Monday, January 21, 2013

Being anonymous on the internet

Anonymity on the Internet is a total myth. We are absolutely not anonymous on the Internet.
When you connect to the Internet, your ISP assigns you an IP address and notes in a file address, IP, date and time of connection and disconnection, your login and retains it for at over 1 year.
Similarly, all servers on the Internet keep track of your connection in general at least your IP address, date and time and your actions on the server.
Each packet of information that leaves your computer contains your IP address (and the recipient).
There are techniques to hide his IP address. They all use the same principle, the use of a relay machine.
100% Anonymity does not exist but can make things difficult for the person wanting to capture your IP address.
You do not have to give your identity, you pay cash, many cafes have an automated clearing your history in each session, see automated cleaning disc. But there are surveillance cameras in some cafes … and avoid using always the same and the same hours.
But the cafe is out there around the world, in short, there is nothing like home.
Not to reveal its IP address, there are three solutions:
  • Use a proxy
A proxy is a machine that will relay your request to a server and return the response so that the server only sees the proxy. Proxies are often used for the web but they can be used for any type of application on the Internet.
Attention must use an anonymous proxy, as some proxies reveal your IP address to server if the request.
There are free open proxy lists on the Internet, just type “proxy” or “proxy list” in Google to find it. These proxies free sometimes an ephemeral existence or they are terribly slow.
There are proxies that are paid much faster and truly anonymous.
  • Use a proxy and an SSH connection
Using a proxy is good but if someone happens to capture and analyze your Internet traffic (and your service provider is best placed to do so), he can see what you’re doing and probably identify you. The solution is to encrypt your connection as SSH.
To do this, you must connect to an SSH server and proxy. The SSH server will establish an encrypted connection between you and him in which your application will be before then relayed through the proxy. The connecting portion through your service provider and is encrypted and therefore cannot see what you are doing.
Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network)
This is an encrypted connection to a VPN server. This allows you to be part of this network server and therefore use its Internet gateway. All your Internet activity, whatever the application, go through the VPN tunnel and all the servers you contact will see the IP address of the gateway to the Internet network on which the VPN server or VPN server itself it has a direct connection to the Internet.
This is the best solution for all applications, not just your browser, go through there and they will be encrypted premium so that nobody, not even your ISP can see what you do or the type of data that pass through your connection.
A VPN connection is established in a few mouse clicks on a Windows system.
A search on Google for “Free VPN” or “Free VPN” will give you a starting point to find a good VPN server.
Again, for the last two solutions, there are free but slow systems or systems providing fee-dice normal speed.
The VPN is definitely the best solution for all the tricks in java, flash, or other common pitfalls that can appear in an html page not reveal the IP address of your VPN.
I will not link to a particular service because I do not want to advise without having tested but if you’ve tried a free or paid Proxy or VPN you are satisfied, please leave a comment. But a good starting point if you are looking for a solution that can be Anonymizer site.
Whatever system you decide to use, check first and foremost your anonymity on sites such it.
However, keep in mind that all servers can keep logs of connection, including a proxy server, SSH or VPN. And as they receive your direct connection, they can keep your real IP address.
The only way to minimize this risk is to use a proxy server, SSH or VPN located abroad, see outside the European community, making it more difficult access to its logs, if guard by the French authorities.
Where, then, must have its own server located in a foreign country outside the EU and USA if possible but certainly out of FRANCE (Hadopi seek the French IP). A VPS (Virtual Private Server) suffices. In this case, you do all of the server where you can simply install and set up your own VPN for all retain no data connection. You can encrypt the partition of VPS the data center and even cannot see what’s on it. By logging in over SSH, nor does anyone can see what passes. Admittedly, it takes some technical skills but why do not you group several friends, including a computer buff to rent the VPS. This is what is safer and more you will learn gradually to manage a server…
On the other hand, remember that the procedure and the simplified procedure Hadopi of the Crimes Ordinance does not provide for the opening of a judicial inquiry, the only way to enable any application made ​​to the authorities of the foreign country where the server you are using (dixit buddy lawyer).
Finally, if you opt for a paid solution (if you have large files to download, if you want a guarantee of performance and availability, this is the solution), please note that your payment may be another possibility for login. There are few means of payment or quasi anonymous buy and even less to get paid. I wrote an article about my search for solutions in this area here.

Anonymous web proxy

A proxy is called a proxy server, which is to say that its purpose is to relay information.


How does it work?

A proxy is a gateway … it was invented to communicate local networks that do not use TCP / IP (the protocol used on the web) with the web.
It is a server (there are many available, the most widely used as Squid, or Japanese, Janus or Provixy… does the 4 most popular, there are many more!) That the relay between client and the server receiving the application.
There are three types of proxy:
- Generic: a specific port is used for certain types of queries (for example HTTP or FTP) server that can be opened or closed (mainly IP range)
- Socks: relay all information, whether web requests, mail, messenger, torrent, etc…
- Transparent: it is a generic proxy but in its application that transmits the IP request (and thus you lose your anonymity, but we’ll come in two seconds)
 What use?
Uses may be many, but there are two:
- Protection / restriction: you want to protect or restrict certain protocols (for example to avoid using MSN or Torrent), you can set up a transparent proxy that will relay some information on some certain protocols and ports … block everything else.
- Anonymizer: you do not want that you know your IP address to browse to the neighbor in the network (this is wrong), or send queries to Google without toast … you go through a proxy (not transparent otherwise it is useless) and now (almost immune).
- Cache system: you often see the same websites … you can go through a proxy that will go regularly check the content of the site, caching in local … and access the site will be much faster (squid does well, to be reserved for large sites sluggish).

Really anonymous?

The answer is yes and no doubles.
No, you are not anonymous, but the server that receives your application log the IP address of the proxy and not against you … by the proxy server can keep track of your requests, so it’s all relative anonymity.
It is quite possible with a lot of resources and perseverance to trace some queries, even across multiple proxies (as long as they log all queries).
But for standard use (if you have nothing to reproach yourself) your anonymity is pretty well guaranteed.

Some typical uses:

- I want to access Pandora, the wonderful service and listening to American music recommendation … but with my IP I’m French and I flush denies access to the service. Solution: I go through a proxy us and now I can quietly listen to music on Pandora.
- I was asked to re-direct site visitors based on their IP address to the French, English, Italian, etc … how to test that it works correctly? I go through a proxy English, Italian, etc … and I can test if my code works.
There are many possible use proxies and it is a technical solution to know!
And you use proxy and for what use?