-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Still working through my 10MB cpunks mail backlog; this one's from November 17, 1995: jim bell writes [msg #0]:
It seems to me that this should be possible, within limits, if the potential payee could generate a "blinded" note to be delivered to the payer by anonymous means. The payer could get the note certified by the bank, possibly given an extra "blind" if necessary (is this possible? Desirable? Why not?) and then the resulting still-blinded but certified note is posted (in encrypted form, I supposed) to the 'net so that only the payee can decrypt and unblind it.
I wrote: # This sounds like a version of "Hey, I'll pay you $10, if you give me a ten # dollar bill first." As I understand your protocol, Bob gives Alice an enote, # then Alice gives Bob an enote. [...] jim bell writes [msg #1]:
It sounds like you understand even less about the details of digital cash than I do.
First, read the August 1992 issue of Scientific American, the article by David Chaum. He explains, with a certain amount of detail, how blinded digital cash operates. To become validated and worth money, it first has to be electronically "written," blinded, and then signed by the bank. Then it is unblinded, at which point it can be spent.
What I was saying is that the notes would be written by the payee, then blinded by the payee, given to the payer, and then signed by the payer's bank. At this point, they are worth money, and they are then returned to the payee, [...]
Aha, thanks for the elaboration. I was confused by your use of the term "note" to describe something that isn't in fact worth money, when you said "the potential payee could generate a "blinded" note to be delivered to the payer". It also helps that I haven't read much of the ecash(tm :) protocol details :} Futplex <futplex@pseudonym.com> "KC who?" -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQEVAwUBMPCeyynaAKQPVHDZAQFDygf/bUtOQcyhz9p1a3SdmwW8z0+sLtIhTgpM Ii3mmFiFPaKmUYwdQiRbUi8KVCIooZCWhY44NRDlcRUZJSYCy0E0vBoJmwIKEq7g NMN5wvmoRhEnoezYMaI2bVW782cTN9RZy4MH2oRc8OARTrm1yGrLh31WN7iX9Uh3 hv6nDVPjVfSg7T1O5P4upN8UWEiLaEvCvzeKvdLZoIrNpWaMNsdUOgV9+IOv7ns7 NVYtfb3ZgURr3/kxpvRAMorW76+qpaDF9CH6us9bI4ZTsUMhoH4JfSTeNQ3XaSnC QAZxpjfM3EVd79jF+djnliq+29bDnzMuOhpAefIBs6PQMq05gQfE0A== =1aX0 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----