Pretty Good Privacy: PGP

1. Pretty Good Privacy: PGP An Encryption System by Philip R. Zimmermann -Mark, Dave, Bobby-

2. Childhood • Born February 12th, 1954 in Camden, New Jersey • Independent • Dreamt of becoming an astronomer • Became interested in codes while watching M.T. Graves and the Dungeon

3. Education • Attended Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton • Originally wanted to major in Physics • Ended up majoring in Computer Science • Created his own code as his final project • Graduated University in 1978

4. Early Adulthood • Got Married in 1977 to Kacie Cavenaugh (switchboard operator) • Worked for Harris Computer Systems • Moved to Boulder, Colorado and became a freelance computer consultant • Founded Metamorphic Systems

5. PGP • Zimmermann released his first version of PGP in 1991 • Designed to give the common user a means of totally secure communication • Originally distributed as freeware on the internet

6. What is PGP? • Hybrid of symmetric and asymmetric encryption systems • Message encrypted with symmetric cipher (IDEA) • Key encrypted with asymmetric cipher (RSA) • Message and key were then bundled and sent • Resulted in a secure and resource efficient cipher

7. The Release of PGP • PGP was publicly released onto the internet • This meant that anyone internationally could see it

8. The Case • U.S. Customs officials looked into ViaCrypt and Austin Code Works • The National Security Agency argued that it would difficult to keep tabs on hostile governments and foreign terrorists • Since WWII the US has regarded cryptographic software as a weapon of war

9. The Case Continued • Because PGP had such a high strength, it was deemed impermissible to export • The PGP fell under the Arms Export Control Act • The main problem with the PGP was that it was simply too hard to decipher. • The PGP compromised National Security

10. The Defense • Zimmermann along with ViaCrypt felt as though their rights were being infringed • Right to Privacy • Public access to secure cryptography • Right to publish digital writings • Right to equal protection under the law • Zimmermann was unable to pay for legal defenses to fight the government

11. The Electronic Frontier Foundation • The EFF responded to Zimmerman’s case through three separate actions • Raised and contributed a great deal of funds to support Zimmermann legally • Researched the facts of PGP and other related cases to prepare themselves for future cases • Launched a First Amendment campaign in order to raise money and educate policy makers along with the general public

12. Case Conclusion • Three years after the case began, all the charges were dropped in early 1996 • Zimmerman was then free from any more governmental scrutiny

13. Conclusion • After the case was dropped, Zimmermann founded his own company and continued to refine his product releasing an updated version of PGP along with other related products • PGP has had a large effect in many important communications • Questions?