Re: Smart Fine Print

To: Nick Szabo <szabo@netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Smart Fine Print
From: Benjamin Tomhave <tomhavbe@martin.luther.edu>
Date: Tue, 9 Jul 1996 08:07:26 -0500 (CDT)
Cc: www-security@ns2.rutgers.edu
In-Reply-To: <199607082007.NAA23638@netcom.netcom.com>
On Mon, 8 Jul 1996, Nick Szabo wrote:

> This is not funny, it is offensive.  Users may not usually be able to
> detect redirects, or find or trace their cookies, but the nature of the
> Internet community is such that users will at some point figure out
> that these pieces of smart fine print hidden inside their software
> have not been written in their interest.  The result will not be
> intelligent use of software and services (for by hiding features
> important to the user we have worked against that), but a crude
> judgement -- that Internet software and services that use cookies
> are often duplicitous, designed for unscrupulous vendors rather than
> for end customers, and not to be trusted with either one's personal
> information or one's business.  The big gains to be made from
> client-side persistence could be lost.
>
More importantly, the reprecutions to the entire Internet could be
devastating.  Bear in mind that security on the internet, whether it be in
sending credit card numbers or using CyberCash, are very hot in the
national media.  Despite whether the media hype is always well-founded or
not, this provides wonderful fodder for those who are trying to resist the
full implementation and usage of the internet, and more specifically, the
WWW.  It seems to me that, now that we are raising this issue in a more
public arena, hopefully companies such as Netscape will pay attention a
little more and consider finding a less shady way of implementing
persistant cookies.  A good start would be adding a patch, or adding in
the next release, the option to deny use of the cookie file.  Otherwise,
when the ordinary user finds out what kind of information is kept using
the file, they will likely react unfavorably.  Not to mention groups such
as the ACLU who are so adament about Right to Privacy issues.  Perhaps an
electronic petition to certain companies who produce browsers with
persistant cookies under the table is in order?  To me, it would be better
if we took action as a community before other groups, such as Congress,
decide to "do us all a favor" and tackle the issue themselves.

-ben

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
				|
    Benjamin Tomhave		|   Shell to DOS...Come in DOS...Do you Copy?
    Luther College		|
    Decorah, IA 52101		|   $ rm * .*    "Hey, where'd everything go?
    tomhavbe@martin.luther.edu  |
				|   What's an ID-10-T error? :)
				|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------