At 9:19 AM 2/2/96, Nelson Minar wrote:
I've been trying out various mechanisms for anonymity: remailer chains, HTTP proxies. There's one problem that makes them inconvenient to use regularly: latency.
"Latency" is not necessary for mix security. What is important is the number of messages mixed together in the mix. If it is desired that N = 10 and only 10 messages are entering the mix per hour, then, on average, the mix must wait an hour. E.g., "latency = one hour." If however, 100 messages are entering the mix per hour, then "latency = 6 minutes."
A good Type I remailer chain takes at least an hour to deliver email, instead of the 15 seconds I'm used to. Mixmaster-style takes even longer; the delay is important to the security of the system.
None of these points is necessarily true. --Tim May Boycott espionage-enabled software! We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^756839 - 1 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."