BBC News: "The cost of online anonymity"

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Seth Finkelstein <sethf () sethf com>
Date: September 11, 2005 5:23:44 PM EDT
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>, Ip Ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: BBC News: "The cost of online anonymity"


http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/ 
programmes/click_online/4227578.stm

   BBC NEWS

   The cost of online anonymity

   By Dan Simmons
   Reporter, BBC Click Online

   In the second report looking at privacy and the internet, Dan
   Simmons examines whether it is possible to be totally anonymous and
   asks if this is really a desirable thing.

   In London's Speaker's Corner, the right to freedom of expressions
   has been practised by anyone who cares to turn up for centuries.

   But in countries where free speech is not protected by the
   authorities, hiding your true identity is becoming big business.

   Just as remailers act as a go-between for e-mail, so there are
   services through which you can surf the web anonymously.

   After 10 years in the business, Anonymizer has two million active
   users.  The US government pays it to promote the service in China
   and Iran in order to help promote free speech.

   But these programs are becoming popular in the West too.

   The software encrypts all your requests for webpages. Anonymizer's
   servers then automatically gather the content on your behalf and
   send it back to you.

   No humans are involved and the company does not keep records of who
   requests what.

   However, there is some censorship.  Anonymizer does not support
   anonymous uploading to the web, and it blocks access to material
   that would be illegal under US law.

   No to censorship

   For the last five years, Ian Clarke has been working on a project
   to offer complete anonymity.

   Founder and co-ordinator of Freenet, Ian Clarke says: "Our goal was
   to provide a system whereby people could share information over the
   internet without revealing their identity and without permitting
   any form of government censorship."

   The system is called the Free Network Project, or Freenet. A
   Chinese version has been set up to help dissidents speak out there.

   We believe that the benefits of Freenet, for example for dissidents
   in countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, far outweigh the
   dangers of paedophilia or terrorist information being distributed
   over the system

   Ian Clarke, Freenet

   Freenet encourages anonymous uploading of any material. Some users
   of the English version believe it is so secure they have used it to
   confess to crimes they have committed, or to their interest in
   paedophilia.

   Each user's computer becomes a node in a decentralised file-storing
   network.  As such they give up a small portion of their hard disk
   to help the system hold all the information and as with anonymous
   surfing, everything is encrypted, with a military grade 128-bit
   algorithm.

   The storage is dynamic, with files automatically moved between
   computers on the network or duplicated. This adds to the difficulty
   of determining who might be storing what.

   Even if a user's computer is seized, it can be impossible for
   experts to determine what the owner was doing on Freenet.

   But such strenuous efforts to protect identity have two side  
effects.

   Firstly, pages can take 10 minutes or more to download, even on a
   2Mbbps broadband connection.

   Secondly, the information is so well encrypted it is not searchable
   at the moment.  Forget Google, your only option is to scroll
   through the indexes provided.

   It is hoped usability of the service will improve when it is
   re-launched later this year.

   Ethical issues

   But those are the least of our problems, according to some experts,
   who think Freenet is a dangerous free-for-all.

   Digital evidence expert at the London School of Economics, Peter
   Sommer says: "A few years ago I was very much in favour of
   libertarian computing.

   "What changed my mind was the experience of acting in the English
   courts as a computer expert and examining large numbers of
   computers from really nasty people, who were using precisely the
   same sort of technology in order to conceal their activities.

   "I think that creates an ethical dilemma for everyone who wants to
   participate in Freenet.

   "You are giving over part of your computer, it will be in encrypted
   form, you will not know what you are carrying, but some of it is
   going to be seriously unpleasant. Are you happy with that?"

   What worries many, is that Freenet is a lawless area.

   It can be used for many good things, like giving the oppressed a
   voice, but users can also preach race-hatred or share child
   pornography with complete impunity.

   Peter Sommer says: "Ian [Clarke] is placing a powerful tool in the
   hands of other people. He's like an armaments manufacturer.

   "Guns can be used for all sorts of good purposes but you know
   perfectly well that they are used to oppress and kill.

   "Most armaments manufacturers walk off and say 'it's not my
   responsibility'. Is that Ian's position, I wonder?"

   Ian Clarke response is to explain that any tool is capable of  
misuse.

   "We believe that the benefits of Freenet, for example for
   dissidents in countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Iran far
   outweigh the dangers of paedophilia or terrorist information being
   distributed over the system," he says.

   Commercial programs for the web help you maintain a high degree of
   anonymity while surfing or mailing, but the realm of publishing
   anonymously, without fear of any comeback, challenges each society
   to ask just how free we want ourselves and others to be.

   Click  Online is broadcast on BBC News 24: Saturday at 2030,  
Sunday at
   0430 and 1630, and on Monday at 0030. A short version is also  
shown on
   BBC Two: Saturday at 0645 and BBC One: Sunday at 0730 . Also BBC  
World.

   Story from BBC NEWS:
   http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/programmes/click_online/ 
4227578.stm
   Published: 2005/09/09 18:03:22 GMT
   © BBC MMV

--
Seth Finkelstein  Consulting Programmer  http://sethf.com
Seth Finkelstein's Infothought blog - http://sethf.com/infothought/blog/
Interview: http://sethf.com/essays/major/greplaw-interview.php



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