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