Anonymity

At 20.44 -0800 04-02-01, Chuq Von Rospach wrote:
>anonymity is a serious problem here. think about it -- 
>you're going to have to remove all tracking information, 
>all sourcing information, and all sender information. If 
>you don't, you aren't really anonymous, just obfuscated.

There are too kinds of anonymity.

(1) Full 100 % anonymity, which is technically impossible
to guarantee, but which it is possible to get close to,
through use of multiple chained independent anonymity
servers in different countries.

(2) The other kind of anonymity is where the anonymity server
knows who is behind a pseudonym. This requires strict rules
on how this knowledge is to be used, for example that it
will only revealed if required by a court order, or perhaps
only by a court order for a crime with an upper sentence
larger than, for example, one month or two years in prison.

The advantage with this kind of anonymity is that it allows
sending of messages to an anonymous person without knowing
who it is. Another advantage is that crimiinal use of
anonymity will not be as easy.

A disadvantage, of course, is that security against
revealing the person behind the anonymity is less high than
with full anonymity through chains of independent anonymity
servers in different countires.

The main usage of anonymity is:
- To allow an employee of a company to reveal shady
   practices without their bosses knowing it.
- To allow discussion of sensitive issues, like in
   the health area, which a person does not want
   to reveal if identified.
- As a first step in establishing contacts before
   people want to commit to revealing who they are.

The main disadvantages with anonymity is:
- Risk of misuse for criminal or non-ethical
   activities.
- There is an experience that some people use
   anonymity to say nasty things to each other.

It is possible to design an anonymity service to reduce the
risks of the disadvantages, at the cost of allowing courts
to order the secret to be revealed when the anonymity is
used for illegal practices.

For more info about anonymity, see
http://dsv.su.se/jpalme/society/anonymity.html
-- 
Jacob Palme <[email protected]> (Stockholm University and KTH)
for more info see URL: http://www.dsv.su.se/jpalme/