I would send Bruce Schneier (or some other security expert) and encrypted message containing a good part of their private key, to convince them I was for real, then have them decide what to do.
Just because I've figured out the math of factoring large numbers, doesn't mean I'm qualified to make the non-mathematical decision of how to handle that information.
If you wanted to be really evil you would send the message and make it look like it came from your worst enemy. I would imagine that it would only be days before they became intimately familiar with the phrase “extraordinary rendition”.
Is the logic of this decision to protect yourself, or to preserve the status quo? If protection, wouldn't the logical decision be to make a full public disclosure and go out of one's way to make it clear that there is nothing more to disclose? In that way, you remove the reason for someone to attack you (unless they are vengeful), as you are no longer "part of the equation" (boom, boom).
How are you going to be able to prove you know nothing more if you publicly disclose this information?
There are plenty of powerful people who might think that if you can do this imagine what else you can do. Since you can’t prove that you don’t know anything more it is very risky to tell anyone. Best to keep your mouth shut and let the world know when you are dead.
Openly revealing how to factor large numbers without at least months of notice would definitely lead to many people getting stolen from. I'd bet it would also lead to people being killed, but possibly would save more lives than it cost; too complicated to resolve. So even if the responsibility is indirect, it's there.
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I would send Bruce Schneier (or some other security expert) and encrypted message containing a good part of their private key, to convince them I was for real, then have them decide what to do.
Just because I've figured out the math of factoring large numbers, doesn't mean I'm qualified to make the non-mathematical decision of how to handle that information.
If you wanted to be really evil you would send the message and make it look like it came from your worst enemy. I would imagine that it would only be days before they became intimately familiar with the phrase “extraordinary rendition”.
More seriously I would say nothing.
Is the logic of this decision to protect yourself, or to preserve the status quo? If protection, wouldn't the logical decision be to make a full public disclosure and go out of one's way to make it clear that there is nothing more to disclose? In that way, you remove the reason for someone to attack you (unless they are vengeful), as you are no longer "part of the equation" (boom, boom).
How are you going to be able to prove you know nothing more if you publicly disclose this information?
There are plenty of powerful people who might think that if you can do this imagine what else you can do. Since you can’t prove that you don’t know anything more it is very risky to tell anyone. Best to keep your mouth shut and let the world know when you are dead.
Unless they don't believe you. Unless someone wants vengeance. Unless someone wants to make an example.
I think I disagree. You should be allowed to do anything you want of you aren't stealing or murdering anyone.
Openly revealing how to factor large numbers without at least months of notice would definitely lead to many people getting stolen from. I'd bet it would also lead to people being killed, but possibly would save more lives than it cost; too complicated to resolve. So even if the responsibility is indirect, it's there.