From: cfrye@ciis.mitre.org (Curtis D. Frye)
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 94 13:25:11 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Forged messages part of "Operation"?
Message-ID: <9401102130.AA13288@ciis.mitre.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Geoff Dale asks regarding forged signatures and id's:

>Any plans or tips on how to prove it in court?

Several of us on the list discussed this issue a month or so ago, covering
everything from computer-based text analysis tools which derive the
probability that two writing samples (one from a known author and one from
an anonymous author) were produced by the same individual.  Another list
member indicated in private email that sentence length and grammar were
also fairly invariant, so you could use those measures to build a case.  If
you'd like more information, I'd be happy to send you some of the list
traffic from that discussion.

The real question, as Tim May and others have pointed out numerous times,
is whether involving the heat is the best way to take care of problems.  If
we can't learn to effectively stamp out blatant abuses ourselves, then
there's no hope for evolving the net.community.  

I personally think Julf took a much-needed step in shutting down an12070,
though there's still the matter of Colorado State.

--
Best regards,

Curtis D. Frye - Economic Analyst, Software Alchemist, Aspiring Author
cfrye@ciis.mitre.org
"If you think I speak for MITRE, I'll tell you how much they
 pay me and make you feel foolish."