[Cryptography] Boing Boing pushing an RSA Conference boycott

Alec Muffett alec.muffett at gmail.com
Tue Jan 14 04:15:01 EST 2014


On 13 January 2014 15:23, Phillip Hallam-Baker <hallam at gmail.com> wrote:

The boycott proposal is purely punitive. They have no demand. Which is a
> very weak position. We did not boycott Bigot-fil-a to punish them. We were
> demanding that they stopped being bigoted. What are the boycotters
> demanding of RSA?
>


"You're absolutely right, Phil; yes one way or another RSA's products wound
up running this bowdlerised and backdoored RNG and stories abound that they
got paid a pittance to sell-out the security of all their users of their
benchmark product, but really the important thing here is that they provide
a consolidated, near-monolithic industry conference circuit with effective
vendor lock-in - you have to show there or not exist! How dreadful it would
be for us all to have to tromp around Infosec, Blackhat, USENIX all over
again and start sponsoring small events like 44con... it would be a return
to the 1980s / early 90s and you remember the hangovers - we as an industry
would just not be able to cope as an industry or as individuals. It would
be harmful to security overall.

My God, I might have to start using Twitter seriously..."


I think what they are demanding of RSA is that RSA hurt, or someone's head
rolls, or ideally that RSA dies, Phil.

Making an example of them for sleeping with the enemy. For selling out.

That sort of reason. It's an end in itself.  "This is the head of a
traitor", sort of thing.

Or, as you put it, "punked".


Joshua Marpet joshua.marpet at guardedrisk.com wrote:

"the fact is is that a lot of companies have paid a lot of money to be at
> the conference, and sell their wares"


They chose... poorly.


    -a



-- 
http://dropsafe.crypticide.com/aboutalecm
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