🚀 go-pugleaf

brnstnd@nyu.edu (D. J. Bernstein) writes:
: If you never ask the question ``Who are you?'' then you will never be
: given a false answer.
: 
: For *the overwhelming bulk* of human communication it has not proven
: necessary to ask the question. So it is silly to design a ``public-key
: infrastructure'' which forces people to ask the question---and suffers
: all the attendant problems of false answers.

This is O.K. if you're happy with everyone posting anonymously -
as all you're getting is a link from the message which first
publishes the public key to each subsequent message signed with it.

So if this is interesting, how come more people don't post anonymously?
Why is your message signed Dan Bernstein, not Guess Who?

I'd say it's because your identity is important to *you*.  You may
not care who is at this end of the communication, but you sure
as hell care about that end.  I assume that you would be peeved
if 10,000 people started placing "secure" posts associated
with the name Dan Bernstein, for example.  

In fact, I'd say that the reason most people don't need to ask 
the question "who are you?", is because they already think they 
know, or they get told without asking.  It's just that they are 
prepared to trust the answer with very little evidence.  Usually 
they are right.  I'd say your name really is Dan Bernstein,
for example.  And I didn't ask, you told me.  

Actually, I'm playing Devil's advocate a little here - I
do think there is a place for anonymity in a secure newsgroup.  
But I also see applications for secure newsgroups based on
real world identities.  Also, if the anonymity is to have
any real value, you would have to do something to prevent
tracing through the posters mail address.
--
Frank O'Dwyer		       			Disclaimer: 
Siemens-Nixdorf AG 	                        I will deny everything
Tel.  : +49 (89) 636-40639                      Fax.  : +49 (89) 636-45860
e-mail: Frank.ODwyer@sniap.mchp.sni.de