Anonimity and cost [was] Re: Why are we here? What are our goals?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Yakov Shafranovich" <[email protected]>
To: "Nathaniel Borenstein" <[email protected]>
Cc: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 6:04 PM
Subject: Re: Why are we here? What are our goals?


>
> Nathaniel Borenstein wrote:
> >     -- enhanced tracing mechanisms
>
> This brings to mind privacy and anonimity. Should they be on the list as
> well? How do we balance the tracing requirement with the need for
> privacy and anonimity?

We don't balance it.  We design with CONTROL in mind - no loopholes.
Anonimity is an implementation issue, i.e,  I can give you "alias" address
to spam but you will have a "user account" to do so.

Alias Access and Anonymous access are TWO different ideas.  I don't have a
problem with the first.  The INDUSTRY has a problem with the latter.  The
idea of "untracable" anonymous access is why we are here in the first place.

> >     -- economic mechanisms (postage, attention bonds)
>
> One of the reason why the Internet works so well as a communications
> medium, is because it is cheaper than other mediums. Do we really want
> to introduce artificial costs into the system?

I see this as an  Implementation issue.   But I think you design with COST
structuring in mind for the simple reason it is inevitable.  It can't be
ignored.  May not be in the immediate future, but some day  the brick and
mortar mail delivery industry may demand cooperative competition.  Just
consider that Microsoft also has the strategic ambition to make sure it
happens too.

But its something that is already here at the System Level in some form or
another.  My practical experience in this area is to consider how it was
done with mail formats such as the JAM format which included  EASY to read
mail structure attributes information in the header.  This might be akin to
the Lines: count line and Content-Type to estimate "cost" of the message.

In any case, I see this under a "Access Control" Category and a server
specific implementation concept.

-- 
Hector Santos, Santronics Software, Inc.
http://www.santronics.com