FC: More on ex-DOJer Scott Charney decamps to Microsoft

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[In general I agree with Charles about the risks here, but if the Clinton
administration's policy was key escrow (and it was), Scott would have been
bound to support it in public no matter what his personal views. Naturally
one could respond that anyone with a conscience asked to take that
position should resign. :) --Declan]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2002 11:18:11 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Platt <cp () panix com>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Cc: politech () politechbot com
Subject: Re: FC: Scott Charney, ex-DOJ cybercrime official, decamps to Microsoft 

Declan, feel free to post this as you wish.

My concern about Scott Charney (an amiable man, whom I once talked to for
three hours, in an interview that was intended for Wired but was rejected
and ended up excerpted in my book ANARCHY ONLINE) is that he was, and
presumably still is, an ardent proponent of key escrow. Also of course he
must have many friends in DoJ. So, do we look ahead and see "secure"
MSoft products with back doors for federal access? Do we imagine MSoft
taking precautions to protect itself against future hostile acts from DoJ
and state attorneys may still want to dismantle its "monopoly"? Do we
envisage MSoft claiming in the future that its surveillance-enabled
products will help to protect us from the "terrorist threat"?

I was one of those who felt that the attempt to break up Microsoft tended
to damage the industry and investor confidence. The conflict between the
company and the government was bad for the whole IT business. But a
friendly informal ALLIANCE between Microsoft and the federal government
would be something else again.

--CP








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