Revision of Anonymity from Fri, 06/10/2011 - 05:07

The ability to remain anonymous online is an important aspect of the internet. Many groups including governments and businesses have various reasons to track individuals online. Users that do not wish to be tracked or monitored require tools to avoid this.

Why the ability to stay anonymous and secure is important

The reasons why anonymity for users who wish it can vary for many different reasons. A common uneducated question is usually posed to privacy and security conscious people along the lines of "Why do you care about privacy/anonymity/security if you have nothing to hide?" This question can be reshaped in many versions but the underlying message they are attempting to ask is that why would good people need privacy/anonymity/security. Usually they are attempting to insinuate that only evil or immoral people require these things.

The Tor Project which runs a free software anonymity network has more information in it's abuse FAQ. Criminals already have many options as pointed out such as stealing cell phones and discarding them. However there are many legitimate uses for anonymity/privacy/security.

Evil people will always have the motive and ability to remain anonymous if they truly wish. However, normal people also need the ability to protect themselves from a increasing number of threats. This is why the ability to stay secure and anonymous becomes so important.

Consider your threat model

When worrying about anonymity and security the user should first asses their threat model. Different users depending on their circumstances will have different threat models.

Here are some various situations users may encounter possibly consider:

• A whistle-blower is posting sensitive material and worried about employer retaliation.
• A user in an oppressive country wishes to publish material that may result in punishment from their government.
• A person is attempting to escape an abusive relationship and does not want to be tracked down by their abuser.
• A user is simply concerned about privacy because their friends or family are a little more nosy then they should be.

Anonymity Software

• GNUnet is a secure, trust-based peer-to-peer framework. A first service implemented on top of the networking layer allows anonymous censorship-resistant file-sharing.
• Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis. Tor won the 2010 Free Software Foundation's Award for Projects of Social Benefit

This manual is partly adapted from the Tor Project website (https://www.torproject.org/), courtesy of The Tor Project, Inc., freely licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.