RFC1776 - The Address is the Message

Network Working Group S. Crocker

Request for Comments: 1776 CyberCash, Inc.

Category: Informational 1 April 1995

The Address is the Message

Status of this Memo

This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo

does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of

this memo is unlimited.

Discussion

Declaring that the address is the message, the IPng WG has selected a

packet format which includes 1696 bytes of address space. This

length is a multiple of 53 and is completely compatible with ATM

architecture. Observing that it's not what you know but who you

know, the IPng focused on choosing an addressing scheme that makes it

possible to talk to everyone while dispensing with the irrelevant

overhead of actually having to say anything.

Security eXPerts hailed this as a major breakthrough. With no

content left in the packets, all questions of confidentiality and

integrity are moot. Intelligence and law enforcement agencies

immediately refocused their efforts to detect who's talking to whom,

and are silently thankful they can avoid divisive public debate about

key escrow, export control and related matters.

Although the IPng WG declared there should be more than enough

address space for everyone, service providers immediately began vying

for reserved portions of the address space.

Security Considerations

Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

Author's Address

Steve Crocker

CyberCash, Inc.

2086 Hunters Crest Way

Vienna, VA 22181

Phone: +1 703 620 1222