TrackMeNot Firefox add-on protects search privacy by generating noise

mrl.nyu.edu

15 points·bouncingsoul··9 comments

Reminds me of the part in Crpytonomicon in prison, when Waterhouse is hacking something up but using similar noise techniques to conceal it.

I have always wondered about applying this to browsing & downloading. Would you be liable if you computer decided to download and share something illegal?

that'll work well until there is some bug and the thing accidentally searches for kiddie porn.

Wait - couldn't Google, et al sue them for distributing a system that potentially prevents Google's servers from serving other customers? I mean, if this became popular and enough people began using it, it's nothing more than a slow-trickle DDOS and Google would have to spend 6 or 7 figures upgrading to new servers/hardware to manage it.

Pretty silly if you ask me.

I don't know why he got downmodded: noise filtering can be quite artful and effective, and this "noise generator" is certainly quite weak in terms of providing anonymity in a cryptographic sense/strength. Actually, the situation just gets worse, because it creates a false sense of security.

I agree; I remain unconvinced by TrackMeNot, I think it's the wrong approach.

Although the FAQ in the site says Bruce Schneier's criticism was unfounded, I'm not so sure about that. Here's Schneier's post: http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/08/trackmenot_1.h...

its lifted right from Cory Doctorow's Little Brother. Which is a great read and a wonderful tool to teach the importance of the right to privacy and encryption.

Since it appeared before "Little Brother", maybe Doctorow was inspired by this extension instead of the other way around ;).

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