Re: Communications Policy

[tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)]

Johan Helsingius writes:
> Tim May writes:
> 
> > crypto, had he chosen to use it. And his e-mail was uncovered through
> > the very common method of finding the archived copies of IBM's "PROFS"
> > e-mail system kept by sysadmins. Sort of like the archives being kept
> > by some of the so-called anonymous remailers!)
> 
> Hmmmm.... I find the accusation about anonymous remailers pretty strong.
> If you have proof of stuff like that happening, or even reasonable cause
> for suspicions, I feel the accusations and names of the sites should be
> published as widely as possible. That is the only way we can stop
> such unethical behavior.
> 
> 	Julf (an0@anon.penet.fi)

This was well-debated about a month or so back. Some remailers are
archiving mail for debugging, others for legal protection (in case
threats, blackmail, etc., used), and others are simply automatically
archiving by site policies.

In a note I wrote back then, which did not name the particular site
involved, I reported that after sending a piece of "anonymous" mail, I
got a letter of "support" for my position from the remailer operator!

After I mentioned this to the Cypherpunks list, it came out that other
sites were also keeping various forms of archives (for some or all of
the reasons listed above).

Anyway, such human-operated remailers, running on UNIX boxes in
unsecure conditions, have many nonideal characteristics.


-Tim

-- 
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
tcmay@netcom.com       | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
408-688-5409           | knowledge, reputations, information markets, 
W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA  | black markets, collapse of governments.
Higher Power: 2^756839 | PGP Public Key: by arrangement.