Mail Art Detection - MAD

help

Before we get to the three main functions, a few important terms should be explained

mail art detection is the service, we humorously call it MAD.

OneTimeKey is a character string that you need to generate your own permanent access.

The MasterKey is confirmed with the OneTimeKey. The MasterKey is then used later to access the service.

TrackingKeys are the keys that you need to track individual shipments. A TrackingKey is generated once, changed from unused to used once and - if it is received successfully and the recipient is willing to confirm this receipt - is saved in the history as a successful delivery.

The history is linked to a MasterKey.

Therefore, you should generate your own individual MasterKey once, then generate and use TrackingKeys, and check under CheckKeys from time to time to see what has arrived successfully.

That's all it is. It should also remain slim and small so that the willingness to use it remains high on all sides. And this rudimentary function also prevents any data misuse. Personal information about recipients, senders and MasterKey owners is not collected.

We have put together a small Q&A here for any open questions. This help is aimed at first-time users who have questions about certain aspects of the service.

1 CreateMasterKey
2 CreateKeys
3 CheckKeys

1. A master key can only be generated by those who have received an OnTime Key. If you would like to receive such a one-time use key, please use these contact options.
When you open the page, a set of questions is offered. These questions are a suggestion for generating a master key. They are useful if you want to derive your own master key later. However, you can also enter a different character string (no punctuation marks, no special characters).
You will be asked for the OnTimeKey along with the master key you want to use. This can really only be used once.

The master key provides permanent access to the service and is not changed. It is not this key that is saved, but a hash of it. In this respect, your own master key cannot be calculated by the system. If you lose your master key, you lose the history that is linked to it. It is possible to generate a new master key at any time (if you have a new OnTimeKey!).

2. CreateKeys

If you have a master key, you can generate new tracking keys for individual shipments at any time.
You can also use the service to a) use generated tracking keys and b) check whether the message was received successfully. At the moment, the system also offers the option of writing text messages on a bulletin board that can be viewed by all (!) other users. This should make it easier for the test team to use.

3. CheckKeys

The CheckKeys menu item takes you to an overview. You can see the tracking keys that were successfully delivered, the keys that you have generated but have not yet sent, and the public messages from the bulletin board.
The three areas are only displayed if successful receipts have been registered, if there are free, unused tracking keys, and if there are messages on the bulletin board.