You can use PGP to encrypt messages sent to this remailer if you for some reason are unable to use the Mixmaster client software. However, while PGP will securely encrypt the content of a message that you are sending to the remailer, submitting messages to the remailer that are merely PGP encrypted without the use of the Mixmaster client software greatly increases the risk of third parties being able to determine the identity of the sender (you). This remailer primarily supports the ability to submit messages for remailing without requiring the Mixmaster client software for backwards compatibility with older remailer client software. If you are able to use the Mixmaster software with your operating system (chances are you can), it is highly recommended that you use the Mixmaster client software instead. See the earlier section in this help file on how to obtain a copy of the Mixmaster client software. If you cannot use the Mixmaster software, want to use an anonymous remailer, and are willing to accept reduced security, you can do the following: Send email with Subject: remailer-key to <%RMA> to obtain a copy of the remailer's PGP key. Then do the following: 1) create a file containing your message 2) insert a BLANK LINE as the first line of the file 3) Insert a "::" as the second line of the file 4) Insert "Anon-To: final_recipient@destination_domain.com" as the third line of the file. At this time, the file should look as follows: ================================================================== :: Anon-To: final_recipient@destination_domain.com This is some anonymized email. ================================================================== 5) Now encrypt the file with the PGP key of this remailer. Finally, email the encrypted file to <%RMA> as shown in the example below. The line "Encrypted: PGP" instructs the remailer to decrypt the message and process its contents. ================================================================== From: remailer_user@sender_domain.com To: %RMA Subject: anonymous message :: Encrypted: PGP -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE----- Version: 2.6.3i owE1jMsNwjAUBH3gZMk9PClnUoBPUANpwElW2OBPZD8H0gd1UCP2gduuNDNfIcSH T4zCbQmtlbzGFM9T0jSD7QVvEzaPcUlBSSWHQclbnR9YWJNp5BFSLdR9CijF3NGx ybry/1Rsqn4la3a0JiIhLvnYGCu9HFtiC8oIxnlkeuIYe+EH =HgDq -----END PGP MESSAGE----- ================================================================== Even though PGP encryption in itself is very secure, not using the Mixmaster client exposes some information to parties desiring to compromise your privacy. This information leakage permits what is known as "traffic analysis". For example, if someone receives anonymous messages soon after you sent encrypted messages to a remailer it is likely that you are the sender of those messages. To partially compensate for this information leak, you can instruct the remailer to delay your messages for some time or send the remailer empty messages to make such analysis harder: If you use the line "Null:" instead of "Anon-To:", the remailer will simply discard your message. You can add a "Latent-Time:" header to the remailer to retain your message for some time before forwarding it. "Latent-Time: +2:00" would delay the message for two hours. You can use a random delay by adding "r", for example "Latent-Time: +5:00r" would delay the message for up to five hours. For example: ================================================================== :: Anon-To: final_recipient@destination_domain.com Latent-Time: +2:00 This is some anonymized email. ================================================================== You can chain remailers by using another remailer to send the message to <%RMA> anonymously. For example, take the message ================================================================== :: Anon-To: %RMA :: Encrypted: PGP -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE----- Version: 2.6.3i owE1jMsNwjAUBH3gZMk9PClnUoBPUANpwElW2OBPZD8H0gd1UCP2gduuNDNfIcSH T4zCbQmtlbzGFM9T0jSD7QVvEzaPcUlBSSWHQclbnR9YWJNp5BFSLdR9CijF3NGx ybry/1Rsqn4la3a0JiIhLvnYGCu9HFtiC8oIxnlkeuIYe+EH =HgDq -----END PGP MESSAGE----- ================================================================== Next, encrypt the message with the PGP key of the %RMN and send the twice-encrypted message to <%RMA>. Similar to a nested Russian matryoshka doll, containing increasingly smaller dolls inside the each outer doll, you can layer multiple encryption layers and remailer hops around your message. If this sounds confusing, just use the Mixmaster client software instead. If you send your messages through a chain of several independent remailers, it will be become increasingly difficult, though not necessarily impossible, to trace the anonymous message back to you. A vastly more secure solution is to use the Mixmaster client software to send your anonymous mail. Some remailers supporting PGP encrypted messages offer pseudonymous "nym" service that allow you to not only send emails privately, but also receive emails without enabling the sender to determine your recipient destination email address. For more information about such nym services, see the following URLs. http://lexx.shinn.net/nym/ http://riot.eu.org/anon/doc/nym.html *****