address; and offer to accept deposits by cash, check, or what have you. With the deposit, write on it your PGP handle. Email me your public key corresponding to the handle on the deposit.
A better way would be to mail the public key itself, or a short hash of it along with your payment. That is all the information that would be required. A "handle" would be completely optional. If only the hash value is mailed, then the full key can be e-mailed or anonymously posted to a newsgroup that you montitor. If the full key is mailed, you should invest in a scanner and some simple OCR software. This way, someone may print out the public key and mail it to you.
I will maintain a public list showing handles vs. Amount received, in collection, and in escrow.(Set Subject = "BANK" to get the list)
You should not disclose someone's balance to anyone else, and certainly no to the public. Someone requesting their balance should send the request by any communications channel (anonymous mail, newsgroup, anything) and sign it with the private key corresponding to the public key used when making the deposit. Then you should encrypt your reply (the account balance & any other info) using the public key, and send it back through any channel.
Funds will be paid out based on instructions encyphered with your private key.
I would make it: funds will be transferred based on instructions _signed_ with the private key corresponding to the public key used for deposit. P.S. this would be equivalent to digital checking accounts. Do not confuse this scheme with the much more interesting Digital Cash ideas. -- Yanek Martinson mthvax.cs.miami.edu!safe0!yanek uunet!medexam!yanek this address preferred -->> yanek@novavax.nova.edu <<-- this address preferred Phone (305) 765-6300 daytime FAX: (305) 765-6708 1321 N 65 Way/Hollywood (305) 963-1931 evenings (305) 981-9812 Florida, 33024-5819