Hi, I have been reading numerous threads on digital cash, and I have some questions I would like discussed.

currently when someone does extortion (kiddnapping too), they have two choices;

1-pick up the cash personally (or via a stooge) 2-transfer the funds via bank

Both ideas are bad, in that you stand a good chance at getting caught.

I was wondering, what if you demanded payment via Ecash, through nym servers, aliases, etc. From what I understand, it is just like cash, ie: no record of transaction, but you get the added bonus of not having to meet the other party-like a fund transfer. Once you have your 1,000,000 Ecash, you could dump it on a disk, and close your internet account (unless you really really trust your privacy technology). And I also think that you would have the option to cash this into real funds at either the Mark Twain bank, or likely somewhere in the Caymen Islands (maybe through those online gambling houses).

I am hoping that this will spark some discussion, and maybe slow down the dlv, TM spam war.

Also, I was only wondering about this for mere discussion reasons :)

/sb

Although Digicash's ecash offers anonymity to the payor it does not to the payee. The reasons have to do with the way coins are blinded. So LE could, with the bank's cooperation, easily associate the two sides of a transaction. This was intentional on Chaum's part, either for moral or practical political considerations. Its probably only a relatively minor patch to allow one ecash purse (the kidnapper's) to generate the blind token values so that another (similarly patched) purse (the vicitim's) can submit them to the mint and return the minted coins to the kidnapper (e.g., by posting on a popular Usenet group). In this scenario the only reasonable way left to track the money is via linkage (the size and timing of deposits and withdrawls in the kidnapper's account). PGP Fingerprint: FE 90 1A 95 9D EA 8D 61 81 2E CC A9 A4 4A FB A9 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Snoop Daty Data | Internet: azur@netcom.com Grinder | Sacred Cow Meat Co. | --------------------------------------------------------------------- Counter-cultural technology development our specialty. Vote Libertarian. Just say NO to prescription DRUGS. "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." -- C.S. Lewis "Surveillence is ultimately just another form of media, and thus, potential entertainment." -- G. Beato