dispatches from the front lines of anonymity

("L. Detweiler") states:

 BK> the
 BK> possibility of a centralized moderator stripping addresses, while
 BK> already currently supported in the software mechanisms, is problematic
 BK> because it is a single location with all the traffic--hence the need to
 BK> go through independent anonymous servers first. But I think the
 BK> localized header-stripping is totally superior to all this. Having a
 BK> message bounce around a net a bit with *real* information is very
 BK> vulnerable, when the ID could be stripped off at the source.

There is also the problem of those (like me) who access the internet
from outside, through gates.  The messages are not only marked with the
point of origin automatically by the originating BBS's software, but are
also subject to monitoring by any number of systems operators en route
to internet.  When all of the headers (including passwords for the
anonymous servers) are in plaintext, the entire anonymous system seems
compromised.  While some servers I haven't tried yet seem to be PGPed,
this doesn't seem to be the case with penet.fi.

 BK> How about an EFF sponsored server?

Yes, and preferably at a site outside the US, just for good measure.
There is an obvious appeal to having servers outside the jurisdiction of
American law-enforcement busybodies.

        JN


... "A Few Years in the Absolute Elsewhere..."  
--- Blue Wave/Opus v2.12 [NR]
--  
John Nieder - via FidoNet node 1:125/555
    UUCP - ...!uunet!hoptoad!kumr!fidogate!33!John.Nieder
INTERNET - John.Nieder@f33.n125.z1.FIDONET.ORG

> There is also the problem of those (like me) who access the internet
> from outside, through gates.  The messages are not only marked with the
> point of origin automatically by the originating BBS's software, but are
> also subject to monitoring by any number of systems operators en route
> to internet.  When all of the headers (including passwords for the
> anonymous servers) are in plaintext, the entire anonymous system seems
> compromised.  While some servers I haven't tried yet seem to be PGPed,
> this doesn't seem to be the case with penet.fi.

Penet.fi will be PGP:s as soon as I get PGP running reliably on the
Interactive UNIX system I use. This weekend, I hope... But if you all
keep coming up with other new features I have to add, I don't know how
long it's going to take. And I have to upgrade the hardware as well,
the load is getting so big the current server is running out of both CPU
and disk. This weekend I will upgrade to a 486SX motherboard and a
bigger disk.

>  BK> How about an EFF sponsored server?
> 
> Yes, and preferably at a site outside the US, just for good measure.
> There is an obvious appeal to having servers outside the jurisdiction of
> American law-enforcement busybodies.

Yeah, seems that (and the fact that I have 100% control not only of the
site but of the network as well) is what has kept anon.penet.fi up this
long...

	Julf