-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Current nym based remailers suffer from the same insecurity that all return address share. It is easy for an opponent to trace a return address by sending many messages to that address, and watching the traffic generated. If the remailer uses a database of nyms to real names (like Julf's penet remailer) then all security rests with the integrity of the operator and the security of that one system. These security problems can be avoided, while still providing the benefits of a "replyable" address. I suggested the following scheme at the last San Diego Cypherpunks meeting. It was well received there, so I hope it will be of interest. Having read the help files, this is my understanding of how the current nym based remailers work. I send an anonymous reply block to the nym remailer, which puts it in a database, along with my chosen nym. This can all be done through remailers. Now anyone can send mail to nym@remailer.address.com and it will be sent to me using the reply block I sent. I propose two changes: 1) To facilitate replying to nyms, I should be able to send mail to the remailer indicating the nym it should appear to be from. Then a recipient would simply hit reply, and the response would go back to the real sender. 2) I propose the use of message pools rather than return addresses. With enough subscribers, the best way to do this would be using mailing lists. There already exist many tools which could filter out all pool message other than yours. Until that time, alt.anonymous.messages would be a better choice. To be practical, both of these schemes require that the user be able to filter out messages to other nyms. The remailer (which might be better called a nym server) should place the subject line of the incoming reply in the body of the message, and replace the subject line with some searchable string (e.g. To Nym: Pr0duct Cypher). Searching alt.anonymous.messages for your nym in the subject line would reveal all messages to you. While the current system would allow me to have messages sent to a message pool using a mail-to-news gateway, I am not now able to search for messages to me, and I can not send messages "From: " my nym. -Lance (Ice Weasel) Cottrell -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6 iQCVAwUBLuqx5VVkk3dax7hlAQE2UAP9FEBCHyRZid7oAXHqSf2OUk63uMKzBSaE ftW5WYkXJNfyeZFXlsMqfgBorB9LBzdza4xAM+V31zKuBBe4n//i29TE25vN+Qwq FAiAQ0L4tj6KiTl/Yt7alw6b6aLm60Hj9C3MsRRAj3hBnUo2b3VViR+W9bE2n7Ox pHtTUnQQIRA= =P/bW -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -------------------------------------------------- Lance Cottrell who does not speak for CASS/UCSD loki@nately.ucsd.edu PGP 2.6 key available by finger or server. Encrypted mail welcome. Home page http://nately.ucsd.edu/~loki/ Home of "chain" the remailer chaining script. For anon remailer info, mail remailer@nately.ucsd.edu Subject: remailer-help "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra. Suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night the ice weasels come." --Nietzsche