Re: future existence of free remailers?

>I think this was me, or at least I've advocated that many people
>become "first class citizens" be being remailers themselves. There are
>thus no "sources" or "sinks" of messages...any Federales who pound on
>your door can be told "Oh, but I was just _remailing_ that message you
>traced to me."
>

Please excuse me if this has already been discussed... but... What about
the trend of busting the sysops of bbs'? The recent Fidonet bust in Italy
seems to support this trend. It sounds to me like any remailers remailing
illegal stuff may get caught in the dragnet.

No?

 - Joi


--
true name:                 <Joichi Ito>
closest email address:     <jito@netcom.com>
closest fax number:        <+81-3-5454-7218>
current physical location: <Tokyo>
travel path:               <Portola Valley.8/7!NRT.8/30!Austria.9/19
                            NRT.9/27!SFO.10/1!NRT.10/18>
mosaic home page:          http://www.eccosys.com/
--
finger jito@netcom.com for PGP Public Key, RIPEM Public Key
--
Things are more like they used to be than they are now.

Joichi-san writes: 

> Please excuse me if this has already been discussed... but... What about
> the trend of busting the sysops of bbs'? The recent Fidonet bust in Italy
> seems to support this trend. It sounds to me like any remailers remailing
> illegal stuff may get caught in the dragnet.
> 
> No?

With nested encryption through the Labyrinth (first the Net, then the
Web, now the Labyrinth?), only the last remailer who remails to a site
that is under observation or is a sting site (common in Memphis) is
vulnerable.

And even that last remailer may be able to claim ignorance (and win in
court) if he can show that what he mailed was unreadable to him, i.e.,
encrypted to the recipient. (This is another reason I favor a goal of
"everyone a remailer.")

With canonical remailers, and no logging, earlier remailers should be
safe.

By the way, welcome Joichi (your first post to the list, that I can
recall).

--Tim May


-- 
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
tcmay@netcom.com       | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
408-688-5409           | knowledge, reputations, information markets, 
W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA  | black markets, collapse of governments.
Higher Power: 2^859433 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available.
"National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."