john@frog.UUCP (John Woods, Software) (04/26/87)
> > Re my previous assertions that E-mail was protected as if it were > *REAL* mail: > A retraction with real style! Bravo! > ...For those of you who have been keeping track > of the cellular radiophone biz... Currently it is > illegal to monitor cellular communications. Many opine that that law was basically passed (1) to keep cellular common carriers (and others) from having to install "expensive" cryptographic equipment ("Oh, we don't have to, of COURSE your calls are private!"), and (2) to keep the Government from having to BREAK those expensive cryptographic systems when they "just want to check up on someone". But that's a flamefest for another newsgroup... > > Are you willing to give your right to secure communications away ? Yes, all the time. I don't feel like having frog (my machine here) call every other UUCP host (my modem's little fingers would get tired dialing!), so I ask other sites to be nice enough to forward mail for me (with the basic understanding that I (or frog) will probably do the same for them). I can't STOP them from reading that mail as it goes through, even if I tried to shame them into thinking that it was tasteless to do so -- so if I care about privacy, I'll encrypt the message or arrange for a direct UUCP link (much faster, too!). Anarchy has its plusses and minuses. -- John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (617) 626-1101 ...!decvax!frog!john, ...!mit-eddie!jfw, jfw%mit-ccc@MIT-XX.ARPA "Happiness is the planet Earth in your rear-view mirror." - Sam Hurt, in "Eyebeam, Therefore I Am"