[Mailman-Developers] [GSoC14] Full Anonymization Project Idea

[Rashi Karanpuria]

I think I might be missing a point here. What i understand is, we don't
need to protect the data in the message from the admin, but the
information about sender of the data from the list admin as well as other
subscribers of that list (i.e. the email address and other details in
header which includes traces of sender's identity).
In an anonymous list we don't aim to build trust relationships or import
the hierarchy maintained in an establishment where we put the decisive
power and right to know everything in the hands of the admin/root. We aim
at discussing things sharing the bitterest of views unbiased from personal
identities and positions in an establishment.

A possible use case might be:
1. A suggestion and discussion list of an organisation where subscribers
could post all problems and issues and slackenings in the organisation's
structure and authorities without worrying about their names being
involved. They could even use the list in decision making process,
internal polling or maybe even reviewing the system.

2. Similarly a psychiatrist's list where patients can discuss there issues
and arrive at mutual solutions with help from the doctor, while bonding
with people of their kind. Some syndromes are not cured beacuse of social
stigmas that could find a possible solution in such lists.


> Rashi Karanpuria writes:
>
>  >  Can't we keep our encryption application away from the site admins by
>  > creating an interface between sender and the switchboard ,what I'm
> trying
>  > to imply here is, can't we process the encryption before the mail goes
> to
>  > switchboard or server for further processing.
>
> Site admins (the people who install the software) have to have root
> privileges.  Nothing can be hidden from them.  The only way to protect
> your data from them is to send it encrypted with a key they don't
> have.
>
> But it's hard to imagine why you would use an anonymous list, or any
> mailing list, hosted by people you don't trust enough to give them the
> keys, to send mail to people you know and trust well enough to give
> them those keys.  The basic motivation for encrypted lists is avoiding
> the key distribution problem, either because it's annoying or because
> the point of the list is that the subscribers are not to know each
> other at all.
>
>