Anonymity is the quality or state of being unknown to most people [1]. Today, the growing threats of identity theft, browser tracking and privacy invasions seem to have left only two options to the majority of the web users community. Surf the web on unsecure waters or refrain from browsing at all. Fortunately, the recent years have also seen the emergence of alternative options that allow the user to navigate the internet without the need to reveal his identity, origins or history. These anonymous alternative have empowered the few learned users with the gift of the invisible man while browsing the web. But at what cost?
Anonymity on common Web browsers:
Most web browser today come with anonymous options. Google Chrome with Incognito and Microsoft Explorer with InPrivate offers the user the ability to seamlessly be invisible on the web [2]. With a click of a button, Incognito and InPrivate allow you to browse the internet without leaving any trace of your online activity on the computer that you are using.
They protect the user’s browsing history, temporary internet files, form data, cookies, usernames and passwords from being retained by the browser or other computer resources. These options are quite useful for the internet user who desires to maintain his privacy on public computers or networks [3]. Unfortunately, while keeping the user anonymous on their physical computer, these strictly on-browser solutions do not provide any coverage against ISP and Employer Surveillances or visited websites tracking. How can one then totally disappear from the web without getting off the surfing board?
Tor and the Dark Web:
Tor is a free software and an open network that helps the user to defend himself against traffic analysis tracking. Its objective is to defend personal freedom and privacy and to empower confidential business activities and relationships.
Knowing that most packets tracking are built on IP addresses and other network signatures, Tor ensures the user’s privacy by bouncing his traffic against nodes and network relays that are run by volunteers around the world. With Tor, the user gets a different signature each time he starts a new session. That makes it virtually impossible for ISPs, employers and visited websites to track the origin of the communication.
In addition to privacy, Tor also grants its users access to a layer of the internet known as the dark web. Built on dark-nets, the dark web is a library of web contents that are not indexed by search engines. Therefore, not only, does Tor provide the power of invisibility, it also gives the ability to post content that can only be viewed by a selected class of users. Thus the fear of unethical use. [4]
The cost of invisibility:
What would you do if you could do anything you wanted without anyone knowing?
The desire to be left alone, the thirst for privacy and the ability to conduct and engage in secure personal communications is a right that defines every human. While this is undeniable, it is also fact that my rights should not overshadow the freedom of any other individual.
The power of invisibility as acquired as a user of Tor, does not only make the user invisible from privacy invaders or other voyeurs. It also makes their actions untraceable by law enforcement. Thus, making Tor the prime platform for black market activities, terrorists and cyberterrorist communications, child pornography distribution and consumption and other illegal activities. [5]
If with great power comes great responsibility [6]. How can one then guarantee that the power of web invisibility will only be granted to people who will use it ethically? knowing that the purpose of onion is to evade surveillance, would establishing a Tor traffic analysis defy its purpose? The button line question that most of us are left to answer is: are we really willing to pay such a high cost for web invisibility?
Beyond the case of onion and Tor, Ethics and professionalism should be the core elements that guide us in security engineering.
Testing