Production of ALPHACIPHER for Windows 95 and DOS Cancelled!

This may have already been posted, but I found it interesting...

from: http://www.aa.net/cyber-survival-hq/

     Development of the ALPHACIPHER product line has been voluntarily cancelled
due to the possibility of
                 non-compliance of users of ALPHACIPHER with the new key escrow
law.

   Every key created by a user that would encrypt messages for international
correspondence would have to be
  registered with the US Government. Cyber-Survival-HQ cannot insure that the
users of ALPHACIPHER would
     voluntarily comply with this new law, and so ALPHACIPHER is hereby
withdrawn from the marketplace.

        ALPHACIPHER currently has no built-in key generation function, and the
proposed release of an
 ALPHACIPHER key generator has been terminated. All purchasers of ALPHACIPHER
are entitled to a complete
                               refund, and this has already been done.

         The New ADFGVX cipher is still offered for sale, as it is a breakable
cipher, at least in theory.

! Drive wrote:
> 
> This may have already been posted, but I found it interesting...
> 
> from: http://www.aa.net/cyber-survival-hq/
> 
>      Development of the ALPHACIPHER product line has been voluntarily cancelled
> due to the possibility of
>                  non-compliance of users of ALPHACIPHER with the new key escrow
> law.
> 
>

...thank heavens for small favors....

At 9:11 PM -0700 10/17/96, ! Drive wrote:
>This may have already been posted, but I found it interesting...
>
>from: http://www.aa.net/cyber-survival-hq/
>
>     Development of the ALPHACIPHER product line has been voluntarily
>cancelled
>due to the possibility of
>                 non-compliance of users of ALPHACIPHER with the new key
>escrow
>law.


And just which _law_ might that be? Care to name an Act? Or even a Bill?

Come to think of it, just what the hell is "Alphacipher," and why should we
care?


>        ALPHACIPHER currently has no built-in key generation function, and the
>proposed release of an
> ALPHACIPHER key generator has been terminated. All purchasers of ALPHACIPHER
>are entitled to a complete
>                               refund, and this has already been done.

Were there any actual purchasers?

>         The New ADFGVX cipher is still offered for sale, as it is a breakable
>cipher, at least in theory.

Ah, yes, now I understand. Sounds like just a new marketing ploy for the
same old snake oil.

--Tim May



"The government announcement is disastrous," said Jim Bidzos,.."We warned IBM
that the National Security Agency would try to twist their technology."
[NYT, 1996-10-02]
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1,257,787-1 | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."