Anonymity...?

[DainBramaged]

An interesting article from Ars Technica. The implications, frankly, suck.


Anonymous file sharing network not so anonymous after all?
Posted 12/02/2003 @ 10:47 AM, by Eric Bangeman

Two Japanese computer users suspected of trading movies and games were recently arrested according to Japanese police. What makes this case especially interesting is that they were accessing a supposedly-anonymous file-sharing network via a program called "Winny," which purports to hide the user's identity from the rest of the network. The network based on Winny has around 250,000 regular users and is popular because of the anonymity it supposedly offers. Along with the two men arrested, the home of the developer of Winny was raided by police.

Winny is reportedly based on probably the best-known anonymous file-sharing application Freenet. This network provides anonymous untraceable sharing by dividing up files and distributing them across different computers. The network is also cryptographically secured. However, Freenet's creator, Ian Clarke, has questioned any close connection. "From what I have seen of Winny (which isn't much) it is more likely that they have borrowed a few ideas from Freenet," Clarke writes in an online posting. "But it is unclear whether Winny uses a Freenet-style routing algorithm, or implements any of Freenet's crypto."

Since the advent of legal action against file traders, anonymous and other closed networks have become more popular for trading music, movies, and programs. The arrests in Japan mark the first time someone has been nabbed for using one of these networks. As more legal pressure is brought to bear on the practice of file sharing, dedicated traders will look harder for means of obscuring their identity. However, as the arrests in Japan demonstrate, true anonymity on the Internet is difficult - if not impossible - to find.

[Kevin06906]

The developer of the program must hate those two men for getting caught.....but the developer got himself in trouble anyway...people use the service because of the obvious (Anonymity) and then these two guys got caught while they thought they were being protected...and it did a screw job on the developer.

That sucks.

[method77]

Maybe this "winny" IS anonymous and those two japanese are not file traders. Conspirasy theory? Maybe.

[CCSDUDE]

Can you say "Back door"?

Also, it doesn't state what they were arrested for. For all ya know they had CP or some other shit.

[zaphodiv]

There is already a news item about this on the front page.
It has been suggested that the two users who got busted did posted somthing on a winny bbs that gave away their identity.

[Empire]

There is already a news item about this on the front page.
It has been suggested that the two users who got busted did posted somthing on a winny bbs that gave away their identity.

I always view news articles this way. I ask myself, "what would be the ideal article that informed me what happened?", then, ask, "what is missing from this article that makes it not ideal?"

Usually what is missing is what the source doesn't want to reveal. Why don't they want to reveal it? It could be many reasons but they all sum up under "they don't want to give up control". If they know something you don't, they retain their control over the domain the story is about.

How were these guys busted? They don't tell us. Why not? Maybe someone snitched on them. We don't know that Winny itself was compromised. The fact that they don't tell us HOW the network was compromised tells me either

1) They don't want to reveal how they cracked it.

2) They busted the people with other methods not involving cracking the anonymity.

If they arrested the author then why are they concerned about revealing how they cracked it? It's not like the author is going to plug up a security hole if he is in jail.

Anonymity is the next greatest fear the copyright holders have after they take down the current batch of big networks. If THAT takes a hold its truly over for the RIAA and friends.

They are going to do ANYTHING to make people think anonymity doesn't work.

Wouldn't you if you were in their positions?

Woo hoo!

[Kevin06906]

I always view news articles this way. I ask myself, "what would be the ideal article that informed me what happened?", then, ask, "what is missing from this article that makes it not ideal?"

Usually what is missing is what the source doesn't want to reveal. Why don't they want to reveal it? It could be many reasons but they all sum up under "they don't want to give up control". If they know something you don't, they retain their control over the domain the story is about.

How were these guys busted? They don't tell us. Why not? Maybe someone snitched on them. We don't know that Winny itself was compromised. The fact that they don't tell us HOW the network was compromised tells me either

1) They don't want to reveal how they cracked it.

2) They busted the people with other methods not involving cracking the anonymity.

If they arrested the author then why are they concerned about revealing how they cracked it? It's not like the author is going to plug up a security hole if he is in jail.

Anonymity is the next greatest fear the copyright holders have after they take down the current batch of big networks. If THAT takes a hold its truly over for the RIAA and friends.

They are going to do ANYTHING to make people think anonymity doesn't work.

Wouldn't you if you were in their positions?

Woo hoo!

True..that is a good way of thinking about it.

But you know, somebody is gonna create an anonymous p2p program that will work.

That's true though...when people read this..they think that any developer of an "anonymous" p2p program says it's 100% anonymous..then they won't believe it cause it already has been so called "cracked".

Someday the RIAA will get it in the ass in the future.

[rctempire]

Anonymity yeh right there is no such thing LOL

Well that sucks but is this network any good for stuff like programs and games