Re: Paid performance-tor option?

[Arrakis <arrakistor@xxxxxxxxx>]

Mac,

I'm actually the operations advisor for XeroBank, which
is incorporated in Panama. Servers are located in the
US, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Malaysia,
Denmark, and the UK. The network is fully operational, with
some users reporting speeds of >25Mbps of international traffic
throughput, with a <250ms response time total trip.

We do not use the Tor network, but an IPSec cascade, with
OpenVPN connection clients. Our software, however, is
compatible with the Tor network.

All payments are anonymized through a technology called
VAULTS, which stands for Variable Anonymous User Letterbox
Token System. When you sign up, you are assigned a deposit
account that can handle your ID/payment method. Your account
is funded with chaumian tokens. You are also assigned an
anonymous access account. Tokens flow from the deposit
account to the anonymous access account in a one-way transaction
so we cannot tell who 'funded' which account. This allows
us to anonymize the payments and identity of account holders,
from the activities of the account itself. Kind of a complex
design, but it allows xb to use any payment method they
want, which is currently confined to credit/debit/wire.

I won't comment on anonymizer as I'm not here to impeach
their integrity. You can contact me offlist to discuss if
you like.

> You are emailing from an onionroutor@xxxxxxxxx Gmail account: Why
> not yet your own protected, firewalled and encrypted email server yet?
> .. It doesn't gives much confidence in your privacy knowledge.

I am not attempting to hide my identity or source, my content
and context are not sensitive. However, we do have private,
firewalled, anonymized, superultramagical etc., encrypted-only
IMAP/SMTP servers. That and I don't want mailing lists constantly
streaming into my personal communications email box.

> Anyway, if you are able to really improve free tor
> privacy/anonymity/security for global customers, my felicitations, and I
> would study your offer-s seriously in a near future, if not for my
> personal use, yes for my pseudonymously posted privacy/security blogs.

We offer free service for journalists in areas where there are
significant restrictions on free speech and free press.

> Mac.
> If you do gpg mail (I couldn't find your pug pgp/gpg key at any pub
> keyserver), enclosed is my pub-key for non-post mailing if-when any.

My public key is 0xBB678C30, and available on most keyservers.

It is neither my intent nor desire to turn this message into a
commercial advertisement. If you have more questions pertaining
to xb's services, please contact me offlist. However, if you have
more questions about anonymity networks in general, I am happy to
discuss it.

Regards,
Steve