Cyphernomicon Top
Cyphernomicon 13.5

Activism and Projects:
Responses to Our Projects (Attacks, Challenges)


   13.5.1. "What are the likely attitudes toward mainstream Cypherpunks
            projects, such as remailers, encryption, etc.?"
           - Reaction has already been largely favorable. Journalists
              such as Steven Levy, Kevin Kelly, John Markoff, and Julian
              Dibbell have written favorably. Reaction of people I have
              talked to has also been mostly favorable.
   13.5.2. "What are the likely attitudes toward the more outre
            projects, such as digital money, crypto anarchy, data havens,
            and the like?"
           - Consternation is often met. People are frightened.
           - The journalists who have written about these things (those
              mentioned above) have gotten beyond the initial reaction
              and seem genuinely intrigued  by the changes that are
              coming.
   13.5.3. "What kinds of _attacks_ can we expect?"
           + Depends on the projects, but some general sorts of attacks
              are likely. Some have already occurred. Examples:
             + flooding of remailers, denial of service attacks--to
                swamp systems and force remailers to reconsider
                operations
               - this is fixed (mostly) with "digital postage" (if
                  postage covers costs, and generates a profit, then the
                  more the better)
             + deliberately illegal or malicicious messages, such as
                death threats
               - designed to put legal and sysop pressures on the
                  remailer operator
               - several remailers have been attacked this way, or at
                  least have had these messages
               - source-blocking sometimes works, though not of course
                  if another remailer is first used (many issues here)
             + prosecution for content of posts
               + copyright violations
                 - e.g., forwarding ClariNet articles through Hal
                    Finney's remailer got Brad Templeton to write warning
                    letters to Hal
               - pornography
               - ITAR violations, Trading with the Enemy Act
               - espionage, sedition, treason
               - corporate secrets,
           - These attacks will test the commitment and courage of
              remailer or anonymizing service operators
 

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