[Anonymity] seems like the perfect thing for ransom notes, extortion threats, bribes, blackmail, insider trading and terrorism. Tim [May] answers, “What about selling information that isn’t viewed as legal, say about pot growing, do-it-yourself abortion, cryonics, or even peddling alternative medical information without a license? What about the anonymity wanted for whistleblowers, confessionals and dating personals? … One thing for sure, long-term, this stuff nukes tax collection. Without a doubt, this stuff is unbreakable. Encryption always wins.”
Predictor: May, Timothy C.
Prediction, in context:In his 1994 book “Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems and the Economic World,” Kevin Kelly, editor of Wired magazine, quotes Tim May in a discussion of the future impact of encryption and anonymous remailers: ”I confess my misgivings about the potential market for anonymity to Tim: ‘Seems like the perfect thing for ransom notes, extortion threats, bribes, blackmail, insider trading and terrorism.’ ‘Well,’ Tim answers. ‘what about selling information that isn’t viewed as legal, say about pot growing, do-it-yourself abortion, cryonics, or even peddling alternative medical information without a license? What about the anonymity wanted for whistleblowers, confessionals and dating personals? … To create digital anonymity, the cypherpunks have developed about 15 prototype versions of an anonymous remailer that would, when fully implemented, make it impossible to determine the source of an e-mail message … ‘One thing for sure,’ Tim [Mays] says, ‘long-term, this stuff nukes tax collection.’ I venture the rather lame observation that this may be one reason the government isn’t handing the technology back. I also offer the speculation that an escalating arms race with a digital IRS might evolve. For every new avenue the digital underground invents to disguise transactions, the digital IRS will counter with a surveillance method. Tim pooh-poohs the notion. ‘Without a doubt, this stuff is unbreakable. Encryption always wins.'”
Biography:Timothy C. May was a self-described “techno-anarchist” in the 1990s and author of “The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto.” He is a co-founder of the Cypherpunks, with Eric Hughes and John Gilmore. (Research Scientist/Illuminator.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1992
Topic of prediction: Controversial Issues
Subtopic: Anonymity/Personal Identity
Name of publication: Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World
Title, headline, chapter name: E-Money
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 209
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Garrison, Betty