From: yanek@novavax.nova.edu (Yanek Martinson)
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 92 12:44:36 PST
To: shipley@tfs.COM (Peter Shipley)
Subject: Re: An easy-to-reply anonymous mail scheme
In-Reply-To: <9211252030.AA24576@edev0.TFS>
Message-ID: <9211252044.AA28256@novavax.nova.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> >as your return address.  Then watch alt.w.a.s.t.e for replies and decrypt
> 
> one problem is that pgp labels public/private key pairs with strings
> (thus I have to create a public/private key pair with a unique label string
> that has nothing to do with my name) the problem still exists that
> every message  posted to alt.w.a.s.t.e  with have my pgp key label string.

This is not a problem at all.

For every anonymous "identity" you want to maintain, you would have a key
pair (public/private).  The "label" part could contain anything you want,
or nothing at all (a space, or a dash, or the word "anonymous") but it would
be more convenient if you assigned a pseudonym.

> pgp does not support unlabeled crypted test

Just because (current version of) pgp does not support something does not
mean it can not be done.

> (eg: I can had it random cyphertext and have it figure out public/private
> key pair to use (by trying every key in my rings)

This would be a waste of time, and possibly imprctical if you have any
significant number of keys. 

You should not have to try each key, because the post would contain in the
Subject field the hash value of the public key, and using that you could
instantly identify which private key to use.


--
Yanek Martinson    mthvax.cs.miami.edu!safe0!yanek     uunet!medexam!yanek
this address preferred -->> yanek@novavax.nova.edu <<-- this address preferred
Phone (305) 765-6300 daytime   FAX: (305) 765-6708  1321 N 65 Way/Hollywood
      (305) 963-1931 evenings       (305) 981-9812  Florida, 33024-5819