Also, blocking base64 encoding would block email schemes where digital
signatures are used.
That is entirely mistaken. You might want to ensure that sender and
recipient agree on whether to sign the encoded or plaintext versions
of the message, but that's all.
In the scheme proposed by Art Pollard, a copy of the public key would be
included with the signed message. Common format for public key certificates
use base 64 encoded, outright ban of all base-64 email would be a problem
for this. The point I was trying to make is that outright ban on ALL
base-64 email is not a simple as it sounds. There are legit applications
that use it and such banning approach would have to take them into account.
I wouldn't propose BANNING base64 encoding... not at all. But I don't think
there's much if any point in including it in E-mails if the recipient isn't
ready to accept it. If a recipient is prepared to accept base64 encoding from
specific senders (those for which they have a public key, for instance) then
it's easy enough to turn base64 permission on for those trusted senders.
Gordon Peterson http://personal.terabites.com/
1977-2002 Twenty-fifth anniversary year of Local Area Networking!
Support the Anti-SPAM Amendment! Join at http://www.cauce.org/
12/19/98: Partisan Republicans scornfully ignore the voters they "represent".
12/09/00: the date the Republican Party took down democracy in America.
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