[ale] PGP/GPG Keysigning party! ALE Central November 19th.

[Robert Reese]

Hello Jim,

Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 10:41:25 AM, you wrote:

> I for one would like to know exactly what this activity is good for.  I
> understand that one of the uses of these keys is to be sure an email is
> from who you think it is.  Exactly what activities are you guys involved
> in that require that level of security?  Obviously you are doing 
> something other than sending responses to the various questions/issue on
> this list. 

> I'm not criticizing, just very puzzled 'cause I have no real idea of a
> practical use for this level of security.

0: PHISHING emails would all but disappear (along with the vileness that is HTML email).

1: My communications are no one's business except for the party or parties involved.

2: It keeps secret stuff secret.

3: It makes email communications compliant with several regulatory acts.

4: It annoys the hell out of the government.

5: The 5st Amendment, which annoys the hell out of the government.

6: The 4th Amendment, which f*ing annoys the hell out of the government.  See ECHELON http://www.fas.org/irp/program/process/echelon.htm <http://www.fas.org/irp/program/process/echelon.htm>

7: The 1st Amendment, the bane of the government.

8: The 2nd Amendment; after all, during Pres. Clinton's reign our current dear Mr. VP Joe Biden (then Senator) tried to get  strong encryption banned as "munitions export without a license" which is the reason Mr. Zimmerman released PGP's code.

9: It really annoys the hell out of the government.

10: http://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/essays/WhyIWrotePGP.html
<http://www.philzimmermann.com/EN/essays/WhyIWrotePGP.html>

Cheers,
Robert~