Thanks!

[Note - this is an archived version of the original posting from 03:10 PM EDT, Apr 24 2003]

I want to take this opportunity to thank "zem" for setting up this service. It is wonderful to finally have a forum for publishing my thoughts, uncensored, with a reasonable degree of privacy and anonymity.

For too long have anonymous writers been second-class citizens on the net. I engaged in an extensive online debate and discussion last year regarding the merits of the various proposals for Trusted Computing, like TCPA and Palladium. My messages were a model of respectful and restrained debate (with one possible exception, which I still feel was justified). Yet I was treated in an utterly disrespectful manner.

The cryptography list moderator refused to post many of my initial messages. Luckily I also crossposted to the cypherpunks list, so that people were able to see them and respond. Due to the nature of the email headers, their responses were directed to both lists, putting the cryptography moderator in the sticky position of deciding whether to approve a message that expressed a position he supported, but which quoted my material, which he had censored. It was only when it was clear that my messages were the foundation for the ongoing discussion that he began to carry them.

I also debated the issue on sci.crypt, only to discover later that none of my messages were appearing in the Google archives! That's right, Google refuses to archive messages from known anonymous posting addresses. Unbelievable. The historical record of that discussion is now fragmented and one-sided, with people responding to messages which are non-existent in the archives. And many of my strongest arguments, which received no rebuttals, will not be heard by those who use the archives to educate themselves on this issue.

Not only were these institutional arrangements disfavorable to an anonymous contributor, the community at large was generally hostile as well. I was constantly subjected to insulting and harrassing comments about my motivations and supposed lack of intelligence - for supporting people's rights to use technology! I was called a "stooge"; people demanded to know if I worked for Microsoft (I never have). I was an "idiot" (later softened to "intelligent idiot").

Never in all my days of non-anonymous posting have I been subject to such insults. Quite the contrary; in most forums I have established a very strong reputation for careful and honest analysis. Only now, while publishing anonymously, I found myself reduced to the status of a pariah. It was a humbling and educational experience.

All this is by way of expressing my deep thanks to "zem" for his work in setting up this anonymous blogging service. At last there will be a place where I don't feel like a second-class citizen, somewhere that my messages can be posted and archived and referenced. I can build up my arguments and philosophy patiently, over time, and in that way demonstrate the merits of my position.

He's done a great job of making the service easy to use, too (at least for those of us who are accustomed to anonymous communications). And the published blog entries look great, too - crisp and clean.

So again to "zem", thanks and kudos. This means a great deal to me and hopefully to many other anonymous writers who will benefit from your generosity, talent and hard work.