Re: Crypto-activism

[Arun Mehta <amehta@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in>]

At 00:43 13/07/96 +0000, Deranged Mutant wrote:
>My point is that a lot of people in those countries are aware of PGP 
>etc. than make it out to be.  Certainly many activists are.  They 
>focus on the human rights issues at hand, to which PGP etc. may be a 
>tool... but isn't the central focus.

I agree. But many such people, who need PGP but don't want to make it their
central focus, have a hard time acquiring the necessary skills. When even
people on this list, for whom by and large crypto is the central focus,
complain about how cumbersome PGP is to use in practice, what about everyone
else?

>
>It would be condescending to email to many people in a domain saying 
>"hey, have you heard of PGP?..."  Chances are they'll think it's a 
>strange commercial spam anyway.

You are right, and it wasn't my suggestion to ask in this way. What one
could do is:
1) Prepare a writeup in simple English, on exactly how to use the
appropriate software.
2) Try to get it translated into Chinese, Korean, and whatever other
language we can find volunteers or sponsorship for.
3) Post on appropriate newsgroups that such translations exist, with urls.
4) Suggest that since people living under authoritarian regimes may not have
access to the appropriate Usenet newsgroups, to please spread the word. No
need to suggest that any particular country is being targetted, in fact
enough people living in the US and using the office computer for
communications would benefit.

>> the question is,  are
>> *you* in a position to share your knowledge?
>
>Yep.  But there's a proper way to share knowledge.  

Would you agree that steps 1-4 above would constitute the proper way? In
that case, would you help prepare such a document (any other volunteers
equally welcome)?

>You also have to know what you're talking about: if you're not familiar
>with the nitty -gritty of politics in such countries, you'll come off as the 
>"cypherpunk bearing gifts of crypto for the natives"... the politics 
>going on in places like Cuba, China, Iraq, Russia are a bit more 
>complex than what comes off through the media (to some extent no 
>matter where you are and what media you watch).

Undoubtedly. But I see no problem in cypherpunks bearing gifts of crypto to
people who are fighting difficult battles for human rights -- ultimately for
all of us. If anyone is bearing gifts here, it is them. On the Internet,
everyone does what s/he is good at, and cypherpunks just happen to be good
at crypto.

>
>For example... there are many anti-Castro 'democratic' socialists in Cuba.
>If you approach them as if they were anti-Communists you'll be seen 
>as a clueless kook.  Some Chinese I have spoken to are suspicious of 
>the Tiennamen Sq. activists, claiming they were more 'reformists' 
>than true democratizers who were unknown before Tiennamen. 

Clearly, in our document we will take no political positions whatsoever. We
merely point out that if you wish to communicate securely such that only the
recipient(s) can decipher, this is how you go about it. They'll know how to
use it, this is a problem they face daily, with phone tappings, bugs, etc. a
routine.

>
>One more important issue: people have to trust you.  You can't go 
>into a strange environment and expect trust if you come off as a 
>tourist.

You are selling yourself short. People who have (successfully?) fought the
US government are likely to get a trust bonus among activists anywhere they
go ;-)


You asked about me, I've put up a little information on
http://www.cerfnet.com/~amehta/ 
I'd be happy to fill in the blanks.

Arun Mehta Phone +91-11-6841172, 6849103 amehta@cpsr.org
http://www.cerfnet.com/~amehta/
The protestors of Tiananmen Square will be back. Next time, 
the battle will be fought in cyberspace, where the students 
have the more powerful tanks...