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Re: The Remailer Crisis
Johnathan Corgan wrote:
> I am currently using ISDN from my home in San Jose. You're right in
> that the startup costs are the barrier--even a cheap single B channel
> (56K) terminal adapter for use with a serial port will run $300-$400
> dollars. The telco charges are minimal in my area; $25 monthly for
> the line itself (115 Kbps async bandwidth). Connect charges are free
> for non peak usage, and $0.60/hour for peak usage time (0800 to 1700)
> Mon-Fri.
Well, let's do the math. Since the remailer has to be connected at all
times, of course, this implies $162 a month in connect charges, over
and above the other charges. Or $187 a month including the line
charge. Or $2244 a year.
This makes a "cheap Linux box" almost a moot point. This is a lot more
than I'm willing to pay to run a remailer.
(I can imagine workarounds that involve connecting at regular
intervals to pick up mail....assuming it "accumulates" somewhere (?),
but the goal of a remailer "on the Net" is what I'm after.)
> A remailer in this scenario would need to have their MX record point to
> their ISP, and process mail via POP (incoming) and SMTP (outgoing).
> It would be straightforward to implement a timed or demand dial scenario
> (say, every fifteen minutes) to accomplish this. While not the ideal
> (continuous internet connection with pure SMTP based mail transport), it
> would suffice for a moderately loaded remailer, I'd imagine.
>
> Of course, this involves the mail subsystem of your ISP, partially
> defeating the purpose of having ubiquitous anonymous remailer "instances"
> whose operation is outside the control of an ISP. Still, it would be
> a good start.
I agree that it's something to look at.
--Tim May
--
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