True Anonymity

[bell1]

Greetings All
Is there really such a thing as "True Anonymity" on the internet using such things as proxy servers, firewalls, etc? And if so,what does one do to "disappear" out here?

[OuTpaTienT]

There are various ways to make it very difficult to track you down, but "true" anonymity? hehe, no such thing.

[commodsquad]

There is a program called (I think) "Freedom" that is supposed to come close to what we would like to believe is "true anonymity" but not without its share of incompatabilities and clogged servers and a healthy price.. Also, if it ever boiled down to the company being subpoenaed (sp?) for some reason, you know they would definately give up your info to avoid a lawsuit and being directly charged with something themselves... I dont think true "confidentiality" would or could even be considered when a company faced with litigation can avoid it...my 2 cents...

[smokin1]

True anonymity as noted above is difficult..if not impossible to achieve as stated above..to answer part of your question though..there are a myriad of choices you can make to help...here are a few...
never use your real name to register your programs....don't use your real e-mail address for anyone other than friends...don't give out too much personal info...use a proxy as a "middle man" between your provider and the net...DON'T use hot mail..it leaks your real IP address..I could go on and on..but that should be a good start...
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[Gomer]

Use a public computer--library perhaps. Nuff said.

[smokin1]

Oh...and they have no idea who is using it?
hmmm...unless you have a shell account you are headed to.....NOT...
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[Gomer]

I don't know what you mean about the shell account thing, but they have no way of knowing who was using it. The computers at the small college (in the library and elsewhere) I attended required no ID to log on. And they were available to the public. Nobody keeps track. Well they did have labs where students were s'pposed to log their name and SSN. But no one watched. The sad thing is dumbass people were writing that info down!!

[mcalmon]

There are a site that can help you!!! http://www.anonymizer.com/

See ya http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif
TonyC

[bell1]

TO : All
Thanks for all the information. I'm currently using VSOCKS and Black Ice Defender, but not sure how much good either really does. I guess if I can't disappear, I'll just have to hide in plain sight.
Again ,Thanks Again.... BELL1

[seti]

Anonymity comes at a price; convenience.

Here are steps I'd take...most of which have most likely been mentioned.

1. Get a web based e-mail addy. Enter false information while registering.

2. When an e-mail addy is needed for anything on the web, either enter a false one, I use a@b.c for example. Or if the site is going to send you a password or something, I would recommend creating another e-mail addy to handle junk mail.

3. Get ZoneAlarm 2 from Zone Labs (http://www.zonelabs.com).
It's a free firewall that is smart enough to stealth port 113 against random probes, while still showing it as "closed" to queries from valid servers. This is the Ident port that idetifies the system when probed. I really don't too much about this.

4. Make sure that your computer name, workgroup, and computer description don't give any personal info.

5. Disable cookies. Ouch, this one hurts. You can also get programs to block most cookies but except the ones you want.

Right now I'm playing around with the 30 day trial of Norton Internet Security 2000. It has privacy options that include:

High: Prompts the user each time confidential information is sent from the computer to a non-secured Web site (HTTP). Likewise, the user is prompted each time a cookie is sent to a Web site. Browser privacy is also enabled to prevent Web sites from retrieving the address of the last Web site visited or the email address used with the browser.
Medium: Prompts the user each time confidential information is sent from the computer to a non-secured Web site (HTTP). Cookies, however, are sent to Web sites without requiring permission from the user. Browser privacy is also enabled to prevent Web sites from retrieving the address of the last Web site visited or the email address used with the browser.

Minimal: Disables the monitoring of confidential information sent to Web sites. Cookies are not blocked but browser privacy is enabled so that Web sites cannot retrieve the last Web site that was visited or the email address used with the browser.

And then for "True Anonymity"....turn off your computer....unplug it....then lock it a closet.