IP: Strassmann/Marlow Response About Remailers

[Dave Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

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To: Whomever This May Concern


We find that a report by a Mr. Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger citing our
alleged statements at a Harvard University Conference has been widely
quoted on Internet, out of context.


Specifically, he attributed to us statements that a number of
anonymous remailers in the US are run by government agencies and that
the most popular remailers in France and Germany are also run by
government agencies.  What Mr. Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger reported as
facts are his interpretations.  Our comments were of a general academic
nature.  We were not attributing remailer activities to any specific
governments,  but rather commenting on the general situation where much
of the research on the use of networks has been paid for by
governments and therefore one can assume that they would know how to
make use of such facilities.  We have no specific knowledge of any
particular agency of any government offering remailers services.
Whether or how they use remailers is not known to us.  Online users
just need to be "aware of the risks."


Paul A. Strassmann, National Defense University
William J. Marlow, SAIC


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