Jim Choate[SMTP:ravage@ssz.com]
On Mon, 17 Dec 2001, Trei, Peter wrote:
Yes, I have read the letter - they need to treat input from known remailers differently due to worries over spam and flooding attacks, so they treat
other known remailers as priviliged sources of high volume traffic.
If the sending node doesn't know about the destination node, how does it konw where to send the traffic (even if the sender provides the address)? The reality is that the remailers must 'know' of each other one way or another. Simply being part of a 'remailer network' (anonymous or not) tends to already put one in a 'conspiratorial' situation.
Truly robust remailers MUST be located in domains that protect speech and association with something similar to 'innocent until proven innocent'. That's the only defence against 'conspiracy'.
Typical Choate, missing the point. A remailer simply gets sent a message, applies it's decryption key, and sends the contents on to the next address (yes, this type of remailer does not include nice features such as cover traffic). It has no idea if the address it received the message from is a remailer. It has no idea if the address it forwarded the message to is a remailer. It doesn't need to. Chaining is the sender's problem. The point here is that the remailer treats other remailers exactly as it treats source and destination nodes. There is no file on the remailer which says "I'll treat hosts from this list specially". This prevents the remop from having to worry about being sucked into a conspiracy charge for a crime commited by a different remop. He doesn't know, need to know, or want to know what other sites are remailers. He doesn't need to know the other remops, or communicate with them, except to inform the world (not just remops) that 'there is a remailer here." Peter Trei ============================================================================ ================ This e-mail, its content and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the addressee(s) and are PRIVILEGED and CONFIDENTIAL. Access by any other party is unauthorized without the express prior written permission of the sender. If you have received this e-mail in error you may not copy, disclose to any third party or use the contents, attachments or information in any way, Please delete all copies of the e-mail and the attachment(s), if any and notify the sender. Thank You. ============================================================================ ================