It also allows them to sign anyone they want as someone pretending to be you, 
but with a different key pair.

Just like the DMV could, if it wanted to (or was ordered to) issue a drivers 
license with my name and DL number but an FBI agent's photo and thumbprint 
associated.

You'd want your logins to be at sites that only trusted CAs that you trusted to 
not do this... for HTTPS we're already way over that line I'm afraid.

Matthew Kaufman

(Sent from my iPhone)

On Jun 7, 2012, at 1:18 PM, Owen DeLong <o...@delong.com> wrote:

> A proper CA does not have your business or personal keys, they merely
> sign them and attest to the fact that they actually represent you. You are
> free to seek and obtain such validation from any and as many parties as
> you see fit.
> 
> At no point should any CA be given your private key data. They merely
> use their private key to encrypt a hash of your public key and other data
> to indicate that your private key is bound to your other data.
> 
> You trust DMV/Passport Agency/etc. to validate your identity in the form
> of your government issued ID credentials, right?
> 
> That doesn't give DMV/Passport Agency/etc. control over your face, but,
> it does allow them to indicate to others that your face is tied to your
> name, date of birth, etc.
> 
> Owen
> 
> On Jun 7, 2012, at 1:04 PM, -Hammer- wrote:
> 
>> I gotta agree with Aaron here. What would be my motivation to "trust" an 
>> open and public infrastructure? With my business or personal keys?
>> 
>> -Hammer-
>> 
>> "I was a normal American nerd"
>> -Jack Herer
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 6/7/2012 2:37 PM, Aaron C. de Bruyn wrote:
>>> On Thu, Jun 7, 2012 at 12:24 PM, Owen DeLong<o...@delong.com>  wrote:
>>>>> Heck no to X.509.  We'd run into the same issue we have right now--a
>>>>> select group of companies charging users to prove their identity.
>>>> Not if enough of us get behind CACERT.
>>> Yet again, another org (free or not) that is holding my identity hostage.
>>> Would you give cacert your SSH key and use them to log in to your
>>> Linux servers?  I'd bet most *nix admins would shout "hell no!"
>>> 
>>> So why would you make them the gateway for your online identity?
>>> 
>>> -A
>>> 
>>> 
> 
> 

Reply via email to