Is anonymous web surfing possible? If so, can't the 'bad guys' use it too?

Read the article that everyone's commenting on.
Subscribe to the RSS Feed for comments on this article.

Normally, somebody wouldn't want to stay anonymous and an average user may as well not try it as you explained about the issues. But, not all servers used for these purposes keep records for very long and it is possible to use more than one server and compounding makes it almost impossible to track down IP's. Of course, things would slow down terribly, but why would someone could go to such extremes?

Leo did a great job at attacking the technical stuff, but let me chide in on the social side.

Yes, 'bad guys' can use it too. The internet, much like a telephone, a shotgun, or a screwdriver is a tool, and can be used by 'good guys', 'bad guys', 'grey guys', and 'ugly guys' -- The tool doesn't care. 'Most guys' leave traces other places; with some detective work, the necessary connections can be made. It just might take longer and more effort (track by sessions & cookies, track by putting an active tap on the machine, etc).

'Most guys' use screwdrivers to turn screws, pry open lids, that kindof thing... I don't favor adding 'a bunch of extra crap' to make it hard to use the screwdriver to stab someone (yes, even though I've stabbed myself) -- it always makes it worse at doing its usual job (driving screws). What's worse is that the internet has a variety of uses (VOIP telephones, email, web, jokes), not just "one use" that "the man" wants it to have (eg, Hollywood would like it to be just like TV. The news people hate the idea of blogs. The phone companys are throwing hissy fits over VOIP saying "its just like a telephone" -- but my VOIP does things like "get rid of telemarketers" and other things the phone ppl don't want to do).

Trying to mess with that fabric (like Earthlink & Network solutions) usually bungles it up (eg, if Earthlink makes a webpage with ads and suggestions when it can't find a domain... what is my VOIP-telephone going to do with it?).

I like my screwdrivers simple and my internet to work.

IT IS POSSIBLE AS A MATTER IN FACT I WAS THE FIRST ONE TO ISE ONE AT MY SCHOOL BUT IT DEPENDS WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY BAD GUYS IF IT IS SOMEONE THATS TRYING TO HURT PEOPLE WELL IT IS BAD BUT THERE GOTTA BE REASONS WHY TO BE BAD RIGHT??? THE QUESTION IS HARD TO ANSWER BUT LET THE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO ANONYMISE THEIR SURFING FIND IT NOT JUST LET IT HAPPEN FEEL ME??? THANX

Google web accelerator works like an in between site, does this in any way mask your IP address? It actually speeds up browsing. Sometimes by a significant amount.

Bad guys use more advanced features, they get into servers trough known bulnerabilities, and make tunnels trough it, after they do the job, they delete all logs.

Free software to make you anonymus are not too effective.

I think Anonymous Web Surfing is important because no website needs to see my real IP address. A hackers first shot at someones PC is via their IP address which is literally the online "door" to their computer. If a site logs a "fake" IP address ,then that is good. One less thing to worry about. As far as services go, I like Ultimate Anonymity http://www.ultimate-anonymity.com as they have been around for a long time (1997 I think) and provide top notch support if needed. Very good tools for those interested in online privacy or anonymity.

LN

I subscribed to Ultimate Anonymity about a week ago based on this article and am quite impressed to say the least. Any one of their U-brand softwares alone is worth the small price of admission. thanks for the heads up.

what if a server constintly erases the IP address, then would they tracible by a law enforcer?

I went to the Anonymizer website and tried their product. When I got to the site, they showed me my IP number, my provider, my computer information, what city I lived in, the latitude and longitude of my HOUSE!!!! I went pale. I did try their product for a day, but it royally screwed up my computer and I had to restore a checkpoint because of it. But the information they had really scared me. Imagine what the 'bad guys' could get?

Is there any law that requires an ISP maintain any type of logs? What if a service were offered that guarantees that ALL logs, records, etc of usage were never kept and IP access at any time other than the present can not be traced. Think there is a market for that?

To post a comment on "Is anonymous web surfing possible? If so, can't the 'bad guys' use it too?", please return to that article's main page.