Not being a lawyer (despite my recent spate of "legal" posts, which were based on several hours browsing through the library), I wonder whether any provisions of the ECPA would apply to anonymous remailers. Several operators keep logs of messages and read them, occasionally rebuking or perhaps even blocking users who send inappropriate messages. (As far as I know, no cypherpunks have done blocking, but other remailer operators have. Several cypherpunks have said they read messages.) My feeling is that it is better for me as a remailer operator to have as little to do with the content of the messages as possible. I just don't want to know. If someone complains I will have, to the best of my ability, NO POSSIBILITY of breaking the anonymity of the message they were upset about. Paradoxically, this very blindness to the content of messages will, I hope, protect me if and when abusive or illegal messages are sent. Frankly, I find it paradoxical for remailer operators to try to keep secret information which will allow them to break the very service they are providing, anonymity. I think it represents confusion about just what they are trying to accomplish. And I think it could even get them into trouble if illegal messages go through their systems. Like the Fido sysops, in trying to protect themselves they may be exposing themselves to even more liability. Hal Finney hfinney@shell.portal.com