With activities in the Internet many users feel anonymous. This anonymity is however deceitful. Without preventive measures the opposite side experiences the IP address of the user with communication. But also Cookies, Browserinformationen or last visited sides can be passed on without knowledge of the user.

With the IP address of a user the offerer of Internet services cannot determine the actual identity of the user, he can however references out like the Provider and often also still country and region find, if the user does not protect itself. For the identity an inquiry with the Provider must take place, these possesses the necessary data, if the user does not protect itself. Other participants could weight about the behavior of this user with its Provider, which usually seizes then measures for this user (e.g. Blockage). Prosecution authorities can naturally require the publication of the identity of a user, if under this IP address criminal offences were committed, which uses in appropriate measures of the user however nothing to the authorities.

Problem: unbedarfte consumer and Internet user

For many problems regarding anonymity there are technical solution types. The largest danger represents however unbedarfte handling the own data. Thus ever more customer their data give change freigiebig for bonus systems such as customer maps or for price writing out, without knowing, what happens with these. An Internet user, who is usually not been versed with questions of data security and data security, gives regularly even price to information from itself, without noticing it at all. Who wants to protect itself, can in the net numerous sides to the self data security find, which help with free information and even free software and concrete PC-Sicherheits-Tipps. Anonymity is to be in practice only ensured, even if the Internet users make their contribution to the safety device of their computer and their Internet connection.

Measures for the protection of anonymity

WWW

Anonymizer are used, in order to mask the IP address with the Surfen. The most frequent and simplest variant are anonymizating Proxyserver. The Proxybetreiber knows however still the IP address of the user and can these on request publish. In order to avoid, certain Tools chains of Proxies constructs, between which traffic is coded. This variant is slow, but quite safe, since now a missing stopover makes the reconstruction impossible. Tools, which carry out that, are JAP or the Hackertool 6/4.

By the independent national center for data security Schleswig-Holstein (ULD) further partially even international projects are advanced, which make security and data security possible in the Internet. P3P can help for example with the Surfen in the net to recognize by data security technology which personal data are processed with the attendance of an Internet side. Beyond that also research is operated to anonymity and The ULD participates in it as independent national data security instance in large-scale international projects to the important future questions of an identity management.

If one wants to publish anonymous data or exchange files, anonymous Peer ton Peer networks come to the course. They function similarly, with several stopovers and coding at each path. Representatives of this section are freenet, ANts P2P and Gnunet.

With gate the Freehaven project develops a anoymisierendes OVERLAY network for TCP. On TCP based connections, like Web Browsing, Instant Messaging, IRC, SSH, E-Mail, P2P, can be anonymizated in such a way by means of Onion Routing.

Concrete weak points and remedy possibilities

In particular with confidential communication processes it is important that the interaction can become belauscht"” nor "“observed"” neither "“. This applies particularly with the members of following occupations: Lawyers, physicians, priests (see for this: Wire-tapping). To be protected communication must in addition, at all occupational groups, (in Germany after "§ 203 of the penal code (StGB)) are obligated to secrecy and discretion. Still it is usual practice that lawyers with mandator, physicians with patient, therapist with client etc. communicate unencrypted in the Internet. Thereby door and gate are opened for a possible abuse. Restaurant economics became often very simple by Internet, since entrepreneurs or craftsmen do not know often at all that they publish their allegedly unpublished data such as offers in the net by unencrypted E-Mail quasi. The offerer of Telediensten is legally in addition obligates effective safety and data protection measures as to be e.g. seized coding. Thus however not all risks are eliminated. So can be obtained also with a Web-based procedure with SSL coding by Phishing and Pharming an illegal and unauthorized accesses to an account. This remaining safety gap cannot be closed on offerer side. From it an obligation results for the clearing-up of the users for the offerer of Telediensten such as Onlinebanking or on-line consultation etc. These are to be cleared up over the dangers and referred protection possibilities like for example the anonymization service JAP/ANON and to further possibilities of the self data security.

E-Mail

In order to be able or anonymous Usenet Postings provide to dispatch anonymous enamels, one uses Remailer so mentioned. These function similarly as a Proxy, only for enamels: The message is further-dispatched by the Remailer, so that this emerges as a sender. Different technologies were developed, in order to realize Remailer services. The Remailer services momentarily which can be found in the Internet use either the Cypherpunk or mix master minutes. While first defines a pure forwarding service, which must be secured by coding systems additionally, mix master establishes as standard equipment a high-safe Remailer net. So-called hybrid Remailer represents a combination of the two Remailer types (see in addition: Reliable).

File sharing

If one wants to publish anonymous data in the Internet, download or to exchange, anonymous Peer ton Peer networks offer for this a possibility. Anonymity is reached in most anonymous Peer ton Peer networks by the fact that the data which can be exchanged are not coded and "„the exchanging "“Clients direct IP connection to each other maintain, but the data on the basis "„ID"´s "“over Proxys (bspw. other Clients) to the receiver pass on. Anonymous file sharing of programs are for example freenet, ANts P2P or Gnunet

"“Or exchanges from data in the Internet offers so-called Usenet offerers publishes, downloads a further possibility for "„the anonymous. With many this offerer is completed the entrance to the Usenet contents over servers, so that the user is connected not directly to the appropriate groups of new separates for the Usenet offerer as "„an anonymous "“mediator inserts. With these offerers one should pay attention however exactly to it whether the server operator log files provided, which he must publish on request naturally to competent authorities. Further problem with many Usenet offerers is that purposefully with the fact it is recruited that in copyright matters protected material is offered for the Donwload. Perhaps such a behavior of an offerer could be interpreted as promotion of or as request to copyright infringements, whereby even an overall monitoring of the offerer server could be justified. Offerers of Usenet entrances are for example Usenext, roofridge load, UseBin or easyload.

Or exchanges from data in the Internet offers so-called Anonymizer publishes, downloads a last variant to the anonymous. Some these anonymization services offer likewise support for the use of file sharing programs. Also in this case it applies to pay attention exactly whether the operator of the anonymization service provides log files, which he must publish on request naturally to competent authorities. Offerers of Anonymizer services with support for file sharing are Trackbuster, identification emergency, Hopster or Safersurf.

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