Online business Toolkit

Story: Can you ever be anonymous on the Web?

• 
• 

I'm sorry to get personal but...I found this article unusually poorly supported and not of the caliber of writing I'm used to seeing from authors on this site. My response will be unfortunately disjointed, but then so was the coverage of subject matter..

"Computer users leave traces of information with almost every data transmission. In fact, an entire subindustry has evolved to deal with removing these traces of information, but these companies can only remove what's on a computer. There are so many other points that can record the digital footprints of Internet activity that it's impossible to completely guarantee anonymity."

It is true that given the number of points along which packets are exchanged and logged over the internet, tracing activity is possible. It is similarly true that while it is forensically possible to partially reconstruct that activity by acquiring those traces, a perfect reconstruction is as unlikely as perfectly hidden surfing. That is because the same imperfections exist that are attempting to monitor human activity as are engaging in it. The smartest Chinese security expert can no more anticipate every form of unsanctioned behavior coming in from outside than I can understand flower appreciation. It is within this zone of uncertainty that activity is occurring everyday which will never be known. This zone, while not guaranteed from the standpoint of anonymity, is still a lot easier to exploit from the standpoint of maintaining privacy than it is to monitor from the standpoint of maintaining security.

"Whether anonymous Internet usage will ever exist is not important. What is important is that companies become aware that Internet activity is easy to mnitor from a variety of locations, even when data encryption is in use."

Anonymity is not important, but privacy is; for privacy is the beginning respect around which no civil society can function.

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Full Talkback thread