Once again (and hopefully for the last time!), I reiterate that it is the person *placing* the contract who is at zero risk (except for the risk of losing their digital cash). Stings can be set up to catch the killer, but providing the person doing the hiring trusts no one but himself, there is no risk to him. To the extent that there is *any* risk to this person, the goals of crypto anarchy have not been met. This pertains to every conceivable security leak that might affect the person placing the contract.

Doug Cutrell General Partner

And the risk of losing the digital cash can be made vanishingly small by use of anonymous escrow services, which act solely as holders of the digital cash. They will arise to fill two market needs: 1. The contract killers will not take the "word" of a contract purchaser, who has nothing to lose by renegging after the deed is done. A "reputatble" third party (obviously untraceable, of course) will be desired. 2. Likewise, the purchaser will not make the payment to the contract killer and then just "hope for the best." She, too, will want protection from renegging, various excuses, etc. Anonymous escrow services are an essential part of the ecology of digital assassinations. The thread we had on this a few weeks ago may be useful to those interested. And my FAQ has some stuff on reputations, anonymous escrow, etc. --Tim May -- .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^859433 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. Cypherpunks list: majordomo@toad.com with body message of only: subscribe cypherpunks. FAQ available at ftp.netcom.com in pub/tcmay