Computer scientists present guarantees for online anonymity
Anonymity on the Internet is possible only up to a certain degree. Therefore, it is possible that others may see who is visiting an online advice site on sexual abuse, or who frequently looks up information about a certain disease, for example. Seeing that this kind of private information can be linked to their identity, users will often resort to special online anonymization services. One of the most popular tools is Tor. Since the beginning of the year, alone more than two million users have used it to anonymize their Internet connection data. These services will not only conceal browsing behavior, but also the identity of the user, and that of any other recipients. These will usually be other websites, but could also be another person. Tor works in a way that allows users to establish a connection that is then upheld through its own network. The Tor network comprises...