As the name implies, Six/Four is meant to promote an agenda of individual liberties.

"I expect people on the free side of the Net will use our software because it will protect their constitutional right of privacy. I expect users on the dark side of the Net (in countries like China and Iran) to use the Six/Four system because it will protect them while they fight for that same right," Ruffin said in an e-mail.

But many in the security world think these noble intentions are a sham. The Cult of the Dead Cow's best-known program, Back Orifice, is a tool for snooping on Windows users, they note.

"I love how (Cult of the Dead Cow is) trying to shroud this protocol with this democracy-in-China business. It's bullshit. These guys happen to be anarchists. They should just admit it," said an IT executive at a Fortune 500 company.

Ruffin acknowledged that Six/Four users won't be just latter-day Washingtons and Jeffersons.

"We're providing a platform for people. It's up to them how they use it. Could you develop a secure P2P (peer-to-peer) chat (application) where you talk to your buddy in Kabul and transmit the bomb plans? Sure," Ruffin said. "It's disgusting, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Like any technology, this can be used for good or bad," added Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer for Counterpane Internet Security.

However, people who choose to let their computers become "trusted peers" -- the end of Six/Four's serpentine tunnel, which leads out the Internet -- will have some control over how their PC is being used. They can decide to keep others from file-sharing, for example, or chatting through their computers.

"But they can't choose who requests the information," the Mixter said.

Six/Four will be introduced to the public along with some basic applications, like a "webproxy" tool for anonymous surfing, as well as an API (application programming interface), so that others can start developing their own programs based on Six/Four. Applications for reading newsgroups, sharing files, and collecting e-mail are expected to be among the first written.

After the August introduction, Six/Four will undergo a public peer-review process. Ruffin said an official release should be ready in the fall.