More on Digital Postage

["Timothy C. May" <tcmay@got.net>]

At 5:00 AM +0000 2/13/97, Attila T. Hun wrote:

>on or about 970212:1525 "Timothy C. May" <tcmay@got.net> said:

>+Having said this, the flaw remains that "junk mail" is "free" to the
>+sender. This is a flaw in the ontology of e-mail, and needs to be
>+fixed. Digital postage is one approach.
>
>    probably cut down on our postings to cp as well!  32 cents to post?
>

I'm sure Attila does not believe any digital postage scheme would fix the
message rate at 32 cents, but it's an issue worth expanding upon.

First, the rate would be based on true market conditions, presumably. That
is, carriers of traffic would negotiate rates. Multiple stages of carriage
would involve negotiation between carriers.

(As with shipment of physical goods, where a shipment from Alice to Bob
might involve several carriers: trucks, trains, warehouse use, delivery
vans, toll road fees. All are "folded in" to the $3 or whatever charge paid
by Alice or Bob, depending.)

Second, the carriage charges for an ordinary e-mail message would likely be
in the sub-cents range.

Third, I don't see this ontological restructuring happening anytime soon.
People have gotten used to "free" services.

Fourth, we need to be alert to moves by the U.S. Postal Service to get a
foot in the door for "digital postage." There's nothing they'd like more
than having people clamor for the government to "do something!" about spam
and "unwanted mail" and thus get this foot in the door.


>    unfortunately, until the irresponsible tone down their greed, we
>    need the regulation to protect ourselves from the predators.
>
>    in other words, I agree with you in my heart, but our society
>    refuses to cooperate.

Attila and I have had this disagreement before (last time it involved
Attila's support for curfews).

Attila is free to hire agents to screen his mail so he does not receive
spam. He is not free, in a free society, to force such screeners upon me.

Talking about "irresponsible tones" and "greed" and how we need more laws
to protect ourselves from "predators" sounds more like something from the
Marin County limousine liberal set than from a Utah mountain man
Cypherpunk. I'm shocked, simply shocked.

(:-})

--Tim May

Just say "No" to "Big Brother Inside"
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1398269     | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."