From: dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM)
Date: Sat, 8 Feb 1997 08:26:44 -0800 (PST)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: remailer-operators DEA agents?
In-Reply-To: <19970207054708.10191.qmail@squirrel.owl.de>
Message-ID: <7yDT2D70w165w@bwalk.dm.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Sandy the C2Net Censor tossed the following question to flames:

Secret Squirrel <nobody@squirrel.owl.de> writes:

> Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM wrote:
> > c.musselman@internetmci.com (Charley Musselman) writes:
> > > C'punks --
> > >     When I told a friend about the alt.drugs.pot cultivation newsgroup
> > > and suggested that he use an anonymous remailer to post to the group,
> > > he laughed and said, "Who do you suppose runs the remailers?  ATF,
> > > FBI, DEA, that's who!"  Gee, it makes sense to this paranoid.  Does
> > > anyone know the answer?  Specifically, how can we choose a trusted
> > > remailer?
> >
> > Even if the feds are not directtly involved, the so-called "cypher punk"
> > remailers are run by people who should not be trusted.  Check out their
> > remailer-operators list: it's full of announcements that some specific
> > person posted something via the remailer that the operator didn't like.
>
> Examples, please?

Plenty. There was a whole thread about the operator of the defunct lead
remailer disclosing his users' identities. Here's a recent one:

]Received: from get.wired.com (HELO wired.com) (204.62.131.5)
]  by anon.lcs.mit.edu with SMTP; 6 Feb 1997 23:37:35 -0000
]Received: from avenger.hotwired.com (avenger.hotwired.com [206.221.193.5]) by wired.com (8.7.6/8.7.3) with SMTP id PAA09050; Thu, 6 Feb 1997 15:37:34 -0800 (PST)
]Message-Id: <3.0.32.19970206160603.0086acb0@get.hotwired.com>
]X-Sender: toxic@get.hotwired.com
]X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32)
]Date: Thu, 06 Feb 1997 16:06:04 -0800
]To: remailer-operators@anon.lcs.mit.edu
]From: Jeff Burchell <toxic@hotwired.com>
]Subject: Commercial SPAM from ClaritaInc@aol.com
]Mime-Version: 1.0
]Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
]
]
]Tofu trapped a bunch of shit coming from ClaritaInc@aol.com.  They're
]posting to usenet, advertising things for sale (Including a $10 pamphlet
]explaining how to send anonymous internet email, and the standard
]make.money.fast chainletter scheme)
]
]I've source blocked them, I suggest you do the same.
]
]-Jeff

Jeff also said the following, which seems to contradict the above:

]Delivered-To: remailer-operators@anon.lcs.mit.edu
]Received: from get.wired.com (HELO wired.com) (204.62.131.5)
]  by anon.lcs.mit.edu with SMTP; 7 Feb 1997 01:17:48 -0000
]Received: from avenger.hotwired.com (avenger.hotwired.com [206.221.193.5]) by wired.com (8.7.6/8.7.3) with SMTP id RAA26127; Thu, 6 Feb 1997 17:17:47 -0800 (PST)
]Message-Id: <3.0.32.19970206174616.0086c8e0@get.hotwired.com>
]X-Sender: toxic@get.hotwired.com
]X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32)
]Date: Thu, 06 Feb 1997 17:46:16 -0800
]To: remailer-operators@anon.lcs.mit.edu
]From: Jeff Burchell <toxic@hotwired.com>
]Subject: Useage Policy.
]Mime-Version: 1.0
]Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
]Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
]
]
]I'm in the process of setting up an autoresponder on the
]abuse@mailmasher.com address.  I'd appreciate people's feedback to this
]autoresponder message, and the policies that it describes...
]
]
]Hi.  This is in regards to a letter you sent to abuse@mailmasher.com.  I
]hate autoresponders too, but I=92ve found that this is a special case and is
]probably warranted.
]I=92ve been running anonymous services for a couple of years now, and have
]answered thousands of pieces of email regarding MailMasher users.  Please
]take my word on this one, you really need to at least skim the rest of this
]message.
]
]I will read your email, I promise.  However, if your email can be answered
]by something that is contained in THIS message, I won=92t respond to it.
]Sorry.  I run MailMasher as sort of a hobby, while holding down a dayjob
]and I really don=92t have time to answer all mail personally.
]
]And now on to the important stuff=85
]
]First, the answer to the most frequently asked MailMasher question=85  If a
]user of the MailMasher is Harassing or otherwise bothering you,  it can be
]stopped.  Send a blank message to blockme@mailmasher.com.  Your email
]address will be added to a list of addresses that MailMasher will refuse to
]mail to, and you=92ll never get anything from here again.
]
]MailMasher is an anonymous service.  This means that even I don=92t know who
]is using it.  Any internet user can use a web interface to create an
]anonymous MailMasher email account.  I don=92t ask them who they are, and my
]machine doesn=92t keeps logs that could be used to identify users.  So
]please, don=92t ask me to identify a user.  I can=92t do it.=20
]
]I also don=92t filter anything for content.  Several years ago, in what has
]now come to be known as the Prodigy case (Stratton-Oakmont & Porush v.
]Prodigy.  Details at
]http://www.eff.org/pub/Legal/Cases/Stratton_Oakmont_Porush_v_Prodigy )   A
]legal standard was set.  Basically, if a service provider deletes posts,
]intercepts emails or otherwise tries to exercise editorial control over any
]of its users, then the service provider can be held responsible for ALL of
]the content that goes through the service.  MailMasher transfers around
]10,000 messages a day.  It is impossible for me to monitor traffic like
]that.  Therefore, I do not even know what most MailMasher users are using
]their accounts for.  It really isn=92t any of my business, and because I
]don=92t make it my business, legally, I can=92t be held responsible for the
]actions of MailMasher users.
]
]I also don=92t delete accounts.  Because, when I delete an account, the user
]can always come right back and create another one with a different address.
] If someone is going to be behaving badly on the Internet, I for one would
]prefer that they always do it from the same email address, so I can just
]add them to my killfile or email filters.
]
]So, to summarize:
]
]1.  I intentionally have made it impossible for anyone, including myself to
]determine the identities of MailMasher users.
]2.  I will not under any circumstances monitor a user or delete an account.
]3.  I will make a good faith effort to keep you from being bothered by
]MailMasher users,  through the use of a destination block filter.
]4.  I neither condone nor condemn any action taken by any MailMasher user,
]either in conjunction with their MailMasher use or not.
]
]So=85 you ask,  Why would I want to run a service that lets the spammers, an=
]d
]the porn freaks, and the warez kiddies do their thing?  The answer is
]simple: because it also allows for much much more.  A MailMasher user can
]communicate without repercussions to people all over the world.  I have
]received many thank-yous from users sometimes explaining what they used my
]service for.  There are people in certain countries who have a very
]legitimate fear of speaking out, who use this and other anonymous services
]to communicate with the U.S.  Countless people have used anonymous services
]to very openly discuss items that are considered secret to certain members
]of the Church of Scientology.  Victims of all sorts of abuse can speak
]truly anonymously (sometimes for the first time).  Even abusers can speak
]freely, which helps with recovery.
]It is for these examples that I run this service.  I think a little noise
]and junk is a small price to pay for all of this.  You take the good with
]the bad.
]
]This is free speech in one of its most raw forms, staring you in the face.
]You may not like it; It may offend you; It might even encourage illegal
]behavior, but it is speech, and in the United States, it is protected by
]the Constitution. =20
]
]Thank you for your time.  If you=92d like to contact me again, without
]tripping this autoresponder, send mail to remailer-admin@mailmasher.com.
]
]-Jeff Burchell,  MailMasher Admin
]

---

Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps