# Gavin Andresen
# 2010-07-07 17:57:36
# https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=241.msg2026#msg2026

Whatever mechanism is chosen, it had better not significantly slow down the network or client unless strong anonymity is required/requested. @p{par}

I've tried I2P and Tor, and, for me, super-strong privacy isn't worth the performance cost. @p{par}

Also, regarding forking the block chain by a network split: @p{par}

It's only "really bad" if I can get away with double-spending some coins before the network merges again. @p{brk}
If I'm buying valuable stuff, then the merchants will likely require 6 confirmations before releasing the goods, so I'd have to be able to keep the network split for an hour or more. @p{par}

Merchants will likely have very-well-connected, long-running nodes.  For example, the Bitcoin Faucet has 66 connections right now.  If I wanted to try to implement a "fork the block chain attack" I'd have to somehow manage to insert my "cancer nodes" in between two merchants that I want to rip off (I'll end up ripping off one of the two, because eventually one of the two double-spend transactions will "win"). @p{par}

I don't know enough about network analysis to figure out how many cancer nodes you'd need to have a significant chance of getting in between two merchants with 60+ connections in a network of (say) 1,000 non-cancerous nodes, but I bet it is a very large number. @p{brk}