Re: [Cfrg] Requesting removal of CFRG co-chair

[Alyssa Rowan <[e-mail]>]

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William Whyte <[e-mail]> wrote:

>My position is that the NSA's mission includes subverting cryptographic
>standards, and so it is inappropriate for an NSA employee to chair a
>crypto working group in a standards body.
I agree, and feel that it is the core of the issue.

Those apparently arguing in favour of him remaining have seemingly avoided addressing this critical conflict of interest; the elephant in the room. Time for the elephant gun.


Fact: Kevin, the co-chair, works for the NSA. [@nsa.gov]

Fact: The NSA is known (and unanimously agreed) to be attacking the internet via mass surveillance among other means. [IETF 88 T/P]

Fact: As part of that attack, the NSA has a department (apparently 141 personnel strong, with a yearly quarter-of-a-billion US dollar budget) whose task is to subvert crypto standards and implementations. [Snowden, SIGINT Enabling Project budget]

Fact: We do not know what Kevin's tasks are at the NSA, or whether he is part of that department or not.

(My comment: We are unlikely to ever know for certain, without another Snowden: any NSA statement on this would I believe be hard for many to take at face value given their conduct thus far. If he knew of that department's existence, he chose to say nothing; if he did not previously know, it's pretty clear he couldn't fail to know by now, but strangely still has said nothing, despite a rather lively discussion calling for his resignation.)

So:

1. Should Kevin be removed from his co-chair position of this crypto advisory group?

2. If not, why do you think he should remain?

3. How would you expect this crypto advisory group to retain any credibility if it chose to retain an NSA employee as a co-chair, in light of everything now known?


I've made my position clear: he should step down. Please, state yours.
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/akr
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