-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Ian Sparkes wrote:

If all anonymous posters make a concerted effort to write like Mr. Nakatuji, not only will anonymity be assured, but the list will be a *lot* funnier.

"You know Mixmaster? Send me 50 dollar, I show you how use." But seriously, there is something to be said for adopting a style of writing specific to a nym or group of nyms. Anyone who has read The Economist magazine on various occasions knows how its language and tone are consistent, as if one author writes every article, issue after issue. Having the writings of a nym "edited" by others as a way of foiling Stylometry -- the statistical analysis of literary style -- may prove to be a lucrative business if nyms ever gain wide use, especially if they are used in ecommerce where anonymity of the nym holder is paramount to avoid the wrath of the tax man in his physical jurisdiction. Much of our writing style is unconscious. We habitually use certain vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation. Our writings are like a fingerprint. The more we write, the greater the detail of that fingerprint. We can try to alter the style. Write shorter or longer sentences. Choose our words capriciously. But on some occasions (think ecommerce) it may be necessary to have a second party rewrite the original text. Enter the "nym editor" to remove the stylometric clues from a nym's writings. Correspondence between the nym owner and editor could be achieved anonymously using remailers, nym servers and "throw away" email accounts (Hotmail and Mailexcite). When the nym owner locates an editor and they agree on the terms of engagement, the owner submits his text to the editor. The editor reworks it, and sends it back to the owner. The owner may then make a few small changes or even submit it to another nym editor before posting the text under his nym. A nym owner may prefer a certain editor's style and continue to use him. Thus the nym will offer stylometric clues of the editor, not the owner. The nym owner can pay the editor using ecash, preferably of the fully-anonymous flavor. If the nym owner stiffs the editor on a payment, he can then broadcast it through the relevant channels. The nym suffers loss of reputation capital. It seems reasonable to assume that the likelihood of fraud by the nym holder is slim, especially if the editor tends to deal with persistent nyms. Fraud by the nym editor is also unlikely. The worst he could do is publish the unedited text, giving stylometric clues about the nym holder. The prudent nym holder who uses more than one editor can better avoid such a situation, though that risk is never entirely eliminated. However if the nym editor is uncertain of the author of the text he is reworking, there is little incentive to blackmail the nym holder since all he may be doing is passing on stylometric clues about another nym editor. Amad3us wrote elsewhere:

What do people think this nym is for? Only nyms can trade with impunity in the tax free cypherspace.

But only as long as the nym holder remains anonymous. Digital mixes are superb, but what good are they when we give away clues about who we are with every keystroke we embed in our digitally-signed messages? Nerthus -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP for Personal Privacy 5.0 Charset: noconv iQEVAwUBNHElEuFWwZe05jcJAQFSpwf6A63ba2/dSjXMJgdc4s5PvxbX+p4+J0Yw Hs+0unBnW+ULINMzyWyAs/q0oMVkXFHwD14t3VGQb+ofuhxXyC1c/tmuzKadgM5d OUAj1lmthAJncv9nJWulWAVJuksei4/xgGfAq18wSL4l9bt9L7UTY4m0zSnvlvDf KR3F+koKreO4dn9C0AcIMeClHWwpepUpxZflJwSszaPnCciuOHJ1ga/lKz+NCvmp CXPXzGW2PpfwhRBt0AkkX4WfnYNiFupalSx6pxgrHDiMHAMEr4G0W8fZlAUW8dSB X+1DSTMdCZLDMTsfSozUXDMiZB2Jgxwlu5vxcvY+kODBcCy9RGZBPw== =H2qx -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----