-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- At 3:35 PM 10/23/95, Futplex wrote:

Lance Cottrell writes:

...

I think one solution to this problem is to encourage (require) the use of pseudonym servers. Having a server like alpha as the entity on the from line has several advantages.

1) Less Spam since it takes some effort to set up the nym and it will be taken away as soon as the spam starts.

I fear this will be a short-lived gain. User-friendly scripts for establishing pseudonymous accounts are pretty easy to write. They may be beyond the average Fast Money Maker, but I expect myself and others will be putting them out on the Net for general consumption.

One need not automate the process of setting up anonymous accounts. One might also require some sort of exchange before activating the nym to verify that the return address is working. <SNIP>

Semi-permanent account status confers privileges to the user, IMHO. I believe a pseudonymous account ideally should be treated the same as a regular account on an ISP. For example, an admin will not unilaterally close an account upon receiving a single complaint about the account user. Certainly I don't know of an ISP that routinely blocks its users' accounts from sending mail to selected other accounts. Lest I seem too presumptuous, let me say that I realize all immediately foreseeable pseudonymizers are free services. Clearly these service providers can set whatever policies they wish, and are not directly competing with the fee-charging ISPs. Perhaps future fee-charging pseudonymizers will consider these criteria in offering enhanced services.

-Futplex <futplex@pseudonym.com>

I agree. With both free and for-fee nym servers must clearly spell out what actions will result in the termination of the nym. Perhaps 1 spam, 1 systematic harassment, or more than 5 serious complaints per month. Obvious this would need to be tuned to preserve free speech while allowing abusers to be quickly squelched. I would imagine an ecology of these servers would develop with some short lived permissive servers mixed with long lived more restrictive ones. -Lance -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQEVAwUBMI8kEfPzr81BVjMVAQF3QAgAh+Q03VU3b69uQqylri/S2EJvfS5MqQ4V JRTZRu8ZQTjb7Ic6KowQXogXG0yAv/GUa6jEWup+fO1omR2t/s7AtXjcFC6du1hh iwSeRw1QVtyspDu6FHAJNL98uG3b0taSHJxfAueA4CA8lZm00vP1exM1A0ndPjXN 6/oM/O5xdUET2tanlpcW2WDdVOZDDGQGvMORlrG8WmJKWebmcg9GnrE5gyZLs3Wr ijze7CccyPLnET4dZiry9Qd/NRx2hgdfkDopTNiTbvmGCXulzqBpqSZ689KDITAK MNgSagZKgOsy7pRGCFSK9EPljZ2IwPtCrE/s9YX0kkJtDhq84SU3EQ== =UBy5 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ---------------------------------------------------------- Lance Cottrell loki@obscura.com PGP 2.6 key available by finger or server. Mixmaster, the next generation remailer, is now available! http://obscura.com/~loki/Welcome.html or FTP to obscura.com "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra. Suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night the ice weasels come." --Nietzsche ----------------------------------------------------------