They know who you are
Why you should take steps to protect
your identity on the Internet
December 16, 2005
The Internet is great. Most of us can go anywhere, do anything, read anything, see anything, say anything, download (more or less) anything; and all of this can be done apparently anonymously. As a famous 1993 New Yorker magazine cartoon had it, with one mutt at the computer keyboard explaining to another at his feet: "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." Actually, much to the disappointment of canine surfers everywhere, this isn't exactly true. The Internet will quickly figure out that a) you order weekly supplies of Lick Your Chops (Adult Dog Maintenance Formula) from PetFoodDirect.com, and b) you regularly visit canine dating service AfterBark.com. Your dog status has been rumbled.
The truth is, you aren't as anonymous on the Internet as you thought you were. It is possible for companies, organizations, governments and individuals to collect extensive details of your identity, interests and activities merely by watching you surf. Just by linking your computer address (where your computer hooks up to the Internet) with the data you send and receive, and the footprints (or pawprints) you leave on the Web sites you visit, they can build up an extensive profile of you.
INSIDE TECH
See complete coverage of Asia's technology sector, from cellphones to software.As Lance Cottrell, Internet anonymity advocate and creator of a program called Anonymizer, puts it: "There is generally a perception that activity on the Internet is anonymous with the possible exceptions of credit cards and identity theft." In fact, it isn't like that: "In reality," says Mr. Cottrell, "time spent on the Internet is probably the least private time one spends in any activity. Almost all sites are involved in detailed user and usage tracking. While most of this isn't for any nefarious purpose, the amount and detail of information gathered and stored is mind boggling."
This is because, over time, a detailed dossier is being gathered, explains Mr. Cottrell. "The issue isn't the single click and information related to that, but the accumulation of data over tens of thousands of hits and pages spread over years and hundreds of Web sites." This information is being gathered not just by the sites being visited but by other related businesses such as advertisers.
While many users install firewalls and run antivirus software to ensure we don't get fooled into giving away our personal details, Mr. Cottrell is talking about something different. Security isn't always the same thing as anonymity. Keeping your personal data secure is one thing -- it's akin to keeping your wallet, credit cards and ID card safely away from pickpockets. Anonymity is different. In the real world we can walk around without letting people know who we are -- we can browse in a shop without registering our name at the door. On the Internet we don't have quite the same choice: By default, we aren't only leaving our calling card in most places we visit, we're also telling each of them where we last came from, where we're going, our hometown, what we bought, and lots of other juicy tidbits. All of this, coupled with personal information we may have submitted to job-hunting sites, say, or medical newsgroups, gets stored away for years, exchanged, leaked, stolen, or sold.
You might not think you're leaving much of a trail that could be abused by Web watchers, but security experts disagree. "Who is to say the profile they build is really accurate?" says security consultant Matthew Tanase. "What if this information falls into the wrong hands? How secure is the information and what is the potential for abuse?"
So what can we do about it? Well, it depends on how much effort you want to put into it. For a start, your computer address. A lot can be told from this, especially if you use the same computer and the same Internet connection over a long period. Masking this address is the first step to Internet anonymity. This can be done by simply visiting a Web site that cloaks your address so the places you visit only see the Web site you're visiting from. It's a bit like going into a shop with a grocery store bag over your head. The shop can tell only that you've got some link to the grocery store. Apart from that, nothing. For examples of these Web sites, check out Anonymouse.org or Proxify.com.
But this doesn't help with the data itself. Disguising your address doesn't necessarily disguise what you do -- and the data that passes between you and the sites you visit. This is where Mr. Cottrell's Anonymizer comes into its own. Anonymizer (
www.anonymizer.com) removes anything from the data your computer sends that may identify you -- or your computer -- to the Web site you visit. It also prevents that Web site from trying to reach your computer to get more information, or dump files on your computer that may help it remember who you are the next time you visit. Anonymizer encrypts the data you do transmit so that other people can't see it; it also warns you when you are visiting Web sites that may contain nasties trying to get into your computer. (A new version of Anonymizer's Anonymous Surfing package costs $30 for a one-year subscription.)
Another option is the USB key drive StealthSurfer II, which is great if you use other people's computers a lot. Plug in the StealthSurfer ($90 to $270 from
www.stealthsurfer.biz) and use its onboard software -- including a browser, email program, password management program and a version of Anonymizer's software. All the data will be encrypted and none of it will be left on the computer you're using -- only your key drive.
Using the StealthSurfer might be too fiddly for some people. But if I've scared you enough about all this, it does offer you an all-in-one package that should give you some peace -- and keep your "dog-ness" a secret.
为什么要保护互联网隐私
互联网是个好东西。在网络世界里，我们大多数人可以无所不往、为所欲为，对于所有想看的、想听的、想说的、（几乎所有）想下载的更是随心所欲，而且我们显然不必为此留下大名。诚如1993年刊登在《纽约客》(New Yorker)杂志上的一幅著名漫画所描绘的：一只蹲在电脑前面的小狗低头对另一只小狗解释说，“在互联网上，没人知道你是只狗。”不过让所有狗类网民们失望的是，这并不是事实。互联网会很快发现：1. 你每周从PetFoodDirect.com网站上订购Lick Your Chops（一种为成年狗准备的狗粮）；2. 你经常访问狗狗的约会网站AfterBark.com。你的狗狗身份暴露无遗。
事实是，网络活动并不像你以为的那般隐秘。各类公司、组织、政府及个人通过观察你的上网情况就可以详细了解你的身份、兴趣和活动。通过将你的电脑地址（电脑通过这个地址与互联网连接）和你收发的数据以及你在所访问网站上留下的蛛丝马迹联系起来，他们就可以建立起你的详细资料库。
正如网络匿名的倡导者和Anonymizer程序的开发者兰斯?科特雷尔(Lance Cottrell)所说，“人们大都以为互联网上的活动是匿名的，可能的例外只有信用卡信息和身份盗用。”事实并非如此：“实际情况是上网也许比其他任何活动都更不具备私密性。几乎所有网站都可以严密监控用户及其使用情况，虽然大多并无恶意，但它们收集并储存的信息数量以及详细程度都令人震惊。”
科特雷尔解释说，这是因为日积月累下来，网站就得到了一个详细的档案。“问题不在于一次点击以及它附带的信息，而是数万次点击和浏览所积累的数据，这是许多年来浏览成百上千个网站积累下来的。”这些信息不仅被所访问的网站收集，其他相关商业机构比如广告主也得到了这些资料。
许多使用者通过安装防火墙和杀毒软件来确保个人资料的安全，不过科特雷尔的看法不一样。安全和匿名有时是两回事。保持个人数据的安全是一回事──它和防止钱包、信用卡和身份证被盗差不多。而匿名是另一回事。在现实世界，我们可以隐姓埋名地四处游荡──我们不用在门口登记姓名就可以走进商店。而在互联网上我们没有同样的选择：由于疏忽，我们不仅在光顾的大部分地方留下了名片，还告诉了每个人我们刚才去了哪儿、要往哪里去、家住何处、买了些什么，还有许多有趣的花絮消息。所有这些，再加上我们提交给招聘网站或者医疗新闻组的个人资料将被保存多年，还会被交换、泄露、盗取或者出售。
你可能觉得自己并没留下太多可以被这些网站滥用的资料，但安全专家并不这样认为。安全咨询师马修?塔纳斯(Matthew Tanase)说，“谁敢说他们建立的用户资料准确无误？如果这些信息落入坏人手里怎么办？信息能否安全保存？信息被滥用的可能性有多少？”
那么我们能做些什么呢。这取决于你愿意为此付出多少努力。首先从你的电脑地址入手，因为许多信息是通过这个渠道泄露出去的，当你在很长一段时间都使用同一台电脑和同一个IP地址的时候就更是如此了。伪装地址是匿名的第一步。你只需访问一个可以帮助你隐藏地址的网站就可以了，这样你以后访问的网站只能知道你曾访问过这家网站。这就像头上罩著杂货店口袋逛商店，商店除了知道你去过杂货店以外一无所知。可以帮助你隐藏地址的网站有Anonymouse.org和Proxify.com。
但它没法对付数据传输。伪装地址并不意味著伪装你的一举一动──以及你和网站交换的数据。这就是科特雷尔的Anonymizer程序发挥作用的时候了。对于电脑发出的可能泄露你──或你的电脑──的所有信息，Anonymizer都可以从所访问的网站上删除。这个程序还可以防止网站侵入你的电脑从而窃取更多信息，也可以从你的电脑上删除那些为了便于网站识别身份而安装的文件。为了避免其他人看到，Anonymizer还会加密你传输的数据。当你访问的网站带有可能侵入电脑的恼人程序时，它还会对你发出警告。（定制新版Anonymous Surfing 1年的价格是30美元。）
还有一个选择就是USB驱动器StealthSurfer II，如果你经常使用别人的电脑，这个东西就大有用处了。插入StealthSurfer（
www.stealthsurfer.biz上的售价90至270美元），使用附带的软件──包括浏览器、邮件程序、密码管理文件和一种Anonymizer的软件。这样所有数据将被加密，信息也不会留在所使用的电脑上──除了你的USB驱动器。
使用StealthSurfer对有些人来讲可能太过复杂。不过如果我的忠告让你产生了警惕，那么它的打包服务确实可以让你享受片刻安宁──并为你保守“不可告人”的秘密。
