If you want to mail messages without even any type of return address on it, then you should use a cypherpunk remailer. You can encrypt messages sent to the remailer, and the remailer will decrypt them and send them forward to the recipient, whose address is hidden inside the encrypted message. This means that someone who monitors your outgoing mail can't see who you are sending anonymous mail to. For even more security, remailers can also be chained, in other words - you can use more than one remailer to send your message. Now not even the remailers you use know who is sending mail to who. Some remailers even allow you to post to Usenet groups.

A remailer is simply that; it's a server that remails incoming email to another address. The addressee can be either the final destination or it can be another remailer. When you address your email to go through more than one remailer before it gets to the final destination, it's called "chaining." Remailers strip all identifying header information from your mail before remailing it. The more remailers in your "chain," the more difficult it is for someone to backtrack to you. Each remailer in the chain and the final recipient can only see that the email came from the previous remailer, usually with a return address like or . It's up to you if you want to use only one remailer or chain more than one together.

Unless you're suffering from terminal paranoia, most people will tell you that using more than two remailers is probably overkill. Further, it can drastically increase the amount of time it takes for the mail to get through to you. Using multiple remailers increases your security, but it also increases the potential for problems.

Non-technical Anonymous Remailer FAQ An introduction to the principles behind remailers. It also includes a discussion of when and why to use remailers, and defines different types of remailers. Although it doesn's provide all of the technical details, it is required reading for all people who are interested in using remailers.

A list of reliable Type I remailers is available from EFGA - this list test all known remailers for their response time and reliability. You should use this data to pick remailers for your anonymous messages.

Chaining Remailers: Chaining is a way of using more than one remailer to send a message. How does it work? Essentially, you send a message to remailer A with instructions to send it to remailer B, which in turn finds instructions to send it to remailer C, and so on. When,for example, A is in the USA, B is in the Netherlands, C in Finland and D in Cuba, tracing it back to the original sender is no simple task.

Tools

Jack B. Nymble v2.1+
A full-featured Windows 95/NT remailer client for use with anonymous and nym remailers. It provides full SMTP and POP3 support, including MIME mail, attachments, and automated PGP encryption and decryption.

Potato v2.3+
A DOS based software package which operates well in all versions of Windows. This remailer utility provides for the preparation of anonymous and nym messages, including MIME mail, attachments, RichMail, and automatic PGP signing and encryption. Potato also includes the Nym Editor, which allows for sophisticated nym account configurations, including multiple reply blocks.

Private Idaho v 3.4+
An anonymous remailer utility for Windows, supporting PGP, the cypherpunks remailers, Mixmaster, and nymservers. It too automatically configures itself based on this remailer list. The Private Idaho Online Documentation is a good source of help for using the program.

Mailcrypt v3.5.7
Directly supports remailers and PGP encryption (up to v5.0). It implements many of the same features as premail, but in Emacs. Anyone who uses Emacs for their news and mail should definitely check this one out. It can automatically load the information from this remailer list.

Reliable v 1.0+
Operate your own remailer. Remailer server software for Win95/98/NT which turns a standard PC and mail account into a full Cypherpunk and Mixmaster remailer. May be used to run a public remailer on a dialup or dedicated connection, or to run a local system remailer for your own security benefits. Includes a full online Remailer User's Manual with glossary of remailer terms, as well as a complete Operator's Manual.

Further Reading and Resources

Type-I Chaining Reliability

Cypherpunks Remailer Page