The closing down of anon.penet.fi led to an outbreak of outrage and solidarity with Helsingius throughout the Internet in order to protect freedom on the Net. In the letters of protest that followed, it was not so much the use of remailers for private purposes that was important but rather the principle of freedom of information and the guarantee of the unrestricted exchange of data on the Net. In march 1997, Helsingius has been honored with the EFF Pioneer Award for his contribution to online freedom and privacy by establishing and maintaining the first practical anonymous e-mail server. For many years his anonymous remailer, anon.penet.fi, allowed people who might otherwise be intimidated or even endangered to speak out and to express their views. From battered women to political refugees, Helsingius' system provided all users the ability to communicate freely and safely in cyberspace.
Criminals using remailers are hard to capture.
Prosecutors are not always able to find out users' real IDs. This is one of the reasons why law and order types clamour for an end to anonymity on the Net. On the other hand - the abuse of a thing is no argument against its use. International laws differ on this point however, making it impossible for the time being to come up with one unanimous regulation. Many remailers are located in the USA which guarantees freedom of speech as defined by the First Amendment.