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Subject: APAS Anonymous Remailer Use [FAQ 8/8]: Troubleshooting
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Date: 2 May 2003 19:00:15 GMT
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Summary: This posting contains a list of frequently asked questions
    (and their answers) concerning the use of anonymous remailers.
    Please read this before posting to alt.privacy.anon-server.
Keywords: FAQ, remailer, anonymous, nym, mixmaster
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Subject: APAS Anonymous Remailer Use [FAQ 8/8]: Troubleshooting

This is the eight and final part of a list of frequently-asked
questions and their answers regarding anonymous remailer use.  This
part discusses troubleshooting.

This FAQ is provided "as is" without any express or implied
warranties.  While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy
of the information contained in these message digests, the maintainer
assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages
resulting from the use of the information contained herein.  This FAQ
is provided for information only; reference to a Web page does not
constitute endorsement of that page's content.

The following topics are in this FAQ:

   1: [FAQ 8.1] It's hours later! Why hasn't my test post arrived?
   2: [FAQ 8.2] Why didn't my email/post make it through?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: [FAQ 8.1] It's hours later! Why hasn't my test post arrived?

While it is true that remailer traffic is sometimes unreliable one
must realize that a remailer isn't just a mail server. Mail must not
only be delivered but it must be delivered securely and anonymously.
Latency (delay before delivery) is part of the anonymizing process
like it or not.

For starters, every remailer has some existing latency (depending on
numerous factors including load, processor power, type of Internet
connection, etc...) Users can specify a latency directive
(Latent-Time: +0:00) to override the normal built in latency of the
remailers. Users may also add MORE delay to their messages if they
wish by adding, for example, Latent-Time: +2:30. This would cause an
additional 2 hr and 30 min delay before delivery.

Also, many remailers use features like reordering ('reord' in the cap
string) and RATE/POOLSIZE which may delay messages even further , all
in the name of defeating traffic analysis and increasing anonymity.

Still, there are other reasons why your email or post might be
unnaturally delayed:

+ Your message may in fact have been posted to Usenet but either
hasn't arrived at your news server yet, or might not arrive for any
number of possible Usenet related problems. Usenet propagation is not
instantaneous. Poorly connected servers can take days to receive
messages, if they get them at all. You might check on the Deja
archives [http://www.deja.com/usenet] and see if they got the post, or
try another server if you have access to one.

+ You may have chosen a remailer that is not online full time (dial-up
account). These remailers may collect mail once an hour, once a day or
perhaps only in the evening hours.


------------------------------

Subject: [FAQ 8.2] Why didn't my email/post make it through?

+ Your message may have just been lost in the network for any number
of reasons. It does happen. The system isn't 100% reliable.

+ You are using broken chains or stale remailer keys.

+ Your source address or domain is being blocked by the first remailer
in your chain.

+ Your destination address, domain, or newsgroup is being blocked by
the last remailer in your chain.

+ The Usenet group you are posting to is not available on the news
server or gateway being used by the last remailer in your chain.

+ You are trying to crosspost to too many newsgroups and the final
remailer in your chain discarded the message. Send a blank email to
the remailer with 'remailer-conf' as the subject to determine how many
newsgroups the remailer allows you to cross-post to. Spammers abuse
the cross posting option so operators are cutting back to 3 or 4 cross
posts to deter the spammers.

+ You have too many addresses in the To, Cc, or Bcc headers and the
final remailer in your chain discarded the message.

+ You attempted to send an anonymous message to a nym that is
configured to either reject Bcc messages (directive +nobcc) or not
accept any mail at all.

+ Your e-mail recipient is filtering out messages from anonymous
remailers.

+ You are simply having a bad day. 'Better luck tomorrow!

RProcess, the author of JBN2 and the Reliable Remailer, has
systematically examined why so many anon messages seem to disappear.
His conclusions [http://www.bigfoot.com/~potatoware/PSKB-035.html] are
quite provocative.

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End of faq.8 Digest
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