The Navy's Onion Routing project (www.onion-router.net) actual makes reference to anonymous cell phone networks by using encrypted proxies (Onions). The current implementation is IP based, but the briefing documents refer to any public networks including pager and cell networks. -Austin Quoted text from Phil Karn (karn@qualcomm.com ) on 4/22/98 12:33 PM

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On cell "remailers": Why resend the cell signal? Why not instead set up a generic phone call resender, which could be used by cell users and non-users alike? As long as you use the call resender for all of your important calls, the feds (and others) will find it very difficult to figure out what cell phone ID to triangulate or home phone number to tap

Exactly. And I think this brings the remailing concept full circle. Wasn't the basic idea invented for telephones way back in (alcohol) Prohibition days? As I recall, a device called a "cheesebox" connected two phone lines. When a call came in on one line, it went back out on the other. You'd place a cheesebox in some third party's back room, e.g., a restaurant owner who was paid for the privilege and to keep his mouth shut. If the cops traced a call, it would lead them to the restaurant owner, who would tip off the bootleggers.

Does anyone have any historical references for these things? I think it would be fun to see how an earlier age made use of anonymous remailers based on a much simpler technology.

Phil

_________________________________________________________________________ Austin Hill Zero-Knowledge Systems Inc. Chief Technical Officer Montreal, Quebec Phone: 514.286.2636 Fax: 514.286.2755 _________________________________________________________________________ "Anonymity represents for many people a liberating even more than a threatening phenomenon." -Harvey Cox, The Secular City