[116765] in Cypherpunks
Re: Killing the Messenger
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Anonymous)
Fri Aug 20 13:32:19 1999
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 18:44:01 +0200 (CEST)
Message-Id: <199908201644.SAA00680@mail.replay.com>
From: Anonymous <nobody@replay.com>
To: mail2news@basement.replay.com, mail2news@nym.alias.net,
cypherpunks@toad.com
Reply-To: Anonymous <nobody@replay.com>
Rogue <rogue@nym.alias.net> wrote:
> I have posted a first draft of an essay on attempts to discredit
> remailers, as well as some of the reasons behind it. It does not go into
> great detail, is more of a general overview of why to use remailers,
> why to discredit them, and what to do about it. It is rather short for
> such an ambitious topic, but I feel addresses it well in a concise manner.
>
> You can reach it via http://roguerebel.cjb.net/messenger.html
>
> All critiques may be sent to rogue@nym.alias.net. My public key is
> posted on the site.
It is a very thought-provoking essay.
One of the problems with anonymity is that its enemies are often
hypocritical enough to use it in order to destroy it. For example,
if you are a denizen of a Usenet NG and don't like anonymous posts
for whatever reason, you can simply post a bunch of really obnoxious
posts yourself, anonymously of course, then use them as part of your
rational to get anonymous posts banned entirely.
If you want a profile of a remailer-hater, look at some of the
benefits of posting anonymously, then imagine the kind of person
that would be against each such benefit.
In my own opinion, the number one use of anonymous remailers for
posting public messages to usenet is to separate your IDEAS from
your NAME so that they can be evaluated on their own merit, apart
from prejudice against the author. And the very same people who
would otherwise have read your name and dug up dirt on you in order
to try to discredit your ideas instead find some comfort in bashing
your anonymous status instead, implying that anonymous posters are
"assholes", "cowards", etc. Imagine what they'd do if they had your
*NAME* (and, with a little detective work, you home address, phone
number, etc.) to play with, too!
Without the mechanism of anonymous posting, otherwise valuable
ideas would never be published for fear of offending some net.looney
who might harass or stalk you in retaliation for offending him/her.
