From: Hal Finney <hal@rain.org>
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 21:00:52 -0800 (PST)
To: ph@netcom.com
Subject: RE: Remailer Abuse Solutions
Message-ID: <199611140459.UAA01890@crypt.hfinney.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


I had a similar thought a few months ago.  Actually with DigiCash there
is a specially nice feature from the point of view of the remailer.

Suppose the cash is embedded in the message headers itself.  The remailer
receives the message with the cash in it, turns it in at the bank to
make sure it is good, and withdraws a new blinded coin which it sticks
in the headers of the outgoing message.  The eventual recipient of that
message can then have his software turn in that coin and if it is good
that raises the priority of the message for him to read.

The nice thing is that if the recipient doesn't have the DigiCash software,
he will never cash the coin.  That means that the remailer can, after a
delay, reclaim uncashed coins for its own use.  It doesn't have to charge
postage explicitly, but it benefits as a middleman from unclaimed postage.

This would also of course encourage people to learn to use digital cash
so they could take advantage of these pennies from heaven in their
mailboxes.

Hal