Re: Keyserver service outage

>During the coming week, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will
>begin formally distributing PGP 2.5, a new version of PGP that is
>based on the RSAREF 2.0 cryptographic toolkit, under license from RSA
>Data Security, Inc., dated March 16, 1994.  When that distribution
>becomes available, the keyserver will return running PGP 2.5.  At that
>time, the keyserver will no longer accept keys that are identified as
>having been created by versions of PGP lower than 2.4.  (PGP 2.4 is
>Viacrypt PGP.)

Questions:

1) What involvement, if any, does Phil Zimmermann have in the creation
of this "new version of PGP"?

2) Will "PGP 2.5" continue to be freeware; i.e., has RSA changed its
stance on licensing?

3) If the answer to 2 is "yes", has the strength of the encryption
been compromised in any fashion?

4) Isn't this some sort of transparent "back door" grab by some
unknown person(s) as a method of encouraging people to switch by
fostering the belief that versions of PGP lower than 2.4 are somehow
illegal or otherwise illegitimate?

(The last is only semi-sarcastic.)

Basically, I think I speak for a hefty chunk of list subscribers when
I say: 

I want to know who's behind this.

On Thu, 5 May 1994, Schirado wrote:

> Basically, I think I speak for a hefty chunk of list subscribers when
> I say: 
> 
> I want to know who's behind this.

Actually, my first instinct was 'What the fuck?', but you put it a little 
more diplomatically than I :-)

____        Robert A. Hayden          <=> hayden@krypton.mankato.msus.edu
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