[89944] in Cypherpunks
John Young, stegonym
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Zooko Journeyman)
Thu Nov 13 13:20:33 1997
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 18:47:59 +0100 (MET)
From: Zooko Journeyman <zooko@xs4all.nl>
To: cypherpunks@ssz.com
Reply-To: Zooko Journeyman <zooko@xs4all.nl>
Most pseudonym users cope with the possibility that Mallet
will hate what they say by ensuring that he can't figure out
their True Name. JY is the next step-- Mallet can't figure
out what he is saying, or if it is serious, so J remains safe.
Z
P.S. Sorry to blow your cover, there, John...
P.P.S. Of course "True Name" is a confusing, abused concept.
There are three possible ideas-- (A): given a name "N", people
can map from N to your physical body, thus exposing you to the
risk of extortion, assassination, etc., or (B): given an
individual "I", people can find a name "M" such that they are
sure I is the brain directly behind M. Alternately, (C): given
a name "O" and a name "P", people can be sure that the brain
directly behind O is not also the brain directly behind P.
Both N and M and occasionally are sometimes thought of as "True
Names". (B) and (C) can sometimes be desirable, but
unfortunately most implementations of (B) and/or (C) imply (A).
(A) is never desirable.
P.P.P.S. TCM is the opposite (regressive?)-- he goes out of
his way to give a clear impression, to Mallet as well as to
friends and strangers, that he is dangerous, violent, racist,
homophobic, bigoted, emotionally disturbed, and irrational. We
know better, but unfortunately not everyone is so perceptive.
P.P.P.P.S. I know TCM likes discussing the True Name concepts
when he is in a good mood, but I hereby promise not to give him
the satisfaction of conversation until he writes 100 times on
the blackboard "I am not a threat to myself, my neighbors, or
the authorities.".
