Re: The Remailer Crisis

>For example, the Linux mavens could tell us if Linux-based remailer
>boxes could be hung on dedicated connections to The Little Garden
>network, as a specific example. A "black box remailer" such as several
>folks have suggested (Chaum (in 1981), me, Eric Hughes, others) might be
>buildable for under a grand. We could ask here for contributions, and
>might even raise this amount of money. Then each of us who contributed
>could have "accounts," maybe several of them. Imagine 100 or more
>"remailers" all on this one machine--I'm deliberately ignoring the
>security issue for now. Little Garden has stated categorically that
>they will not tell users what they can or can't do with their machines
>(though I can think of some cases where they might have to, as with
>spamming, etc.). Anyway, you can see where I'm headed.

The "Linux mavens" followed by the "black box" stuff sparked an idea...

First, before delving into dreamland: I'm sure Linux could be hung off just
about any store-and-forward (a la UUCP) or TCP/IP-based network there is
with a minimum of trouble.

Linux junkies are familiar with the concept of "distributions".  For the
uninitiated, Linux itself is just a kernel; Linus Torvalds doesn't hold
anyone's hand when it comes to actually turning that kernel into a working
system.  As a result, people have done this job themselves: they build their
own working systems painstakingly from scratch and then archive it off to
disk or CD-ROM, which they sell or give away.  Most of the time, when you
get Linux, you're actually getting one of these "distributions" of Linux,
complete with all the frills that don't come with the kernel (like the
shell, basic utils, and so on).

Now how 'bout this: Consider a new distribution of Linux, the "Cypherpunk"
distribution (if ya don't like the name, make up yer own!).  This would be a
bare minimum of a distribution, with nothing fancy: bash, misc. utils like
ls, etc.  This can fit (tightly) in 20 MB.  The supplied kernel would have
every networking option under the sun turned on, but would be otherwise bare
of frills as well.  Now let's add minimal network utils (telnet and telnetd
for connecting and sendmail for obvious reasons), perl, PGP, and a remailer
package.  To make it as easy as possible, I'd use the UMSDOS filesystem, so
that Linux could be installed on a DOS machine without any reformatting,
repartitioning, or similar headaches.

We could make this available via FTP or press some CD-ROMs if we were
ambitious. Better yet, the cool Linux thing to do now is to install via NFS;
this makes installing Linux as easy as sticking in a boot disk and pointing
the install program at the NFS server (well, not quite, but pretty close).
After adding in the cute little install program (like the Slackware
distribution already has) and some boot options, you'd have an "instant
remailer" software package, able to transform any 386SX/4MB RAM DOS machine
or better into a Linux-based remailer site, complete with aliases, logging
policies, etc. already configured for you. I bet even Tim May could install
this if it were done right. :-)

So, am I dreaming, or does this sound viable to y'all?

Jeff's response is exactly what I was hoping for! The "Cypherpunks
distribution" version of Linux would be a great way to spread cheap
remailer technology on cheap Linux boxes. Hell, I might even augment
my Macs with one of these things!

Jeff Licquia wrote:

> The "Linux mavens" followed by the "black box" stuff sparked an idea...
> 
> First, before delving into dreamland: I'm sure Linux could be hung off just
> about any store-and-forward (a la UUCP) or TCP/IP-based network there is
> with a minimum of trouble.

This is what I'd expect....I just don't know the details.

> Now how 'bout this: Consider a new distribution of Linux, the "Cypherpunk"
> distribution (if ya don't like the name, make up yer own!).  This would be a
> bare minimum of a distribution, with nothing fancy: bash, misc. utils like
> ls, etc.  This can fit (tightly) in 20 MB.  The supplied kernel would have
> every networking option under the sun turned on, but would be otherwise bare
> of frills as well.  Now let's add minimal network utils (telnet and telnetd
> for connecting and sendmail for obvious reasons), perl, PGP, and a remailer
> package.  To make it as easy as possible, I'd use the UMSDOS filesystem, so
> that Linux could be installed on a DOS machine without any reformatting,
> repartitioning, or similar headaches.

A great idea. This could be the "remailer in a box" we've been talking
about for a long time. Could also include a package of security and
crypto utilities, etc. Sort of what the "Gnu" folks might do if they
were involved in crypto. (By "involved in crypto" I mean of course
Cypherpunks sorts of concerns, which Stallman seems to have not much
interest in, at least publically.)

> We could make this available via FTP or press some CD-ROMs if we were
> ambitious. Better yet, the cool Linux thing to do now is to install via NFS;
> this makes installing Linux as easy as sticking in a boot disk and pointing
> the install program at the NFS server (well, not quite, but pretty close).
> After adding in the cute little install program (like the Slackware
> distribution already has) and some boot options, you'd have an "instant
> remailer" software package, able to transform any 386SX/4MB RAM DOS machine
> or better into a Linux-based remailer site, complete with aliases, logging
> policies, etc. already configured for you. I bet even Tim May could install
> this if it were done right. :-)

Well, if I take the other side of the bet, that I *can't*, is that kosher?

> So, am I dreaming, or does this sound viable to y'all?

Sounds very good to me.

--Tim May


-- 
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
tcmay@netcom.com       | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
                       | knowledge, reputations, information markets, 
W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA  | black markets, collapse of governments.
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<html><head>
<h1>Volunteering</h1>
</head>
<body><pre><p>
As the Tired, Poor, Project gets it's next machines ready for their
next recipients, I will be able to finally upgrade to a 386, and pass
this 8088, to the next recipient down the line. (yeah!)
<blink>I would volunteer to be your pre-alpha tester</blink>.
I know that if I could run it anybody could be taught to run it. For I
would always be grateful in learning how it was done in the first place,
and will always help those farther down the line than me.
</pre><ul><p>
<li><a href="http="www.c2.org/~carolann/coffee.html">The coffee page has
some nice Cypherpunk links and Lance Cottrell's Homepage link in it</a>.
<p><h3>I would be curious to know how many of you read your mail, and
news with a browser, <a href="mailto:carolann@c2.org>Just click here, 
so I can get an idea</a>. <blink>Thanks ever so much!</blink><p>
<h2><blink>Love Always,</blink><p>
Carol Anne</h2>


Registered<BETSI>BEllcore Trusted Software Integrity system programmer
***********************************************************************
Carol Anne Braddock   "Give me your Tired, your Poor, your old PC's..."
The TS NET REVOKED PGP KEY NO.0C91594D
carolb@spring.com carolann@mm.com
************************************************************************
COMING SOON TO AN INTERNET NEWSGROUP NEAR YOU...............CENSORED.COM

> Jeff's response is exactly what I was hoping for! The "Cypherpunks
> distribution" version of Linux would be a great way to spread cheap
> remailer technology on cheap Linux boxes. Hell, I might even augment
> my Macs with one of these things!

One thing I should've noted is that a Linux-based cheap remailer is
mostly useless without a "live connection" to the Net. That's why I
mentioned hanging these directly off The Little Garden's net (i.e.,
putting the box in the same building as the physical net, to avoid
expensive connections).

What are the cheapest "live connections" (24-hour a day connections)
available? Where I am, about $100 a month, plus whatever the local
phone company charges for a dedicated line. ISDN is an option, but it
looks to cost $400-800 to get started, plus a monthly charge (which I
don't recall, except that I "gulped" when I heard it).

So, even an el cheapo 486-based Linux box, for perhaps $800 or so,
would need to solve the problem of a cheap, continuous connection to
the Net. (My supposition is that one approach is to share these
connections, hence my notion of hanging machines on other people's
nets.)

At $100-200 per month for connect charges, I don't expect a "cheap
Linux distribution" will cause many people to set up remailers.

What have I overlooked?

Are there options for several machines to share a connection? (I'm
sure there are....). Someone who already has a connection may be
willing to host additional machines, which could share some of the
charges.

--Tim May


-- 
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
tcmay@netcom.com       | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
                       | 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.
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Timothy C. May says:
> What are the cheapest "live connections" (24-hour a day connections)
> available? Where I am, about $100 a month, plus whatever the local
> phone company charges for a dedicated line.

In NYC, you can get a permanent dial up slip account for $75 per month
-- no dedicated line charges because there is no dedicated line per
se. Phone charges will add an additional $12 per month.

Perry