From: tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)
Date: Sun, 2 Oct 94 14:46:21 PDT
To: nobody@jpunix.com (Anonymous)
Subject: Re: Nom de guerre public key
In-Reply-To: <199410022111.QAA03425@jpunix.com>
Message-ID: <199410022145.OAA20902@netcom13.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Anonymous wrote:

> I'm new at both remailing and PGP, but having read the Cyphernomicon
> (OK, skimmed it) and various other FAQs, I haven't seen this issue
> addressed:

I'll be sure to put something in about this, though I thought I had.

> I've created a pseudonym and a PGP key pair for that pseudonym.  Now,
> how do I secure signatures for my public key, given the fact that (a)
> to sign it, you should be sure that it really belongs to me, and (b) I
> have no intention of revealing who "me" actually is?  You can't call me
> on the phone, or meet me face to face, or do any of those other
> standard practices for confirming the key before signing it.  But I
> sure don't want to use an unsigned, untrusted public key, since I want
> to make and keep a reputation and I can't risk someone spoofing my
> public key.
> 
> =======================================================================
>      Crim Tideson                     Privacy is its own justification.

Crim Tideson, you are who you say you are by the fact that you possess
the key yoy have just announced yourself with! Only you can sign
messages with the private key for which the public key produced a
valid signature.

We have no interest in your (alleged) physical identity. Maybe you are
a committee. Maybe you are an AI. Or a Zeta Reticulan.

Digital signatures have this wonderful property of being more
important than putative physical identity, such identity being vastly
easier to forge.

--Tim May


-- 
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
tcmay@netcom.com       | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
408-688-5409           | knowledge, reputations, information markets, 
W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA  | black markets, collapse of governments.
Higher Power: 2^859433 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available.
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