REMAIL: cypherpunks strategy

[Marc.Ringuette@GS80.SP.CS.CMU.EDU]

We must address a strategy question before it jumps on us.  Do we want to be
yet another "this remailer exists, let's stomp on it" whipping boy, or will
another tactic be more effective?

I have the following suggestion.  Do not announce our cypherpunks remailers
right away.  This is not the right time.  Instead, announce that we intend,
at a later date, to install remailers which are "friendly" in the sense that
they use a special header line, but which will be not be able to be shut down.

[ My suggestion for how to do this:  encourage thousands of users who
support anonymity to run the software, and make it easy for them to
do so.  Then, thousands of users must be kicked out in order to prevent
remailers being available! ]

But, here's the important part, DELAY RELEASE until after a waiting period.
The delayed release is intended to allow concerned network sites and
individuals to install filters for these messages, and to allow users the
time to discuss this (and, for instance, to voice their objections to
catch-all anonymity filters at the news-relay level).  It also prevents
our opponents from achieving a sense of "something must be done" urgency.

My goal is to push a particular policy -- remailers which add a header line
and end-user filtering based on that header line -- as an interim solution
until more sophisticated techniques come into use.  Discussion is also
welcomed on exactly what kind of setup we should be trying to encourage.
This is my current cut at it.


-- Marc Ringuette (mnr@cs.cmu.edu)