From: Sandy Sandfort Now everybody can either waste their time thinking up really neat-o keen-o ways to whack innocent spouses, business enemies and rich uncles, or you can support strong crypto and privacy by thinking up ways to mitigate the potentially negative side-effects of crypto-anarchy. ................................................................ Isn't it just another means to an end, like all others. Should only a few be allowed to use a system, method, or invention; should there be barriers against tools because someone might misuse them or misapply them, etc. (same arguments) My question, in noting the possibilities discussed, was to consider what the means of defense would be against such an event transpiring. Not a responsibility for some law-enforcement agency to take up, but for potential victims. Not that there is anything specific which cypherpunks should think up to counter the possibility that crypto will be used for murder-for-hire, but just that it is always necessary for independent anarchist types to arrange for their own solutions to the problems of technological advancement (or any other kind). "Technology" (actually, technologists) make new things possible or easier, and those who exist in the milieu within that culture must find a way to deal with the consequences of the new introduction into their midst. That is the ideal, right - you ascend to new heights of knowledge, ability, and efficacy, rather than keeping everyone on a lower level of functioning because someone might get out of hand and create a problem for others. I wouldn't think, "oh, it can't be done", simply because I myself can't imagine it. I would think, "so - what could I do about that", seeing as how it could be possible to someone and as how it isn't realistic to expect to be able to stop *every* one from reasoning along those lines. And I can think of things which an individual could do to deal with such contingencies, but could there be a crypto solution? Blanc