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Cyphernomicon 7.5

PGP -- Pretty Good Privacy:
Importance of PGP


    7.5.1. PGP 2.0 arrived at an important time
           - in September 1992, the very same week the Cypherpunks had
              their first meeting, in Oakland, CA. (Arthur Abraham
              printed up professional-looking diskette labels for the PGO
              2.0 diskettes distributed. A general feeling that we were
              forming at the "right time.")
           - just 6 months before the Clipper announcement caused a
              firestorm of interest in public key cryptography
    7.5.2. PGP has been the catalyst for major shifts in opinion
           - has educated tens of thousands of users in the nature of
              strong crypto
           - has led to other tools, including encrypted remailers,
              experiments in digital money, etc.
    7.5.3. "If this stuff is so important, how come not everyone is
            digitally signing their messages?"
           - (Me, for example. I never sign my messages, and this FAQ is
              not signed. Maybe I will, later.)
           - convenience, ease of use, "all crypto is economics"
           - insecurity of host Unix machines (illusory)
           - better integration with mailers needed
    7.5.4. Ripem appears to be dead; traffic in alt.security.ripem is
            almost zero. PGP has obviously won the hearts and minds of
            the user community; and now that it's "legal"...
  

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