The Need for Positive Repuations

[Eric Hughes]

--------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------
You sent this to cypherpunks-request and not to cypherpunks.

Eric
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Return-Path: <@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu:KL62 at MARISTB.BITNET>
Date:        Fri, 18 Dec 92 15:18:35 EST
From: "Ryan, Edmund J" <KL62%MARISTB.bitnet at YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu>
To: <cypherpunks-request at toad.com>
Subject: Re: The Need for Positive Repuations
In-Reply-To: In reply to your message of FRI 18 DEC 1992 11:45:55 EST

> Indeed, in the long run, when there are billions of people in the nets,
> even UseNet newsgroups devoted to people who use musical instruments as
> sex toys would have thousands of posts a day because given billions of
> possible subscribers, finding a few tens of thousands with a particularly
> obscure interest wouldn't be hard. Thus, in the long run, the nets will move
> to "closed" newsgroups and mailing lists in which to be a subscriber one
> will have to be explicitly subscribed to a list and will only be able to
> read with one's private key and post by digitally signing messages. In such
> an environment, anonymous abusers will simply be incapable of annoying people.

Well there won't be a complete movement in that direction.
The set up of the list may differ. Some lists may be open to all to
read but open only to subscribers to post. Some lists may be the
other way around. (Can't think of an example, but there may be one
out there.) By the way, I've never really seen too many abusive
postings on the Usenet groups I frequent.It doesn't seem to be a
problem. Just my opinion.

> A weak version of this exists already in the Extropians mailing list, which
> considers itself to be a closed list. The list is governed by a privately
> produced legal code (its in some ways a test of anarchocapitalist legal theory
> and since the adoption of the code, we've had a reduction of flaming by
> a large factor even though we've seen a three fold increase in list size.
> The content is improving because people know that sanctions will be applied
> for flaming and that they can actually be kicked off the list, and that being
> kicked off is meaningful. In the long run, all serious discussion groups
> will likely evolve in this direction, with the lists being closed to explicit
> subscribers and with meaningful sanctions like ostracism being applied to
> people that behave in an antisocial manner. Such lists have little reason
> to fear people hiding behind cloaks of anonymity. With digital signatures,
> even the anonymous can develop meaningful reputations and can be sanctioned
> for failing to live up to those reputations.
>
> Perry

Again, there will always be the fun of watching people flame.

Virtually,

Edmund J. Ryan

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- Edmund J. Ryan          C.I.S. Major           Extropian             -
- KL62 at MARISTB            C.S. Minor             Libertarian           -
-               "Insert your snappy quote of the day."                 -
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- Edmund J. Ryan              Major:  Computer Information Systems     -
- KL62 at MARISTB                Minor:  Computer Science/Business        -
- Marist College              Political philosophy:  Libertarian       -
- Poughkeepsie, NY                                   Extropian         -
-                                                                      -
-               "Replace taxpayers with shareholders,                  -
-                regulators with customers: privatize!"                -
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