[TLS] Re: Response to CoI Complaints

Hi Nico,

I am happy, of course, to discuss the technical issue about hashing that
Jacob has brought up. I will summarize that here:

1) From the Kyber 3rd Round specification:
[image: 1-kyber-rd3-spec-hash.png]

2) From the ML-KEM standard:
[image: 2-mlkem-standard-hashing-change.png]

This is a valid technical concern one could (and should, if desired) raise.

However, one should clearly see how benign the entire thing is. This is
just NIST conforming to its own prior structure-of-standards: that RNG
issues are handled in a separate, distinct place now.
Indeed, as Jacob's long diatribes have brought out, this is an issue of
significance, which is why they're handled as a completely separate
standard-consideration today.

I am very happy to chat about the technical matter; I'm interested in this
too!

----

On the other hand, while I am "required" to engage with the TLS WG mailing
list as a part of my professional duties at my job, I am not "required" to
engage with Jacob Applebaum's made-for-direct-to-home-streaming,
daytime-TV-quality telenovela that he's been writing at length ("Spamming")
to this mailing list.

None of that is relevant, and it's become a toxic biohazard that I have to
wade through to keep up to date on technical discussions. It has absolutely
no place here, and I trust that Jacob will knock it off now. After all,
maybe we can focus on resolving the technical matter at hand without the
extra "PhD in Speculative Journalism" flavor in the conversation; literally
everyone would be better for that.


Kind regards,
--Daniel

On Fri, Jul 17, 2026 at 1:40 AM Nico Williams <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Thu, Jul 16, 2026 at 08:56:02PM -0400, Daniel Apon wrote:
> > Jacob,
> >
> > This is a disgusting and, frankly, small way to drag NIST's name across a
> > public mailing list.
>
> I just went through Jacob's post and replied in detail.  I did not see
> anything particularly objectionable in it.
>
> > I publicly request the TLS Chairs moderate Jacob's posts to the TLS
> mailing
> > list if he can't focus on technical content in a professional manner in
> the
> > future.
>
> I believe that would be overeacting.
>
> Nico
> --
>

_______________________________________________
TLS mailing list -- [email protected]
To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]