Hi all,
I've been on this list for quite a while now, mostly listening and
learning, but with the occasional post now and then. What I've learned
is that it's important for us all (even outside the US) to "spread the
word" (as it were) and let people know how important Privacy, and
associated areas are to us. In fact, I saw a program on UK TV only
yesterday in which Ann Winterton (an English Member of Parliament) was
advocating that the UK Government allow British Telecom to routinely
(ie, without a permit/warrant etc) tap and intercept people's phone
calls. Without a warrant!!! Her excuse was that we needed to capture
child pornographers, who were downloading them using the PSTN. Yeah,
right!
Anyway, my call for help is this. I've got to write my Final Year
thesis starting in September, and since we've got free reign on what
we say and do, I'd like to take the subjects of Encryption, Privacy,
Digital Cash (etc, etc, etc), and write a *decent* and *truthful* (ie,
a Cypherpunks view, *NOT* the media's, or the Government's) thesis on
what it's all about, what it's not, how it all affects us, and what we
can all do. My intention is that when it's all finished, I'll release
it into the public domain, and produce a Postscript file to be used as
an "intro" to the Crypto-world.
And since I'm no expert, and I want to make this a document showing us
in a good (and honest) light, it would be nice if I could have some
suggestions as to the content, layout and format of the document. I've
prepared a few questions, and if you all wouldn't mind sparing a few
moments of your time in answering them, I'd be very grateful...
1, Do you see the need for a document such as this?
2, If not, how come?
3, What would you like to see covered in such a document?
4, What, if anything, would you like *not* to be covered?
5, How would you like it to be worded (ie, technical/beginner etc)
6, How would you like it be laid out?
7,