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Re: remailer-operators DEA agents?
Sandy the C2Net Censor tossed the following question to flames:
Secret Squirrel <[email protected]> writes:
> Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM wrote:
> > [email protected] (Charley Musselman) writes:
> > > C'punks --
> > > When I told a friend about the alt.drugs.pot cultivation newsgroup
> > > and suggested that he use an anonymous remailer to post to the group,
> > > he laughed and said, "Who do you suppose runs the remailers? ATF,
> > > FBI, DEA, that's who!" Gee, it makes sense to this paranoid. Does
> > > anyone know the answer? Specifically, how can we choose a trusted
> > > remailer?
> >
> > Even if the feds are not directtly involved, the so-called "cypher punk"
> > remailers are run by people who should not be trusted. Check out their
> > remailer-operators list: it's full of announcements that some specific
> > person posted something via the remailer that the operator didn't like.
>
> Examples, please?
Plenty. There was a whole thread about the operator of the defunct lead
remailer disclosing his users' identities. Here's a recent one:
]Received: from get.wired.com (HELO wired.com) (204.62.131.5)
] by anon.lcs.mit.edu with SMTP; 6 Feb 1997 23:37:35 -0000
]Received: from avenger.hotwired.com (avenger.hotwired.com [206.221.193.5]) by wired.com (8.7.6/8.7.3) with SMTP id PAA09050; Thu, 6 Feb 1997 15:37:34 -0800 (PST)
]Message-Id: <[email protected]>
]X-Sender: [email protected]
]X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32)
]Date: Thu, 06 Feb 1997 16:06:04 -0800
]To: [email protected]
]From: Jeff Burchell <[email protected]>
]Subject: Commercial SPAM from [email protected]
]Mime-Version: 1.0
]Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
]
]
]Tofu trapped a bunch of shit coming from [email protected]. They're
]posting to usenet, advertising things for sale (Including a $10 pamphlet
]explaining how to send anonymous internet email, and the standard
]make.money.fast chainletter scheme)
]
]I've source blocked them, I suggest you do the same.
]
]-Jeff
Jeff also said the following, which seems to contradict the above:
]Delivered-To: [email protected]
]Received: from get.wired.com (HELO wired.com) (204.62.131.5)
] by anon.lcs.mit.edu with SMTP; 7 Feb 1997 01:17:48 -0000
]Received: from avenger.hotwired.com (avenger.hotwired.com [206.221.193.5]) by wired.com (8.7.6/8.7.3) with SMTP id RAA26127; Thu, 6 Feb 1997 17:17:47 -0800 (PST)
]Message-Id: <[email protected]>
]X-Sender: [email protected]
]X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32)
]Date: Thu, 06 Feb 1997 17:46:16 -0800
]To: [email protected]
]From: Jeff Burchell <[email protected]>
]Subject: Useage Policy.
]Mime-Version: 1.0
]Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
]Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
]
]
]I'm in the process of setting up an autoresponder on the
][email protected] address. I'd appreciate people's feedback to this
]autoresponder message, and the policies that it describes...
]
]
]Hi. This is in regards to a letter you sent to [email protected]. I
]hate autoresponders too, but I=92ve found that this is a special case and is
]probably warranted.
]I=92ve been running anonymous services for a couple of years now, and have
]answered thousands of pieces of email regarding MailMasher users. Please
]take my word on this one, you really need to at least skim the rest of this
]message.
]
]I will read your email, I promise. However, if your email can be answered
]by something that is contained in THIS message, I won=92t respond to it.
]Sorry. I run MailMasher as sort of a hobby, while holding down a dayjob
]and I really don=92t have time to answer all mail personally.
]
]And now on to the important stuff=85
]
]First, the answer to the most frequently asked MailMasher question=85 If a
]user of the MailMasher is Harassing or otherwise bothering you, it can be
]stopped. Send a blank message to [email protected]. Your email
]address will be added to a list of addresses that MailMasher will refuse to
]mail to, and you=92ll never get anything from here again.
]
]MailMasher is an anonymous service. This means that even I don=92t know who
]is using it. Any internet user can use a web interface to create an
]anonymous MailMasher email account. I don=92t ask them who they are, and my
]machine doesn=92t keeps logs that could be used to identify users. So
]please, don=92t ask me to identify a user. I can=92t do it.=20
]
]I also don=92t filter anything for content. Several years ago, in what has
]now come to be known as the Prodigy case (Stratton-Oakmont & Porush v.
]Prodigy. Details at
]http://www.eff.org/pub/Legal/Cases/Stratton_Oakmont_Porush_v_Prodigy ) A
]legal standard was set. Basically, if a service provider deletes posts,
]intercepts emails or otherwise tries to exercise editorial control over any
]of its users, then the service provider can be held responsible for ALL of
]the content that goes through the service. MailMasher transfers around
]10,000 messages a day. It is impossible for me to monitor traffic like
]that. Therefore, I do not even know what most MailMasher users are using
]their accounts for. It really isn=92t any of my business, and because I
]don=92t make it my business, legally, I can=92t be held responsible for the
]actions of MailMasher users.
]
]I also don=92t delete accounts. Because, when I delete an account, the user
]can always come right back and create another one with a different address.
] If someone is going to be behaving badly on the Internet, I for one would
]prefer that they always do it from the same email address, so I can just
]add them to my killfile or email filters.
]
]So, to summarize:
]
]1. I intentionally have made it impossible for anyone, including myself to
]determine the identities of MailMasher users.
]2. I will not under any circumstances monitor a user or delete an account.
]3. I will make a good faith effort to keep you from being bothered by
]MailMasher users, through the use of a destination block filter.
]4. I neither condone nor condemn any action taken by any MailMasher user,
]either in conjunction with their MailMasher use or not.
]
]So=85 you ask, Why would I want to run a service that lets the spammers, an=
]d
]the porn freaks, and the warez kiddies do their thing? The answer is
]simple: because it also allows for much much more. A MailMasher user can
]communicate without repercussions to people all over the world. I have
]received many thank-yous from users sometimes explaining what they used my
]service for. There are people in certain countries who have a very
]legitimate fear of speaking out, who use this and other anonymous services
]to communicate with the U.S. Countless people have used anonymous services
]to very openly discuss items that are considered secret to certain members
]of the Church of Scientology. Victims of all sorts of abuse can speak
]truly anonymously (sometimes for the first time). Even abusers can speak
]freely, which helps with recovery.
]It is for these examples that I run this service. I think a little noise
]and junk is a small price to pay for all of this. You take the good with
]the bad.
]
]This is free speech in one of its most raw forms, staring you in the face.
]You may not like it; It may offend you; It might even encourage illegal
]behavior, but it is speech, and in the United States, it is protected by
]the Constitution. =20
]
]Thank you for your time. If you=92d like to contact me again, without
]tripping this autoresponder, send mail to [email protected].
]
]-Jeff Burchell, MailMasher Admin
]
---
<a href="mailto:[email protected]">Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM</a>
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps