P. on pgp: please respond

[Paul Mackin]

On Mon, 12 Feb 1996, Bonnie Surfus (ENG) wrote:

> Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 14:12:22 -0500 (EST)
> From: "Bonnie Surfus (ENG)" <surfus at chuma.cas.usf.edu>
> X-Sender: surfus at chuma
> To: anonymous-remailer at shell.portal.com
> Subject: Re:Quiet flow the dons
> In-Reply-To: <199602121442.GAA13473 at jobe.shell.portal.com>
> Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.960212141131.8376B-100000 at chuma>
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
> 
> I have heard something of pgp--something like a program to keep certain 
> folks out of my communications, right?  Do you know more about it?  How 
> to obtain it?  etc.?


Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) is a high security cryptographic software
application for MSDOS, Unix, VAX/VMS, and other computers. It allows
people to exchange files or messages with privacy, authentication
and convenience. PGP is based on a relatively new technology called
"public key" cryptography. This means that no secure channels are 
needed to exchange keys between users. I have used it for quite a
while now and it it easy.

PGP is available free on the Internet for downloading. I don't know
the current sites but will try to find them and let you know. I'm
sure they can easily be found through one of the web servers like
http://www.yahoo.com.   Look first under computing and then under
cryptography. PGP will be very prominent.

PGP is very difficult and expensive to break. For this reason, 
the government doesn't approve of its use or export. They are 
pushing the clipper chip. However, Philip
Zimmermann, the creator of PGP, has recently had a pending government 
prosecution against him dropped. Allows him to continue to distribute
and export the program.

Many people believe it would be nice if everyone routinely used
encryption for all their email, innocent or not, so that no one
drew suspicion by asserting their email privacy with encryption.

				P.