would be taken if found by the Police and every 
Romanian in the book would be visited by the security Police. Yet 
sometimes we would be given large files of documents to take to the 
Human Rights Agencies in the West, and couriers would have to visit 
several dissidents.

As Foreigner's you were required to stay in designated hotels, it was 
illegal to stay in a private home. You were followed, and meetings with 
dissidents were a stressful experience for everyone.

We eventually started to use handheld psion computers to carry 
information about travel directions, name and addresses, and to input 
files etc. No sensitive information was carried in the memory of the 
psion but in a separate memory cartridge. The cartridge resembled a 
battery, and the psion looked like a sophisticated calculator, so we 
relied on the Romanians ignorance of that technology, and on keeping the 
two items separate when travelling.

This worked very well until the late eighties when a courier was 
arrested at the Romanian\Hungarian border, during the initial search the  
memory cartridge was overlooked, and as such the courier was able to 
keep the memory cartridge. Later in the day, he was being walked between 
two buildings when he had opportunity to throw the memory cartridge into 
a fast moving river ! All very heady stuff, but everyone back in the 
office was off the wall for several days until the courier was 
eventually released and able to confirm the destruction of the memory 
cartridge.

Since PGP, we have been able sleep better at nights.

The following story is not for publication as we could easily be 
identified... [story deleted]

...

So as you can see the issue of Privacy here is not about tax evasion or 
child pornography, but the on-going determination by various groups 
including parts of the media, and Government Agencies, to know 
everything and to then to profit by such knowledge financially or by the 
destruction of those opposed to them.

In this part of the world PGP is a common sense idea that protects 
ordinary people from those who have power that they are prepared to 
abuse. There is no Constitution, enforced by capable courts in this part 
of the world able to protect us from such abuses, so we must have the 
right to protect ourselves from abuse.

If the NSC considers PGP a restricted weapon system that can't be 
legally exported, why can't at least Americans who have the right to 
bear arms have an ongoing guaranteed right to keep uncompromised 
encryption\PGP under their pillow at night along with their magnum. If 
you are allowed fatal force to protect your physical person, why can't 
you have equally powerful protection for your personal thoughts.

Now I am no fan of the Gun Lobby, but if Americans can ensure their 
right to uncompromised encryption, the rest of us can argue for the same 
more effectively.

Anyway I must get back to work...

Do keep in touch sometimes..

Best regards

[name deleted]
---