But the same technologies that defend privacy are also being used to cause trouble. Mr. Lusby was dropped from the suit two weeks ago after he convinced Stratton Oakmont's lawyers that the message was a forgery. Many Internet experts contend that the most troublesome identity issues lie a year or two down the road. As more and more daily business is conducted over computer networks, with orders placed and goods paid for on-line, the opportunities for forgery and fraud will escalate. Digital-cash technologies are already under development, and barring some new form of regulation they will soon allow untraceable financial transactions in cyberspace.
Tax collection becomes a problem, and it's harder to track down crimes.
But even bigger problems might arise, Mr. Levy said, if the Government tried to outlaw digital cash, or insisted on some sort of electronic audit trail for every digital transaction. The lack of anonymity means that every move you make can be traced, which poses a danger to privacy and opens the door to surveillance like we've never seen. A common way to transmit such messages is to send them through a type of network clearinghouse known as an anonymous remailer. There are an estimated 20 to 25 remailers around the world operated as a public service for people presumed to have legitimate reasons for communicating anonymously. Messages can be sent to the anonymous remailer by anyone, anywhere.