Forwarded message:
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 1997 22:04:09 +0200 (MET DST) Subject: Re: Remailers and ecash (fwd) From: nobody@REPLAY.COM (Anonymous)
When all your customers are anonymous, you don't get to be very choosy.
Shure you can. The operator offers a simple service, resend email anonymously. If the result of that email is the anon user bringing hardship on the remailer cancel their account. If they do it again, cancel it again. Such is the woes of a commercial remailer. Outside of that, if they don't like the fact that I won't do other things for them when they are anonymous that is too bad. Like I said, I offer specific services with specific goals for a specific fee. If the results are not what you wanted, too bad. You want my other services then you'll have to give up the anonymity because I need a certain level of security that dealing with anonymous customers simply can't provide. I would operate a commercial remailer, I would limit my services to keeping the remailer up and the accounts valid so long as the money flowed in from the users, period. I don't do dedicated lines, security audits, development, etc. to anonymous customers. ____________________________________________________________________ | | | The financial policy of the welfare state requires that there | | be no way for the owners of wealth to protect themselves. | | | | -Alan Greenspan- | | | | _____ The Armadillo Group | | ,::////;::-. Austin, Tx. USA | | /:'///// ``::>/|/ http:// www.ssz.com/ | | .', |||| `/( e\ | | -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- Jim Choate | | ravage@ssz.com | | 512-451-7087 | |____________________________________________________________________|
When all your customers are anonymous, you don't get to be very choosy.
Sameer's C2.Net used to be an ISP business, providing privacy services, and he found that enough of his anonymous customers were problem customers that it was a real pain to support. Similarly, remailer operators often spend a lot of time dealing with spammers and harassers. (An important part of the job is maintaining blocking lists of people who don't want mail.) However, you can keep track of your anonymous customers - have them use pseudonyms, e.g. PGP signatures maintaing a consistent identity even though you don't know the True Name of the customer or whether one customer is using multiple pseudonyms, and if you kill off one customer you can't be sure they won't come back with a new pseudonym.
Like I said, I offer specific services with specific goals for a specific fee. If the results are not what you wanted, too bad. You want my other services then you'll have to give up the anonymity because I need a certain level of security that dealing with anonymous customers simply can't provide.
For the most part, that security involves three aspects - making sure you get paid (so make anonymous customers pay in advance) - keeping one customer from cracking into your system and your other customers' (internal firewalls help; may be more work/money than it's worth.) - not having cops raiding you or angry global villagers with flamethrowers showing up. Besides, lots of people deal with anonymous customers every day; they don't call themselves John Doe, they call themselves Foo Corporation and operate from 1234 Main St. Suite 67, which is a mailbox... Thanks! Bill Bill Stewart, stewarts@ix.netcom.com Regular Key PGP Fingerprint D454 E202 CBC8 40BF 3C85 B884 0ABE 4639
Bill Stewart <stewarts@ix.netcom.com> writes:
When all your customers are anonymous, you don't get to be very choosy.
Sameer's C2.Net used to be an ISP business, providing privacy services, and he found that enough of his anonymous customers were problem customers that it was a real pain to support.
Last October, Sammer was being sued for copyright infringement and he claimed in court papers that he doesn't censor content on C2's ISP. Literally at the same time he pulled the plug on a C2 account for publishing a Web page critical of one of Sameer's associates. Here's Sameer's e-mail to that account: ]From sameer Thu Oct 24 10: 34:59 1996 ]Received: (from sameer@localhost) by blacklodge.c2.net (8.7.6/8.7.3) id ]KAA05716; Thu, 24 Oct 1996 10:34:58 -0700 (PDT) ]From: sameer <sameer@c2.net> ]Message-Id: <199610241734.KAA05716@blacklodge.c2.net> ]Subject: Re: www.c2.net/~netscum/mayt0.html ]To: netscum@c2.net ]Date: Thu, 24 Oct 1996 10:34:58 -0700 (PDT) ]Cc: sameer@c2.net ]In-Reply-To: <3279b6dd.124287235@mail.c2.net> from "netscum@c2.net" at "Oct ] 24, 96 00:26:22 am" ]X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4ME+ PL22 (25)] ]MIME-Version: 1.0 ]Content-Type: text/plain; charset=3DUS-ASCII ]Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ] ] I'm sorry. If you don't remove the illegal web pages we're ]going to be forced to shut off your account. ] ]> Dear Sameer, ]> ]> What was reported to you was mistaken. The referenced page contains no ]> libel, and all the claims therein are factually correct and can be proved ]> easily by browing public documents in DejaNews and AltaVista. ]> ]> Good luck in your SPA lawsuit!! ]> ]> ]> On Wed, 23 Oct 1996 12:41:53 -0700 (PDT), sameer <sameer@c2.net> posted: ]> ]> > The URL in the subject (http://www.c2.net/~netscum/mayt0.html) ]> > was reported to us as illegal libel. Please note that our policies ]> > forbid any illegal activity on the site. Please remove this page as ]> > soon as possible. Thank you. ]> > ]> > -- ]> > Sameer Parekh Voice: ]> 510-986-8770 ]> > C2Net FAX: ]> 510-986-8777 ]> > The Internet Privacy Provider ]> > http://www.c2.net/ sameer@c2.net ]> > ]> ] ] ]-- ]Sameer Parekh Voice: 510-986-8770 ]C2Net FAX: 510-986-8777 ]The Internet Privacy Provider ]http://www.c2.net/ sameer@c2.net You'd think that a pathologically litigious liar would know better than to use terms like "illegal libel"... Soon after this incident Parekh settled the copyright infringement suit, pulled the plug on C2net's ISP business, and switched to peddling (questionable) software. --- Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps
participants (3)
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Bill Stewart -
dlv＠bwalk.dm.com -
Jim Choate