ukcrypto -- UK Cryptography Policy Discussion Group

About ukcrypto

The group, supported by a mailing list, is comprised of people with a professional interest in the formulation and content of UK government policy on the provision, use and control of encryption products and services in the UK. It was formed in response to the 1996 announcement of UK policy on the provision of encryption services on telecommunications networks. The aim of the forum is to exchange information and co-ordinate actions in order to achieve a UK government policy which: preserves existing freedoms within the UK in respect of the design, development, provision and use of encryption products and services is workable in practice given other constraints and factors which are beyond the control or influence of the UK government meets the common interests of people in the UK in combating crime and terrorism whilst minimising intrusion into their lawful activities and any unnecessary erosion of their privacy is set out clearly, precisely and unambiguously to meet clearly stated objectives which are demonstrably achievable in political, legal and technical terms consistent with the above, minimises any (domestic or export) controls on encryption products and services, removing any existing controls which are unachievable whilst clarifying the scope of those that remain and the processes that will be used to implement them Everyone with an interest in the subject of UK cryptographic policy and deployment is welcome to join the list; it is not restricted to the British or those resident in the UK. The mailing list is unmoderated, but only subscribed members can post. The reply address is set to the list, in the interest of maintaining a freely flowing debate, so please be careful that you do not inadvertently post inappropriate responses. Please try and restrict postings to UK Encryption law and try not to stray onto general cryptology topics. The following topics for instance are not appropriate: Can PGP be cracked What is the best PGP plugin for Eudora What is the best way to encrypt a disk under Windows NT The language of the list is English, though American and other variants of English are acceptable. The ukcrypto mailing list was previously hosted by Ian Goodyer at Oxford University. The old submission address (ukcrypto@maillist.ox.ac.uk) does not work any more. To see the collection of prior postings to the list, visit the ukcrypto Archives. To search through the list archives, I recommend that you use Google, restricting the results that it returns to chiark.greenend.org.uk. The form below provides a quick link to this.

Using ukcrypto

To post a message to all the list members, send email to ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk. If you have problems posting (i.e. your message bounces), forward the bounce to steve@greenend.org.uk and I will attempt to resolve your problem. You can subscribe to the list, or change your existing subscription, in the sections below. To change the address that list mail is sent to, subscribe the new address and unsubscribe the old address. Alternatively you can use the email-based interface; send a message with subject "help" to ukcrypto-request@chiark.greenend.org.uk.

Subscribing to ukcrypto

Subscribe to ukcrypto by filling out the following form. You will be sent email requesting confirmation, to prevent others from gratuitously subscribing you. This is a hidden list, which means that the members list is available only to the list administrator. Your email address:   You must enter a privacy password. This provides only mild security, but should prevent others from messing with your subscription. Do not use valuable passwords! Once a month, your password will be emailed to you as a reminder. Pick a password:   Reenter password to confirm:   Would you like to receive list mail batched in a daily digest? No Yes

ukcrypto Subscribers

To change your subscription (set options like digest and delivery modes, get a reminder of your password, or unsubscribe from ukcrypto), enter your subscription email address: