Hal Finney wrote:
Here is a simpler example of Wei's anonymous credit idea. We can call it the "borrowing cryptographers".
Hal, I have been following this thread with interest (no pun intended), and have had the foresight to not add to ideas that go beyond my own ability to follow. (I have to read your posts several times to even begin to grasp some of them.) I am wondering what other concrete examples you might be able to add to the one in this post which might point to an actual funtional implementation of the ideas you have been promulgating. Many of the CypherPunks discussions involve largely theoretical concepts which need much development to be practical, but it seems to me that in this post you are approaching a level where what you are discussing might actually be feasibly introduced in various microcosmic situations. Being a Canadian, and therefore semi-socialist by nature, I am thinking along the lines of Credit Union applicability of your ideas. Credit Unions often take the form of small groups of individuals or companies with common aims and/or backgrounds/interests. The basic idea behind many Credit Unions is that they are more prone to lend money to individuals or institutions which are promoting ideas which can be profitable, but which the average banker or loan agency would not understand sufficiently to advance money on. For example, having an interest in the issues you are discussing, I might be ameniable to getting involved in an effort to fund the development of the 'Hal-Wei Anonymous Credit' program. The advantage of a Credit Union setup is that I know that it is run with an eye to realistic chances of success being considered, but also will take into account efforts that should be funded which may have only a marginal chance of financial success, but will further the general cause of those things I am interested in. Truly there are a rising number of issues today which might benefit from the ability to participate anonymously in the funding of causes in which one has an interest. While AP is one of the more startling and newsworthy (?) aspects of anonymous lottery/credit systems, there are a multitude of minor causes which might benefit from the ability to engage in an anonymous credit system, as well. A simple example might be those who wish to financially back a legal challenge of their health-care system, without risking being denied benefits as a result of their participation. I think that some of the CypherPunks' contributions to computer technology go largely unrecognized because of the fact that they aide those who do not wish to draw attention to themselves, for the most part. There isn't a week that goes by without my receiving an email from someone who thanks me for the benefit they have gained by my introducing them to encryption or anonymous remailers, yet I doubt that many of them give the same feedback to those who provide those services. Remailer operaters seem to mostly receive shit and abuse for feedback, as a result of their efforts, yet I know from experience that there are many to whom their services have been a blessing. -- Toto "The Xenix Chainsaw Massacre" http://bureau42.base.org/public/xenix/xenbody.html