From: allan@elvis.tamu.edu (Allan Bailey)
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 93 09:51:32 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: The Republic of Desire (anonymous organizations)
In-Reply-To: <9311181554.AA05033@ciis.mitre.org>
Message-ID: <9311181749.AA16590@elvis.tamu.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


"Alan (Gesture Man) Wexelblat" writes:
[[..deletia..]]
>
>This organization is vulnerable in two ways: any one person can give up
>three others; and the chain can be followed (e.g. compromising B can lead to
>compromising D and then to E, etc.).  Because information has to flow
>between the cells, there is potential for compromise.
>
>I can't think of a way around this problem.  If information flows from B to
>E, either B must know of E's existence or non-existence.
>

  The cell structure of 3 people wouldn't necessarily need to know
the "True Names" of anyone in other cells.  That's what the 
crypto-anarchy tools are for:  anonymous credentials, DC-nets and
webs-of-trust, digital signatures, etc.   These tools can be used
for "authenticating" the other cells, and communicating with them
without compromising (well... hopefully) your True Name and security.

  Knowing only anonymous Ids of other "persons" in the other cells is
useless to the "authorities".  Unless of course they can get your
passwords and keys and spoof you.  Now how can we make a protocol for
protection against such spoofing?  Some sort of Zero Knowledge proof scheme?

--
Allan Bailey, allan@elvis.tamu.edu          | "Freedom is not free."
Infinite 
iversity in Infinite Combinations | allan.bailey@tamu.edu
GCS -d+ p--- c++++ l+++ u++ e++ m++ s n+ h+ f g+ w+ t+ r y+
"Liberty means responsibility.  That is why most men dread it."
		-- George Bernard Shaw

"Armadillos....those are the meanest suckers you're ever gonna wanna see...
But you gotta kill 'em the first time, otherwise they get this revenge thing
 in their heads and they come lookin' for ya......."
                            -- (i got this from the 'zine Armadillo Culture)