[284] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: GAK in domestic crypto products
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (f_estema@alcor.concordia.ca)
Sat Feb 22 18:18:21 1997
From: f_estema@alcor.concordia.ca
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 23:42:28 -0500 (EST)
To: Lyle Seaman <lws@ms.com>
cc: cryptography@c2.net
In-Reply-To: <2.2.32.19970221202425.006c7178@remote.transarc.com>
On Fri, 21 Feb 1997, Lyle Seaman wrote:
> According to Peter Trei:
> >interoperate, and is a wedge to force GAK'd products
> >into even purely domestic communications.
snip
>
> I suppose this is a wedge -- lazy companies will choose to implement only
> the one, but the second (non-GAK) protocol should be almost trivial to
> implement -- having already done the first.
It bears repeating. Once GAK is part of the software infrastructure, they
will legislate it domestically. They also said Clipper would be voluntary
and their FOIA-retrieved internal documents showed they were lying.
This is merely another attempt at getting their foot (or should I saw
jackboot) in the door. In the end what will matter won't be the laziness of
companies, it will be the availability of GAK as a widespread option
in all net software. If they get that, then they will also pass the required
law to get only that. No more option.
